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CORNELL AEM: Are Transfers discriminated against?
 

thenba's picture
(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:07am

I was accepted into Cornell AEM and a few other targets as a transfer. My problem is that we all know that Cornell is pretty lenient on transfer admissions, and I'm wondering if I'll encounter problems when interviewing about it. If they know I'm a transfer, would that hurt me? I ask specifically for Cornell, because I feel like the kids interviewing me are AEM alum's and have a negative view toward the transfers who come in since they know the program and how difficult it is to get in. I'm seriously considering attending another school (Top 25) instead of Cornell just for this reason. Thanks!

Tags:
Beretta's picture

You should just be happy you

ST
(Orangutan, 358
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:16am

You should just be happy you got accepted. I have a few Cornell friends who tried to switch to AEM and were rejected. It's a small program and ridiculously selective. Make the best out of this opportunity is all I can say.

thenba's picture

I don't know what to think.

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:21am

I don't know what to think. I just looked through the data for the 2011 class and there weren't many kids in IB. I'm worried that going there, I will be outcasted when it comes time for interviews as the first question they ask me is "Are you a transfer" and I get kicked out of the room for coming from a, in their eyes, a shitty school and taking the backdoor in. I do have PWM and Boutique IB internship previously before I go in, but looking at where transfers placed, it doesn't look too promising. The main thing that scares me is the acceptance rate and people thinking I won't be taken seriously because I took advantage of that, or something. Believe me, I'd prefer to attend Cornell for a variety of reasons, but if it's gonna hurt my future job prospects, I'll go to the other T25 I got accepted to with fairly decent stats and no issues of transfer fluffing..did your friends attend Cornell and just not do well or something to not get into AEM? Thanks for helping me out

Beretta's picture

thenba: I don't know what to

ST
(Orangutan, 358
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:31am
thenba:

I don't know what to think. I just looked through the data for the 2011 class and there weren't many kids in IB. I'm worried that going there, I will be outcasted when it comes time for interviews as the first question they ask me is "Are you a transfer" and I get kicked out of the room for coming from a, in their eyes, a shitty school and taking the backdoor in. I do have PWM and Boutique IB internship previously before I go in, but looking at where transfers placed, it doesn't look too promising. The main thing that scares me is the acceptance rate and people thinking I won't be taken seriously because I took advantage of that, or something. Believe me, I'd prefer to attend Cornell for a variety of reasons, but if it's gonna hurt my future job prospects, I'll go to the other T25 I got accepted to with fairly decent stats and no issues of transfer fluffing..did your friends attend Cornell and just not do well or something to not get into AEM? Thanks for helping me out

No they had good grades. It's just that the transfer is relatively competitive. From what I heard, a lot of people try to transfer per semester. My source = the valedictorian of my high school who currently goes there.

By the way, I just pulled up AEM's 2011 stats - they have IB kids in every bulge bracket bank. Considering how small the program is (it's about 5 times smaller than Wharton), I'd say they are doing pretty well.

Rambo's picture

Older brother graduated from

(Baboon, 150
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:35am

Older brother graduated from AEM. Currently works at JP/MS/DB.

thenba's picture

I actually just went through

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:37am

I actually just went through every 2011 grad and checked where they are now..out of 253 graduating kids, there were ~28 at name-brand firms (not all BB). There were also 3 transfers that I found that weren't in banking at all, I believe, but were into Finance and in BO/Support roles. This is why I'm asking. As for how competitive it is, I'm pretty sure you only need about a 2.75 GPA and a few courses done to internally transfer. There were about ~80 kids who did it last yr from inside Cornell and about 50 who transferred in from elsewhere. I'm very concerned about this and this is the only reason I'm doing so much research. I'd ideally like to attend Cornell, but have a feeling being a transfer from an unknown school will significantly hurt my chances at IB. Any help? Thanks!

thenba's picture

Rambo: Older brother

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 12:39am
Rambo:

Older brother graduated from AEM. Currently works at JP/MS/DB.

