Friday, June 9, 2017
The April regular decision college admission deadline has passed and the coveted letters granting admission or the polite letters of rejection have been delivered. I have been getting questions from students who were disappointed at being rejected by their first-choice school asking me how they can regroup.
All is not lost. There is the false impression that once a student has been rejected, there is not another chance of getting admitted to a school of choice. There is another option that students should consider, and that is reapplying to your first-choice school as a transfer student after having spent a year at the school you do attend. Interestingly enough, in many cases, transfer applicants have a better chance of getting admitted than a student applying under regular admission standards. Some schools will even waive the ACT/SAT score requirements for transfers, which raises a person's odds significantly.
The total number of students applying to transfer is usually small. For example, the number of openings at Harvard for transfer students has expanded in recent years. This is partly due to the increase in the number of students studying abroad, which has left more campus housing vacancies. The key to a successful transfer is to make good use of the time you are enrolled at the school you do attend. Take courses and join activities that smack of academic rigor or think about publishing an article in an academic journal. If you choose the publishing route you might ask a favorite professor or grad assistant to help you, especially if they are experts in the field you are writing about.
Or you can choose a student partner who has skills you might not possess to co-author the article. He or she might be strong in math while your strength is in history or English. Together, you stand a greater chance of being published. If writing an article for a newspaper or magazine interests you and you would like to explore the possibility further, email a reporter whose writing you admire. Journalists receive fewer contacts than you may think and many are willing to advise you on researching a topic. Next, find an expert in your chosen area of study at the school you want to transfer to. In your transfer materials, indicate your interest in that particular area of study and explain why you want to transfer in order to study under him or her and state how your career goals can best be met at that school.
For a detailed breakdown of transfer acceptance rates at U.S. News' top 50 colleges visit .
The level of confidence in your career path will be higher as a transfer student than when you were applying for admission from high school. That maturity and a solid academic record in your freshman year can make all the difference in your application and your chances for acceptance.
Gerald Bradshaw is an international college admission consultant with Bradshaw College Consulting in Crown Point.
gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu
https://www.bradshawcollegeconsulting.com
http://www.IvyLeagueGuru.com
Email: gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu
219-781-2372
SKYPE: geraldbradshaw
Colleges and Universities, College Consulting, International Students
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