IB Transfer Schools
Hi, I am currently a student at a non-target school (Stevens) and I am looking to transfer to a target for IB (specifically restructuring...ofc I know, the most select desk in most regards). Right now my list is Penn, Princeton, NYU, Virginia, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell. Had a 4.0 first semester, got a presidency and captaincy for baseball, some other stuff that no one cares about, and decent but not great test scores (31, 1370). Any other schools that I should add to the list? I know Columbia or UMich, but not sure if I will have time to apply there since they don't use Common App and I already have a lot on my plate. Thank you guys; I always appreciate your feedback
Georgetown and Notre Dame
Definitely good places I am thinking about. Anything I need to do to have a shot at them other than write decent essays? Was thinking of sending in a few DCFs and some of the finance articles that I've written to the schools I apply to
The hard truth is you won't be accepted into an elite school if your application is focused on getting into IB. They don't care, and sending in a DCF would be the absolute worst thing you could do for a transfer application. Make yourself standout in someway other than finance, otherwise you'll come across as one dimensional. Advice is to narrow the list to three top schools and visit campus / meet admissions officers and deans who will be making the final decisions. Because when it comes to transferring, its a smaller pool and human connection 100% helps. Goodluck.
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback. How would you market yourself then? The goal for schools is to attract students who go on to be successful and in turn increase reputation of school. I can't bs it like some kids do and fake a patent or anything shady like that. Just curious why you say writing about a genuine love for finance is different than a desire to be a doctor or something per say. Want to do everything I can to make my app competitive and put myself in a position to succeed
I think you're missing the point I was trying to make about being "one dimensional". You can become a doctor, lawyer, or even a banker from your current University. You need to craft a story to the admissions board that you are going to bring something to the table that X,Y,Z applicant cannot. Now for less selective schools, your answers are perfectly fine. However you have put some top schools down on our list, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Georgetown, Duke...If you say you want to go to Columbia because you want to work in finance, the admissions crew is going to ding you. Why not NYU Stern? The applicant that may end up getting in AND working in IB could forge their narrative about appreciating other cultures and talk about their horseback riding experience in the North Korean countryside because their father was the UN rep meeting one on one with Kim Jung Un. Competition for spots is fierce, especially as a transfer. I don't say this to discourage you, but to give you a better sense of the whole environment.
You can and SHOULD mention your love for finance in your application, though it needs to be supplemented with other interests too. I'll give you a hint. Elite schools are full of international students who bring a tremendous wealth of knowledge (and wealth lol) to the learning environment. I'm just taking a stab and guess that your school is probably more homogenous than the one you're seeking to transfer into. Part of the benefit of going to top school are the relationships you can make with classmates who grew up completely different from you. The schools that you're interested in value this diversity of background.
Finally, I say this as someone who transferred to an elite school and who has perspective. The best thing you can do for your application is visit the University, even audit a class that interests you. Meet the deans and admissions people, just pop into their office and say hello. Get their business card and follow-up with any questions, including BS to keep on their radar. You also need great letters of recommendation, any coach or mentor that has taken you under their wing helps offset your lower test scores. Most people that go to these schools tend to be well-adjusted and balanced (for the most part) and a character reference can help set you apart. This was long and if you got this far good for you. Best of luck, and I hope you succeed.
I transferred from a community college to USC and secured both IB and S&T internships from a BB firm. If you network around and are personable with a good story, any of those schools can get you in front of recruiters.
I appreciate you sharing that. The problem I have right now is that my school can't really get me in front of front office recruiters (more on the strat/quant side) so I'm having to do the whole cold-networking on LinkedIn thing, so I totally agree with that network importance that you stated.
Hey there hows it going. I am currently undergoing the transfer process from a community college as well. could we connect? I have some questions that only someone who went through the process could answer. I would greatly appreciate the help and will pay back some day.
Just a heads up - Places like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale basically take zero transfers and the few that they do take are usually extraordinary circumstances. I wouldn't waste time applying to them. I would recommend you look a bit more at which schools transfers have a real shot of getting into (Columbia and UMich are definitely more worth your time more than HYP). It also might be a good idea to retake the SAT, a 1370 isn't very competitive for some of the schools you listed and you should get a better score this time around since the test is made for high schoolers. Common App versus Coalition/Other also isn't really a big jump, it's just a little extra time copy/pasting things in since the major essay prompts / info are the same in both. Good luck.
Agree the Ivy transfers are incredibly low chances for anyone. 31 ACT probably won’t be competitive
would save money and not apply to HYP + broaden list to include Vanderbilt (very transfer heavy) and maybe Emory / ND / SMU
Yeah tests were low, but my friend got into Princeton with the same scores that I have. So if I were to try any of HYP it would be there. Got into Emory but honestly wasn't sure about it at the time because I didn't know IB was my interest, agree that Vandy is definitely worth a look (huge baseball fan too so that would be really cool to watch), and SMU as in Southern Miss? Appreciate the feedback. Seriously I love this community
I appreciate the feedback. Definitely will go through Columbia and UMich now. As for SAT, I know it honestly sucks. I was pulling solid 1450s on my practice tests and then blew the test I took (ironically on the day COVID shut everything down). You think retaking it in the next month or so is a good idea? I would have minimal time to prep but I would definitely do it if you advise it. Thanks again!
