So you are looking into transferring colleges? The first thing we want to say is good for you. It’s easy to stay at a place that isn’t right for you (lots of people do!) We are super pro-transferring if you don’t feel like your current college is the right fit. That being said, transferring takes a little work. Ok, in most cases more than a little, but it doesn’t need to be scary. By utilizing a couple of simple tools and tricks, you can ensure that your transfer will go as smoothly as possible and we are here to give them to you. 

Get all your ducks in a row!

Unfortunately transferring requires some paperwork. The earlier you can get everything together the better. Pretty much as soon as you start thinking, “maybe I should transfer…” start getting your materials ready. Just like when you applied, you will need to send your high school transcripts. This means you will most likely need to reconnect with your high school’s registrar You also might need your SAT or ACT scores. Not all schools require SAT or ACT scores for first-year admissions or transfers, but many still do. If you have SAT or ACT scores it might be worth getting them ready just in case even if they aren’t going to all of your transfer schools. 

Make a (BIG) list

Speaking of “all your transfer schools,” you want to get the list of schools you want to transfer to ready early. It is important to have options. You want your list to be on the longer side maybe even longer than you think you will need. Think back to last year, you probably didn’t only apply to the school of your dreams. You probably had a solid list of back-ups, reaches, and non-reaches. 

However, before you start randomly googling word collages like “good colleges transfer fun,” start thinking about your school and why you want to transfer. Your list of schools should feel obtainable, specific, and should be able to give you the experience you want from college. That can feel like a tall order. Remember, transferring should be on some level about making you happier. 

If you are unhappy where you are, try to think, “what would make me happier?” Maybe it’s the class sizes. Maybe most students commute to your campus and you wanted a more thriving campus life. Maybe it's something else entirely, but whatever it is, you should try your best to define it and quantify it. When adding to your list of possible schools to transfer to you should be able to ask, “Would I actually be happier here and why?” It doesn’t help you to choose a new school that you will also be unhappy at. 

Get ready to answer the question, “why?” 

During this process, you are going to get asked, “why?” a lot. From essays to interviews to casual conversations, it will come up. Your ‘why’ shouldn’t be “well, I hate where I am now” or “I think X is a better school than the one I am at” or even “I want a more tightknit campus.” You can think all of those things, but it’s kind of like saying the quiet part loud. Instead, your ‘why’ should have an academic component. For example, “I want to study criminology, but Tufts doesn’t have a criminology major.” 

Get hyper-specific about academics

Once you have your ‘why’ it’s time to get some details to back it up. Get specific about a major, tract, or type of program that you want. Then only apply to transfer schools that have that. This will help you make a strong case for why transferring is good for you. You will have to do some research to ensure the schools on your list not only have your academic niche but have the programmatic details that were lacking at your last school. You will most likely need to vary your reasoning slightly between schools since each school’s program is a little different, but doing the research early will make this process less painful. 

This is a good time to also look at transfer supplements. While you are researching the schools and their programs also take a peek at the essay supplements and requirements for transferring. Take some notes on what they ask you so while your researching you can jot down details that will make those supplements shine. 

Get organized on essays

You are in college, you probably already have a lot of work. Taking the time to get organized when it comes to the writing supplements will help you save time in the long run. Start by adding all your schools to the common app and look at all their essays. Many of them will have very similar questions. Some are so similar, you can reuse an essay, edit an essay for a prompt, or write an essay that will work well for multiple prompts across supplements. By looking through all the prompts before you start writing, you can organize and cut down on the number of unique essays you’ll have to write. Don’t double your work if you don’t need to. You are already busy enough!

Transferring is a big decision and requires a lot of time and effort, but it can be well worth it if it means you will be happier and at a school that fits you better. Staying organized and doing your research will be your two biggest tools to get you through this process. Take a deep breath, you got this. 

But, if you still need more help, reach out to us here!