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I was wondering if anyone knew what most transfer students to harvard scored on their SAT I. I got a 1530 (800 verbal 730 math) and I will be applying there for transfer next year. Is this higher than the norm for transfers, and, if it is, will it have a great effect on my chances? (I also had a 3.8 HS GPA and will have a 3.94 at my college with a lot of extracurriculars)

By Northrams (Northrams) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 07:28 pm: Edit

bump

By Northrams (Northrams) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 11:41 pm: Edit

heres my other info, if anyone chooses to help me out with my q:
HS: SC VP, senior class rep, model congress officer, numerous mc awards, honors classes, one ap (am. hist./5), 4 years football (2 jv/2 vars), national scholar athelete award, founder and president "support our troops" club, italian club, pop warner football coach (3 yrs), numerous other awards from local organizations
College thus far: VP sigma chi eta (speech honors society), phi theta kappa, freshman senator student governemt. i plan to found young republicans club and i will be sigma chi eta pres next year. Great recommendations from professors.
I also briefly attended USMA.
Can anyone evaluate my chances/my standing in comparison to other transfer applicants?

By Northrams (Northrams) on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 09:21 am: Edit

someone? anyone? anyone at all?

PS: also National Honor society and social studies honor society in HS, ranked 60/375 in class

By Northrams (Northrams) on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 01:51 pm: Edit

anyone! i dont care if youve never even heard of harvard or if you can't spell transfer, just please give me something to work with here!

By Pacman (Pacman) on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 01:58 pm: Edit

I think when it comes to transferring to Harvard, your score and GPA is close to being irrelevant. Because you are not going to get in because of them. No one will get into Harvard (especially transfer) by just that.

You need some REALLY COMPELLING other reasons for them to accept you, like national or international distinction. Your chance is slim, but not none.

By Bigred2005 (Bigred2005) on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 04:03 pm: Edit

Northrams,

I think you have a chance, but it's slim (because everyone's chances are slim). Not only do you need a really compelling reason for them to accept you, as Pacman mentioned, but you also need a really compelling reason for Harvard, specifically. You have to convince them that they have something that your current school can't offer you. This could be anything from academic programs to ECs to location; it just has to be very convincing. So definitely do some research before you send in that application-if its not too late. Good luck!

Jim

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 04:07 pm: Edit

Harvard takes very few transfer students. Look up how many have been accepted each year in the last 5 years.

Those who successfully transfer to a top school need a compelling reason for the transfer. Usually it is someone who has outgrown his college or exhausted the resources of their college. My neighbor successfully transferred for Loyola in Md to NYU Tisch when she decided she wanted to go int graphic design and art, and she had taken everything Loyola offered in that area. That is what the schools want to see. That and a superb college transcript. High school stuff might be requested but does not weigh in as heavily than the above two factors.

My nephew transferred into a top school from a mid range college because he was doing sterling research that was hitting the limits of what his college could offer and was something his next school specialized in. They were eager to have him because he brought something specific to the table. I doubt he would have gotten in if he just wanted a harder school as his college had a perfectly fine premed program. Research facilities were a different story.

By Northrams (Northrams) on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 06:51 pm: Edit

thanks for the feedback. right now im at one of the top ranked community college honors program in the country (we have ivy league acceptances every year), not a 4 year school, so i assume that theyd know why im looking to transfer. would my having attended west point help my chances at all? also, though i will have been out of football for a couple of years, would reaching out to their coach be a potential positive? (i have stayed in training so i think id actually have a shot at their team) Again thanks for the feedback.

By Northrams (Northrams) on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 12:38 pm: Edit

bump

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 02:29 pm: Edit

If you check Harvard's web site, you'll notice that Harvard gets something like 2,000 applications a year from transfer applicants, and accepts only about 50. The odds of acceptance are so low that Harvard even advises transfer applicants to make sure they also have applied elsewhere.

I would imagine that most transfer applicants are stellar, as is also the case with freshmen applicants.

Regardless of what your background is, the odds of your being accepted are very low. My best guess is that the people who get in are the ones who best fit what Harvard needs in order to round out the diversity of the class that the applicant is applying for. Thus, if classics majors, lacrosse players, first generation college students or people from Tahiti are needed, those will be who gets the nod.

The exception will be the very rare applicants whose backgrounds are so stellar and unusual that they clearly are at the top of the applicant pool.

These would be applicants who have achieved some kind of major, unusual international or national recognition. While you have done some excellent things that would make you stand out in most colleges' transfer pools, I don't see anything that would make you exceptional in Harvard's. Since you aren't currently in football, I don't think it would help you to reach out to the coach.

I wish you the best of luck, and hope you also are applying to colleges where the odds of acceptance are more in your favor.

