The college application process on it's own takes a toll on students. Unfortunately, that stress is not even brushing the surface of the college transfer process. Assuming that you really want to transfer (otherwise I wouldn’t say that it’s worth the workload), get ready for some deadlines and a lot of emailing.
Some colleges accept both Fall and Spring transfers, while others only accept Fall semester transfers. The Fall transfer deadline is usually in early March or April. For instance, the Columbia University Fall transfer deadline is March 1st, while NYU is April 1st.
Contrary to the college essay that Freshman applicants must write, transfer students are required to write a 250-650 word personal statement explaining their reasons for transferring and the objectives that they wish to achieve through it. Again, this requirement is also dependent on the college’s own decisions.
Similar to the regular process, the transfer process also requires recommendations. The Fall transfers would have to obtain recommendations from at least one college instructor (usually not your adviser, since the advisers would suggest for you to go to your professors). The best choice would be a professor who likes you and who teaches a subject that’s within the boundaries of your major, since some colleges require you to declare a major for Fall transfers.
Then there’s the college report, transcript, and addition forms sections.
The college report is a form regarding your current standing in the college that is to be filled out by your adviser at the end of the semester. For Fall transfers, the transcript, obviously, is to be sent in at the end of the semester. But for Spring transfers, the admissions office would mostly rely on your high school grades as one of the deciding factors of their decision. The additional forms consist of two forms. One form is the secondary school final report regarding your past standing in high school and the other is a mid-term report to be completed and signed by all of your professors.
When I sent an email to my former guidance counselor requesting her to fill out the form, she sent me a high school transcript request form to be sent to the college. That is also meant to be mailed to the college that you’re applying to.
Keep in mind that all these materials are to be sent by mail. Hopefully nothing goes to the wrong address, so it would be best to email the admissions office to ensure that they have received all of the materials sometime after they are sent.
I would say that the most difficult part of the process is the supplements section. Out of the thousands of applicants, the Ivy League colleges usually takes up to 6 percent of these students. While other colleges may take up to 20 percent, I would think that whoever applies to transfer probably really does want to leave their current college. The supplements section provides a platform for you to set yourself apart from the rest of the application pool.
The most annoying part, however, is obtaining the recommendations. You either have to make your presence known and liked, let the professor have something to remember you by, or have outstanding grades. It's best to have all three, to be honest. But the problem is that some professors may take a long time writing the recommendation or forget that you asked for it at all. Personally, I asked three months early and emailed them every two or three weeks or so until they finished.
