It’s undoubtedly one of the busiest times of the year for high school seniors, but if you’re currently in college and you’re considering transferring, it’s also time for you to get that process started. You might be thinking --“but I thought transfer applications aren’t usually due until March.” You’re right, but there are tons of materials to gather, and even more essays to write, and it isn’t ideal to be bogged down with all of that extra work while you’re trying to keep your grades up and hopefully do something fun for spring break.  

The best time to transfer is after your freshman year. This is because it usually requires a certain amount of credits to transfer, and while it’s possible to transfer and start at your new school at the beginning of your junior year, colleges tend to accept less students entering their third year. Transferring immediately after your freshman year also lets you maximize your time at your second school after deciding that your initial choice wasn’t suitable.  

If you’ve decided that you want to transfer, or are on the fence but need encouragement/validation/a list of action items, here’s what you should do:

Get really clear about why you want to transfer and what you’re looking for.

Start by making a list of the reasons that you want to transfer, and cross off things like “bad weather” and “I don’t like my roommate.” While it’s completely valid if some of your initial reasons for wanting to transfer are tied to location and general vibe of campus, you still need to link those feelings to something more concrete in your supplements. If your reasons are academic, you’re off to a stronger start. Think about what your ideal education would look like – down to the classes, research opportunities, and internship opportunities. You should be left with a list of things that you’re looking for, and you’ll use that list in the second step.

Find what you’re looking for.

Let’s say you started out as a biology major, but after six months of classes, you’ve fine-tuned that interest to marine biology. Your current school is in a land locked state (no water access means fewer research opportunities) and there are only three marine biology classes offered, so you’re unhappy. This means that you’re looking to transfer to a school with a strong marine biology department and plenty of research opportunities. Whatever your list of needs looks like for you, start doing some major program comparison until you end up with a list of schools that EXCITES you. Because transfer acceptance rates are low, it is truly not worth it to apply to schools that you wouldn’t be genuinely thrilled to attend.

Solidify your school list and create a document to track deadlines and materials needed.

You’ll obviously need to get through the first two steps first, but creating this document now is crucial. Remember all of the documents you sent when you applied to college first time? You’ll need those, plus a whole set of new ones. Triple check the deadlines and start submitting your materials as soon as you decide that you want to transfer! Especially for getting older documents (high school transcripts) and letters of recommendations sent, you’re going to want to provide as much notice as possible and give yourself ample time to follow up when something is undoubtedly looked over.

Getting ahead on the steps above will ensure that you’re ready to start writing your transfer common app essay and the supplements. If you’re thinking about transferring and need help figuring out where to apply, contact us here.