The big question you have to answer through your essay is basically this: “Why do you want to transfer?” We cover the transfer admissions essay in great detail in the book (with real, successful examples), but I wanted to follow up on the college essay seminar we’ve just sent out to people on the Five Steps list by giving out a couple of more transfer-specific tips. (Sorry if you’ve missed out on the Five Steps list!). Here, I cover tips that apply to both the Common Application transfer essay and school-specific transfer application essays. When I say, “the transfer admissions essay,” I’m referring to both cases. Some schools don’t even use the Common Application, but these tips are, nevertheless, useful because it’s very likely, if not certain, that those schools will also ask, “Why do you want to transfer?” Calibrate these tips to satisfy the requirements of the particular schools that you’re applying to.
Reflecting on what I wrote in my Stanford transfer application and what I’ve learned from interviewing many other successful transfer students, my biggest tips on writing the transfer application essay are:
(1) Be mature.
(2) Be honest.
(3) Be specific.
(1) Be mature.
When you’re applying as a freshman, it’s expected that you’ll be a bit naive and uncertain about a lot of things. However, as a transfer applicant with some college experience under your belt (you’ll have a whole year of college experience if you’re applying to transfer as a junior), you must be mature and show that you’ve learned from your previous experience. Know what you want out of college and clearly express why the school you’re applying to can give you what you want.
(2) Be honest.
I’ll keep this one short: be honest. That means (a) don’t lie about anything, and (b) if you’re unhappy with your current school for some real reasons, then feel free to let the admissions people know, but don’t be overly negative and/or whiny.
(3) Be specific.
It’s better if what you say in your essay specifically reflects the rest of your application. For example, if you say that you’ve realized that you want to major in journalism, but the closest thing at your current college is English, other parts of your application should clearly show that you’re gung-ho about journalism. In this case, your list of extracurricular activities might show that you were on the staff of the school newspaper.
In explaining why I wanted to go to Stanford in response to one of the school’s supplement short essay prompts, I talked up the economics program at Stanford (AFTER doing my research on the school), and it was clear from the rest of my application that I had a strong interest in economics: I put economics down as my major, my college transcript showed that I had already taken a few economics courses and had done very well in them, AND I had my economics instructors write my recommendation letters. In other words, provide solid evidence to support the reasons behind your desire to transfer.
Concluding Remarks
Overall, stress that your experience at your current college helped you gain a profound understanding of what you want to do (academically/professionally). Show that making the mistake of going to your current school has taught you about the kind of college experience that you really want. Explain that the best way for you to pursue your goals is to transfer to the college of your choice and prove it. And again, (1) be mature, (2) be honest, and (3) be specific.
UPDATE: If you want to see a real-life example of a transfer application essay to UPenn with my analysis, click here.
Thanks for reading! If you have any tips that have worked for you, or if you have any questions, leave them in the comments section below!
(Photo: Martin Kingsley)
I thought that I heard on the news that the overall transfer rate had increased over that past decade from a quarter to a third of all students. As in, 33% end up leaving their initial college or university to transfer to another school.
Can you confirm this?
Merci.
Thanks for the comment! The 33% number does get thrown around a lot and the document usually cited is a 2005 report from the Government Accountability Office on how to ease the process of transferring credits. You can get it here: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/get… (.pdf file, 329 kb).
Two interesting things to note about this number. First, we’re not sure why everyone says it’s 33% since the document clearly says it’s actually 40%: “Education’s (sic) National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) found that 40 percent of students who entered college in the 1995-1996 academic year attended at least two institutions in the following six years (emphasis mine).”
Second, the study tracked student transfers between the 1995-1996 academic year to the 2001-2002 academic year, so the numbers are slightly old (though I would guess that more recent data wouldn’t be too different). However, we haven’t been able to find a more recent study. If you happen to come across any newer sources for information (and this goes for whoever else is reading this), do share!
Thanks,
Chris
While I looked at the common application, I noticed that there is a generic “why transfer” and a supplement for each school that asks “why do you want to transfer here?” What should be included in one versus the other?
The Common Application “why transfer” essay: In the “why transfer” essay in
the Common Application, you should provide reasons for your desire to
transfer in general, not your reasons for applying to a particular
school. For much of this essay, you might end up explaining that,
though your current school has provided you with many opportunities, it
is lacking in certain aspects. Here are some examples of points you
might include in this essay:
-an explanation discussing why your current school won’t help you meet your short-term and long-term goals
-a discussion of how the courses in your major are limited in range and level
-an explanation of the lack of opportunities to conduct research at your current school
-an earnest explanation of the lack of an intellectual community among the student body that fits your needs and interests
Be tactful and avoid sounding like you’re complaining about your current school.
The school supplement essay: The supplement essay for a particular school
usually asks, “Why do you want to transfer to THIS school (as opposed to
another school)?” If you’re applying to Brown University, then you
would write about why Brown would be the ideal place for you to transfer
to and how the university would meet your needs. Here are some
examples of points you might include in the school supplement essay:
-the specific major at the school you want to transfer to and what
distinguishes that program from programs offered at other schools
-particular professors and/or classes you’re interested in
-particular resources and opportunities offered at that school but not elsewhere
-characteristics that make you a good fit for the school and its student body
Again, these points are just examples. Include details that you think are most relevant to your situation.