Transfer Chances

Hi all, looking to see what my chances of transferring to a semi-target or a target this spring. I'm currently at a decent non-target in the northeast studying finance and was able to get a 4.0 my first semester as a freshman. I have decent involvement in the finance and consulting clubs at my school and am looking to do either IB or consulting after I graduate. I had a solid high school profile with 1500+ SAT, perfect GPA, leadership positions, volunteer experience, and a business internship, but I think I didn't do enough to differentiate myself.

I'm thinking about applying to:

UVA

UNC chapel hill

CMU

Boston College

Duke 

Georgetown

Northwestern

Should I even bother? I haven't started yet, but just wondering if I have a actual chance of getting into one of these schools. Would appreciate any info, especially if someone has experience transferring from a non-target to one of these schools.

Comments (11)

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  • Analyst 1 in IB - Cov
2mo 

Speaking from experience, the transfer game is messy. I applied to Georgetown, Stern, Northwestern. This was a couple years ago. Had a 3.95, student gov, ACT of 32, and good letters of rec. Didn't sniff an acceptance. However, one girl from my non target did get into Georgetown but it was for like criminology or something. Speaking only from my experience, schools aren't looking for top talent. From who I saw get in and who didn't (speaking about business/finance only), they don't want someone from a lower tier school start to topple their current kids. Saw this many times, and it just is a rolling of the dice. Would not recommend applying for a business major. Instead, apply to like gender studies or African studies. This will help enormously. Further, you should know that kids from these schools/majors still get looks from all banks. You just need to know your stuff like anyone else. Go for the transfer but play the odds. 

2mo 
CERTIFED G, what's your opinion? Comment below:

I also went through the transfer process and as the commenter above said its a fucking messy process - didn't get accepted anywhere. The kids that get in usually were able to get in high school, and you will need a very compelling, non-superficial reason (IB, prestige, etc.) of why you want to transfer. That being said, looking at your stats, I'd say you have a decent shot. Regarding these schools in particular:

1.) For UVA and UNC chapel hill, do some research just to be safe -  not exactly sure you can externally transfer into the business school.

2.) Duke pretty much only accepts students from peer universities(ivies, stanford, rice, uchicago, etc) so the likelihood of getting in is extremely low from non-target

3.) Northwestern is pretty transfer friendly, but has gotten increasingly competitive as people have recognized this

4.) Do not be misled by Georgetown transfer acceptance rates online, last year I was told it was like 5-6%. 

5.) Don't know anything about CMU but I imagine its transfer acceptance rate is largely deflated for students interested in business as it mainly CS students trying to break in.

6.) Don't know anything about BC

Your game plan right now is to focus on finishing your rough drafts for your essays in your remaining winter holidays. I fucked around during winter break and it was very stressful having to write essays during midterms. Definitely go ahead and also apply to apply Columbia and Brown as they're relatively well known for being transfer friendly(especially Columbia). Check out Cornell Econ and  Upenn Econ, but they have certain credit reqs to look out for. Good luck, and don't be discouraged by the results. Transferring is a very stressful process and I have respect for anyone who is not content with settling.

Check out this active forum for additional guidance, this is what I mostly relied on throughout the process: https://www.reddit.com/r/TransferToTop25/ 

  • 2
2mo 
throway4343, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Transferred to UNC KF last year feel free to PM me.

1mo 
wsomyfc64, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Def possible

Transferred from small liberal arts to NYU Stern

PM If you want

  • 1
1mo 
68., what's your opinion? Comment below:

Is this Villanova? If so, Villanova is a solid school, not worth it to transfer from. 

1mo 
68., what's your opinion? Comment below:

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