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T R A N S F E R S T U D E N T S S P E A K Profiles of Transfer Students Edited by Chris Goodmacher Lan Ngo Transfer Students Speak Profiles of Transfer Students Edited by Chris Goodmacher and Lan Ngo www.TheTransferBook.com 2 All rights reserved. Copyright (c) Chris Goodmacher & Lan Ngo Second edition. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the authors. www.TheTransferBook.com 3 As Seen In Praise for The Transfer Book Our favorite letter Hi Guys, …please allow me to tell you how great great great The Transfer Book effort is. I was thrilled to discover it online, I have enjoyed reading and re-reading it, and I have certainly profited from it... Our nephew, who is a senior at (top national university), confirmed your comments on their high transfer rate… (As hard as he worked and as qualified as he was to get into to [top national university], I would never have broached this with him.) Frankly, I wouldn't have thought that our son (a freshman at [small local state school]... a true late bloomer who is academically [sic] blowing it out of the park this year-- FINALLY!!!) would be remotely eligible to transfer there. But, because of The Transfer Book, he will be applying there. www.TheTransferBook.com 4 He went to (public high school), and was consistently in the bottom quarter of his class. Lots of extracurriculars, loved by everyone, integrity and honor, great all-round kid, captain of the tennis team, etc. Just not "there" in the maturity category... though blooming did begin late Junior year. The classic upward trajectory. John's SATS were 1300, so we knew that though not yet ignited, he was capable of more. Fortunately, the scores were high enough for him to apply and be accepted into to (small local state school’s) honors program. With 15 hours behind him at (small local state school), his GPA is a 4.3. He intends to double major: history, political science, and he wants Rosetta Stone for Christmas to learn Arabic... because he thinks that it will be fun to learn it! Wow, who is this kid???? Because John's high school grades were weak (2.6 freshman year, 3.2 Senior year) and the college counselor never spent much time with us, I am especially grateful for your "partnership" and edification. Best to you both!, Jane I have printed and bound The Transfer Book and consult it regularly as a reference book. I have told A LOT of parents (and freshman students) about your book. I do hope that you have enormous success. The Transfer Book contains valuable information and is an exceptional service to any student considering transferring. And it is highly illuminating for a parent who knows next to nothing about what it takes to be a good transfer candidate. And the follow up Hey Chris, www.TheTransferBook.com 5 I am writing you before I even write my brothers! John just got in UNC today... we absolutely believe that you guided us. More praise iGrad.com Winner, one of the Best College, Post-College (and Beyond) Blogs, 2010-11 “[The Transfer Book] contains information that students need to know. You have done a great job with it! ... In the years I have spent advising college transfer students, I have seen some changes, but you are right, there is nothing out there specifically to help them.” —Dr. Michelle Aheron, Director, Student Services, Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC “Considering the fact that 20% of students who start at one university end up at another, you’ll want to make sure you check out [The Transfer Book].” —Rick Lyons, Publisher of Honor Student Magazine “Speaking as a transfer student and someone who has referenced those other sources, I can attest to the helpfulness of this book and website. I find it a shame that it wasn’t published only a few months earlier to help me when I was going through the entire process.” —Hannah Haas, a successful transfer student now at Furman University As I started my transfer application process, I came across an extremely helpful site called The Transfer Book. Their website provides first-hand testimonies, essays, and advice for transfer applicants… As I embarked on this crazy yet perfect journey as I now see it, I kept finding myself to be reading up on their book. The book not only details the transfer process but provides so many personal accounts of students who transferred. At first, I felt extremely alone but after reading this, as cheesy as it sounds, I feel that I can do it… as I work my way through this book, I am starting to believe in something… This is a decision for me and me only. I am doing it because I know what I lack in my current education and I know what I am looking for. I want to learn. I want to be pushed to my limits and strive for something I never imagined I could reach. www.TheTransferBook.com 6 —Fang-hua, a student applying to transfer for Fall 2012 (excerpted from her blog with permission) This book, which was written by transfer students for transfer students, provides the tools and information needed in order to have the college success you've always dreamed of. —Eric, transferred from Santa Monica College to Cornell University The Transfer Book is so essential for anyone considering transferring to a different school. No matter what your situation is, this book can provide insights you will find incredibly useful... The Transfer Book gives you real experiences first hand, and will guide you as you begin your transition to a different college. —Tanya Sperling, transferred