It's just a couple of hours. I think it's worth it just to see. IDK if schools are still test-optional right now, but the worst case is you just don't send it. I personally did no prep for SAT and was fine, try taking some practice tests w/out prep and see where you land. The 1370 is something you would have to overcome whereas if you got like 1450+ then its another box checked.
All the Ivies are under 1% for transfer acceptance rates (besides Cornell) and those spots are reserved for veterans. No shame in taking a shot, but I wouldn't count on it.
Columbia is ~5%, penn (non-Wharton) about the same. Depends on what you apply for, Cornell AEM was 3% when I applied. Cornell has an inflated transfer acceptance rate because they have a GT option for certain high school students. Regardless, good luck. Best bet is likely Virginia or Mich, which would be a step up, but is definitely a tier below the other schools you mentioned. Hopefully you are in state.
I appreciate it. I'm from NY so sadly not IS for M or UVA. Mostly would be finance with some programs like AEM or Commerce mixed in. Test scores suck, just hoping I have enough ec's and good GPA from tough classes to show I can succeed. Any advice on breaking in if I have to go non-target route? Other than network like there is no tomorrow? Thank you!
Wharton takes around 7%. Any advice on test scores? I don't want them to think I got like a 1200, but I also know my scores are low for Wharton. Could I mitigate that with solid essays?
Nah, you'll need at least a 1520 or so assuming you're not an underrepresented group
I appreciate the help btw. Really means a lot
My understanding is Wharton only takes transfer apps from freshmen, meaning you would have to be applying very soon since they want transfers to be there 3 years (look into this though, maybe things have changed).
Duke / UNC
Thank you. I know Duke is great, thought that UNC was considered a low-end target (below schools like Vandy or Williams or even UT Austin). Not sure how that holds in the industry tho
Would highly recommend retaking SAT (if allowed for transfer) unless you have a 3.9+ GPA at your current uni. Duke’s average (for freshmen intake) is around 1500-1530 for my class. Not sure how much the number hovers for transfer intake though. Good luck!
Incorrect. UNC arguably has better placement than Duke. Both are similar in that there’s not a ton of IB interest among student body but still many firms interested. Definitely better placement than UT Austin for NY and likely the other two as well. Also is transfer friendly - although still tough OOS.
I transferred into an Ivy (lost semester of prior school credits bc of delta). They tried to get me to do all 4 over again so I could “get the full experience”…f that, don’t fall for it. Just grind and don’t take electives. Much like BB’s, it’s was a whole picture thing not just the scores. Sometimes you need to stand out when everyone is so close together…all 4.0 etc.
Appreciate the help. Honestly one of the reasons I want to go is because I don't have a lot of course options that are helpful for fo WS careers. Most of the work we do focuses on algorithmic trading and ML. Not bad, but hard to convince an MD-VP to put you on their desk because you can code while other kids have had banking classes and finance clubs they could do.
I’ll also add that I was also accepted to U Michigan as a transfer, but ended up choosing USC. I was still able to secure my offers in a nyc office. So don’t go to a school strictly for chances at an offer.
Thank you., I really appreciate the help.
To second the previous points on Columbia. Ivy League school and in NYC. I admit I'm a bit biased but I had a great experience. Location is very underrated. Helps so much with things like coffee chats, internships, etc...NYU Stern is also a tip top school. They frankly recruit just as well if not better than Columbia due to the strength of their student club networks. Can't go wrong with either one. Your profile seems great, but I second the point on considering retaking your standardized test scores. The median scores for these schools is around 1500 and 34 for SAT and ACT respectively and it would add a lot of substance to your 4.0 GPA.
Thank you. I really appreciate the help!
You've gotten great advice on this thread so I will just second most of it. Apply to transfer-friendly targets like Gtown, ND, and also some semi-target backups that you have a real shot at like USC, Vandy, SMU, BC. Search "Undergraduate Target Schools Tier List (2021 Updates)" on here for some school inspo.
I would kill Harvard/Stanford/Penn if you have to write any essays or spend time for them. Harvard takes like 15 transfers of 1500+ applicants and the majority of those are athletes, or were Harvard-quality out of HS but just didn't like Stanford or whatever. You don't mention your high school GPA, but they will look at that too. Retake the SAT/ACT if you have time.
Finally, while target schools are important and you should transfer if you can, you can absolutely land RX from a non target/semi target. It's a super niche group and knowledge of RX is most important, if you know about the space you can definitely network your way in.
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