Addressing Misconceptions: Transferring to T-10 Private Schools
Having spent the past three years working in the transfer space, I’ve come to realize that there are quite a few misconceptions regarding details related to transferring to top private institutions. I’m going to debunk these myths for you, so hopefully you aren’t convinced by the comments left on the internet that are very much false.
- You can only get in to {insert top school here} if you’re a {insert impressive resume item here}.
For example, “You can only get in to Stanford if you’re a war hero” or “Harvard only accepts people who have had their work published in top scientific journals”.
Hello, it’s me! I’m average! Say what you want, but I, and many other successful T-10 transfers, have yet to top music charts, work with Nobel prize winners, or display other impressive feats on our resumes. But we did, in fact, receive admissions offers from top schools. My point here is that there is no one way to get into a top school, and if you limit yourself by believing that there is no way for you to get in because you don’t have a certain type of achievement under your belt, then you are standing in your own way. Because ticking off one of these boxes is not a requirement, and there are plenty of us boring normal people who can prove it.
- You need a minimum number of credits to transfer.
This actually isn’t true for most private schools. While having some college credits is the norm, you don’t need to have completed a year, or two, prior to applying. Most private schools make this clear on their transfer pages, and I’ve explained a bit more about transfer credits here.
- You’re at a disadvantage if you’re not in community college.
Transfer students are students who go from one accredited college to another. This includes students currently studying at 4-year universities. In fact, every year of transfers at every top school includes individuals from both community college and other 4-years. From my experience at Stanford, and observations of other similar universities, this is usually a near even split. So, don’t worry about being from a 4-year.
- You’re at an advantage/disadvantage because you’re a {insert some aspect of a person they can’t change}
For example: “You’re at an advantage because you’re a woman” or “You’re at a disadvantage because you’re over 25”.
First of all, who is coming up with all these advantages and disadvantages?? Secondly, this is not really a discussion we need to have. Gender is shown on the common data set and is pretty much split between male and female (those are the genders they have in the data set). You can check out court rulings for race issues, I won’t get into that. Both traditional and non-traditional transfers are accepted. The list goes on. What I will say about these types of comments is simply that they all seem a bit, to me, like excuses. If you think you have done well and you deserve to go to “x” school, there can be a place for you there. So please don’t weigh odds, and just give yourself a chance. If you don’t, you’re not even giving the school the opportunity to make a decision, you’ve already made the decision for them.
- You need to be studying something uncommon to get in (see also: {x} majors are more likely to get in)
I stand by my previous point. There isn’t public data on the types of majors people are studying as transfers at top schools, but I personally met people studying a huge variety of majors (international relations, political science, chemistry, human biology, computer science, regular biology, psychology, sociology, marine biology, theatre, music, english, etc. etc. etc.).
For some private schools, you might not even enter with a major. Stanford has you declare after you’ve gotten in and taken some classes, and major declaration is a whole process on its own. We all technically came in as… nothings. Its far more important that you:
a. are studying something you actually enjoy (or think you will enjoy)
and
b. have done plenty of work inside and outside of the classroom to support your interest in that major
So please don’t pick a niche major just because you think it will increase your chances. Political science students can get into Harvard, computer science majors can transfer to Stanford, and you do not need to force yourself to study sustainability if you do not want to!
and lastly…
- Your essays are the most important part of your application.
Okay, so the cool thing here is that I think this misconception actually has a background. I mean, no one can sell you extracurriculars or a good GPA. But they can sell you essay writing services, or essay editing (or essay writing support like I do! Which is just a plug because, we are being honest here).
That’s totally okay and honestly, yes, your essays do play a part in your application but they are not the entire thing, nor are they the most important. I think that’s what a lot of people actually get wrong about admissions to top schools. There is no singular important part of an application. It’s actually a lot more about how the entire application comes together.
Think of it like this… if you have amazing essays but low test scores, low GPA, and awful letters of recommendation… those essays aren’t going to carry you very far. But if you have a competitive GPA, strong test scores, and have letters of recommendation that support the extra-curriculars and scores you’ve gotten, those essays then play the role of showing more of yourself than your resume can. So don’t think you need to write your essays 10 months in advance and neglect the other aspects of the application - if a private school says they use a holistic approach, you should use one as well.
Hopefully this has helped shed some light on the information you might’ve read online that is probably terrifying, worrisome and very much just not true. I’ve called this part I because… I wouldn’t be too surprised if I managed to come up with enough misconceptions to create a part II.
Still have questions? Leave a comment on any of our videos on social media and we’ll make sure to get you the answers you need.