That's awesome, do you know if he transferred in? Would you be able to ask him if I'd run into problems in the recruiting process as a transfer from a no-name SUNY -> Cornell with PWM and boutique IB internships previously? Thanks a ton mate.

Rambo's picture

thenba: I actually just went

(Baboon, 150
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 1:02am
thenba:

I actually just went through every 2011 grad and checked where they are now..out of 253 graduating kids, there were ~28 at name-brand firms (not all BB).

Only 180 kids responded to that report. That's 1/6. You honestly can't expect everyone to work at BBs, right? If it were that easy, there wouldn't be a need for this forum.

And no by bro wasn't a transfer. I doubt transfer is gonna hurt you a lot. Just make sure you do well in your first semester there to prove yourself.

av8ter's picture

inferiority complex much?

O
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 1:05am

inferiority complex much?

kidflash's picture

If you transferred from like

IB
(Gorilla, 684
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 1:06am

If you transferred from like Podonk Falls Community maybe. If you're transferring in from a top 20 school or so, I don't see why they would discriminate (Vanderbilt-->Cornell or JHU-->Cornell). They'll probably assume you transferred for fit reasons rather than a trade-up.

thenba's picture

kidflash: If you transferred

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 1:09am
kidflash:

If you transferred from like Podonk Falls Community maybe. If you're transferring in from a top 20 school or so, I don't see why they would discriminate (Vanderbilt-->Cornell or JHU-->Cornell). They'll probably assume you transferred for fit reasons rather than a trade-up.

I might as well have come from "Podonk Falls Community" so let me know if that factors into your decision. And, I hope you all realize that I'm asking this specifically for CORNELL because they have a reputation, that I believe alums know about, for accepting a huge amount of transfers - this won't necessarily be a problem @ the other schools as they don't have that issue. I'm just worried that alums will know I transferred and ding me for it, even if I do well my first semester, because I was basically "guaranteed" acceptance as they view it. Thanks.

thenba's picture

Rambo: thenba: I actually

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 1:12am
Rambo:
thenba:

I actually just went through every 2011 grad and checked where they are now..out of 253 graduating kids, there were ~28 at name-brand firms (not all BB).

Only 180 kids responded to that report. That's 1/6. You honestly can't expect everyone to work at BBs, right? If it were that easy, there wouldn't be a need for this forum.

And no by bro wasn't a transfer. I doubt transfer is gonna hurt you a lot. Just make sure you do well in your first semester there to prove yourself.

It wasn't a senior survey report. I compiled a list from the graduating class and searched their LinkedIn and made a list. Those were the numbers, and overall, they were less impressive than the other school by a wide margin - but this is ONLY AEM kids, whereas if we compared Hotel+ILR+PAM+AEM+CAS it would surely outnumber the other school just by the sheer size and number of applicants. My main concern is that due to Cornell's easiness of transfer, I'll be facing a very unique uphill battle that extends far beyond just doing well in my first semester, as I'm potentially facing a conflict that won't even allow me into my first job if what I'm thinking is correct (that alums take note of if an applicant got in through transfer or not, which makes a huge difference in Cornell's rep). Thanks

slader23's picture

If you want to succeed do not

 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 3:03am

If you want to succeed do not second guess your decision to go to Cornell AEM. From what has been previously stated it is a highly selective program so even if you transferred..you beat out a lot of other students. Realistically what your worried about is the "stigma" of being a transfer but to be honest no matter who you are there will always be something people can pick on. I mean really...do you honestly think just because someone transferred they are going to be looked down upon come recruitment season? There are probably a million other factors that give a more accurate picture as to why those other transfer's didn't end up in their desired positions. In the end it is up to you to figure out how your going to approach this issue you seem to think you have...will you feed into your own malice or persevere and make the most out of your situation..which is way too advantageous for one to walk away for a reason like the one you have stated. Why did you apply for transfer? After suffering to get what you wanted out of your old school do you really think a speculative reason like this should stop you?