from John Tyler Community College to the College of William & Mary This is exactly the resource that transfer students need. Students looking to transfer should learn from others who have gone through the process themselves. I'm glad that someone finally put this together! —Christina, transferred from College of DuPage to University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign I scoured the internet for the best information on how to transfer to my top choice schools. The Transfer Book is by far the best resource out there on transferring. The real-life sample essays alone are worth it! —Jennifer, transferred from Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley www.TheTransferBook.com 7 Table of Contents Introduction 10 Second Shot at a Dream School 12 Bryce, Hampshire College to Brown University 13 Colleen, University of San Diego to Boston College 23 Lauren, Wake Forest University to Dartmouth College 25 Palak, NYU (Stern) to UPenn (Wharton) 29 Wanted More or Different Academic Opportunities 36 Anders, University of Chicago to Yale 37 Anthony, Illinois Inst. of Technology to University of Wisconsin, Madison 44 Josh, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay to U Wisc, Madison 54 Kevin, Marietta College to Ohio University 63 Mea, Bard College to William & Mary 67 Nicole, Trinity College to Barnard College 74 Sought a Different College Culture or Environment 86 Alessandra, St. Lawrence University to Dartmouth College 87 Becca, Sarah Lawrence to College of Charleston 91 Camille, Macalester College to Villanova University 104 Garrett, St. John's University to University of Nebraska, Lincoln 114 Jessica, Drexel University to Allegheny College 121 Joshua, Michigan State to University of Washington 132 Kasey, Louisiana State to Tulane University 140 Katherine, Columbia University to Stanford University 143 Kerry, UCLA to Scripps College 148 Went Beyond Community College 153 Gabriella, Los Angeles Valley College to UCLA 154 Jerold, Skyline Community College to UC Davis 163 Lucy, Tallahassee Community College to University of Florida 170 Megan, Cuyahoga Community College to Baldwin-Wallace College 179 Took Time Off Before Transferring 183 David, Brown University to Harvard University 184 Rachel, Sarah Lawrence to Hiram College 193 Robert, Northwestern University to UPenn 207 www.TheTransferBook.com 8 International Transfer Students 214 Eric, Santa Monica College to Cornell University 215 Jay, Cornell University to UPenn (Wharton) 220 Michelle, a university in Canada to Wilfred Laurier University 222 William, College of Marin to UC Davis 225 Non-traditional Transfer Students 232 Charles, Washtenaw Community College to University of Michigan 233 Mary Ann, ITT Institute of Technology to University of Missouri, St. Louis 241 Transferred More than Once 247 Gabrielle, Antioch College to Warren Wilson College to UMissouri, St. Louis 248 Tanya, Virginia Commonwealth University to John Tyler Community College to William & Mary 257 Drawn to Athletics at Another School 267 Darren, University of Michigan to Pitzer College 268 Joseph, University of Portland to Oklahoma State University 274 www.TheTransferBook.com 9 Introduction This is a book of the most interesting and informative interviews we conducted with transfer students. It was important for us to publish these full interviews—and not just quote from them—because we felt they were what we could have used most when we were going through the application process ourselves: real stories of other transfer students that we could identify with. When we were writing our applications, each of us was the only person the other knew that was trying to transfer. Knowing other transfer students like us out there and having their experiences (positive and negative) as guideposts would have been a huge help. We’ve grouped the interviews according to certain themes shared by groups of interviewees. For example, “Second Shot at a Dream School” contains all the students who were rejected by a school when applying as a freshman, but were able to get in as a transfer. Note, however, that many stories fall under more than one theme, so don’t let the themes narrow your focus to just one particular set of interviews. For example, several of the students that were international transfers also made their way through a community college in the US before ending up at their four-year school. Also, there are amazing stories and advice sprinkled throughout all of the interviews (otherwise we wouldn’t include them), so we encourage you to have an expansive view of what may interest you. We’d even go so far as to recommend that you at least take a look at the introductions for all the interviews. You’ll learn a ton by seeing how each person decided to transfer and how they maneuvered through the process! Three final notes. First, the interviews have been edited for accuracy, clarity, and length. Second, background information—such as the high school the student went to or their test scores—are included at the front of the interviews when available. Finally, and most importantly, our unlimited gratitude goes out to all the students we interviewed! Thanks for extending a hand backward to pull some people up along with you as you move on in life. We hope this book helps you figure out your own transfer path, and once you’ve come out the other side we’d love to hear your own story, especially for future editions. Please get in touch with us at [email protected]. Best wishes, www.TheTransferBook.com 10