Keep it together and you will go far..

thenba's picture

slader23: If you want to

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 8:35am
slader23:

If you want to succeed do not second guess your decision to go to Cornell AEM. From what has been previously stated it is a highly selective program so even if you transferred..you beat out a lot of other students. Realistically what your worried about is the "stigma" of being a transfer but to be honest no matter who you are there will always be something people can pick on. I mean really...do you honestly think just because someone transferred they are going to be looked down upon come recruitment season? There are probably a million other factors that give a more accurate picture as to why those other transfer's didn't end up in their desired positions. In the end it is up to you to figure out how your going to approach this issue you seem to think you have...will you feed into your own malice or persevere and make the most out of your situation..which is way too advantageous for one to walk away for a reason like the one you have stated. Why did you apply for transfer? After suffering to get what you wanted out of your old school do you really think a speculative reason like this should stop you?

The problem is that it's not so much a problem for being a transfer, as it's being a transfer in AEM. CALS has a ~50% admission rate for transfers, and this is published online. As long as you complete the coursework, you have a good shot at getting into Cornell AEM and I feel like alum's know this and feel like transfers are a completely different group of people. The reason why I'm debating not attending is because of this and teh feeling that I could be buried some recruiting season, and judging from the placement of AEM, at least...it doesn't compare at all to GTown MSB. People hype it up on this board to an unreal degree and most of the kids who are doing it don't even go there. Sure, it was great back in 08/09, when it was new, but now the placement is average at best (for AEM). Not sure what to do here...

bfin's picture

So you think your inferior?

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,772
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 9:01am

So you think your inferior? Great. How about you drop that bitch way of thinking and go to class and dominate. Then go into the interviews and dominate. If you give people a reason to doubt you they will. Now stop worrying so much about something that is already out of your control.

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

slader23's picture

The decision is entirely up

 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 9:04am

The decision is entirely up to you, whatever the choice is its still better than whatever school you were in before. If you could provide a list of those other targets I am sure others will provide you excellent advice. I am not an American University student but I do have knowledge of your target schools and programs. If you were to give more information people who have much more knowledge and personal experience with this will help you cut down your list. It seems to me that Cornell may be the one you are leaning on as your best choice but you are unsure as to whether or not it is worth it and are weighing your options by making an analysis of its benefits and disadvantages. I think that you are right in doing so but don't dwell on minor issues such as this because as long as you keep yourself composed as a student and maintain a decent GPA and community presence, I highly doubt you will be "buried" come recruiting season. Your recruiter should not be thinking "oh he's a transfer..pass on this kid" He should be more or so like "Transfer ? why? non- target high grades very involved...decides to move to a target..shows consistent academic/social trend...this kid is a rockstar, lets get him an interview before x firm grabs him!"....The only person stopping you is yourself either live in your pessimistic statistics or grow outside of them and show the world what you got..other wise as it will teach you.

Keep it together and you will go far..

Beretta's picture

thenba: The problem is that

ST
(Orangutan, 358
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 9:10am
slader23's picture

Beretta: thenba: The

 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 9:43am

Keep it together and you will go far..

thenba's picture

Except I'm coming from a

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 10:18am
bfin's picture

thenba: Except I'm coming

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,772
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 10:21am

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

thenba's picture

bfin: thenba: Except I'm

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 10:29am
bfin's picture

thenba: bfin: thenba: Exc

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,772
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 10:34am

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

thenba's picture

bfin: thenba: bfin: the

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 11:03am
Rambo's picture

thenba: No, I'm not. I did

(Baboon, 150
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 11:17am
thenba's picture

Rambo: thenba: No, I'm not.

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 11:20am
bfin's picture

thenba: The main concern was

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,772
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 1:22pm

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

av8ter's picture

Just a quick FYI on Cornell

O
 
Points)
 on 7/18/12 at 3:20pm
The Fisher Account's picture

10 kids? That's just not

(Monkey, 34
 
Points)
 on 7/24/12 at 10:01pm
djc225's picture

OP.... If you want to go to

IB
(Baboon, 147
 
Points)
 on 7/24/12 at 10:26pm

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