By Bigred2005 (Bigred2005) on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 02:44 pm: Edit

I was wondering, Northrams, why you chose a community college with such high scores? Also, where does West Point fit in to the picture? Did you transfer from West Point to a community college. Just trying to get a better idea of your situation...
Lastly, what state are you from?

Jim

By Northrams (Northrams) on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 05:36 pm: Edit

bigred, I left west point after basic training last summer, and hadnt applied to any other schools. because of this and the costs (my parents werent planning on paying for college, obviously) i was left at the community college, which isnt too bad because fortunately we have a very high ivy and tier 1 acceptance rate. Im from rockland county NY.

By Northrams (Northrams) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 11:24 am: Edit

bump

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 12:32 pm: Edit

Why did you decide to leave West Point? When you initially applied to colleges, did you apply to other places beside West Point? Did any other schools accept you?

One thing I don't understand is why you decided to go straight to a cc after dropping out of West Point. Why didn't you take a year off while working a job and then apply to competitive 4-year colleges? You also could have applied for spring admission to a 4-year college.

Your decision to go to West Point and then immediately drop out doesn't sound thoughtful nor does it sound thoughtful to go to a CC with the kind of academic background that you have. I think that a place like Harvard may be concerned about how you make decisions.

By Northrams (Northrams) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 12:50 pm: Edit

i wasnt given the option of taking a semester off by my parents, and i had thought that west point was where i wanted to go. Either way, i had only applied to a couple of state schools because my parents couldnt afford anything more expensive. since my cc averages something like 20 ivy transfers per year for graduates, i figured it was a realistic alternative to going to a state school, one that would allow me to actually be able to pay for a good school later on. the whole "saga" of what happened with that whole thing is something im considering for my application essay, so im going to be able to present it in the right light.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 01:06 pm: Edit

What Ivies accept students from your CC? Have you contacted any of those students? Did the Ivies accept the cc credits? Talking to those students and to whatever office at the cc handles transfers will probably give you much better info than you'll get here. I have seen very few people with transfer info posting here.

Have you examined Harvard's website as it pertains to transfers?

All of the Ivies, and many top liberal arts colleges, guarantee accepted students financial aid up to the students' demonstrated level of financial need. As a result, particularly for families who are of limited income, the top colleges may end up being better deals than state colleges, which often aren't that generous with need based aid.

Are you first generation college, from a blue collar background and/or a URM? Any of these would be a plus.

What do you mean that your parents didn't give you an option of taking time off? What prevented you from getting a job and working fulltime until you could reapply for college as an entering freshman? Did you take the time to explore any other options? With your high scores and record of h.s. achievement, you might even have been able to gain a last minute acceptance -- with aid -- to a 4-year college.

And why did you leave West Point? The answer to that question may be very important in terms of whether you are able to get admission to a top college. If you were kicked out, for instance, that probably would drastically lower your chances of transferring.

By Northrams (Northrams) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 01:24 pm: Edit

disregard message

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 01:52 pm: Edit

Here's a Harvard article on transfer admissions that you might find interesting: http://www.harvard-magazine.com/issues/mj97/jhj.shift.html

Here's one on Yale transfers that includes some info on how transfer students are selected. My guess is that Harvard has a similar philosophy: http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvi/9.11.98/news/transfer.html

Here's a quote from another web site, quoting Harvard's transfer selection process at that time: "Though good grades, strong programs, and test scores are important in determining the academic potential of a candidate, the Committee also looks beyond these for such qualities as creativity, resiliency, tenacity, intellectual curiosity, and independent thinking.

Other factors weighed in the evaluation of transfer candidates include significant non-academic talents and personal qualities such as a capacity for leadership, energy, enthusiasm, motivation, and a sense of responsibility."http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/stanford/109/pcchomethree.html

By Northrams (Northrams) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 03:36 pm: Edit

Northstarmom- thanks a lot for the great links and the quote. i really appreciate your help and advice.

By Bigred2005 (Bigred2005) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 02:40 am: Edit

Northrams,

Seeing as you are a New Yorker and looking for a good deal at a competitive college, you should definitely look into Cornell. If you apply as a transfer to any of the statutory colleges here (Agriculture & Life Sciences, Human Ecology, Industrial & Labor Relations) you will be given special consideration as a New York State resident and, if accepted, pay resident tuition -about $14k per year. Although not as cheap as a cc, it's not bad.

Also, these schools are obligated to serve residents of NYS. If you have done well at your cc and express an interest in one of the programs at these colleges of Cornell, you stand a good chance. I have many friends who have transferred from SUNY Albany, SUNY Binghamton, and others. I have heard of a few transfers from cc's too. While Harvard may be a long shot, Cornell is probably a realistic reach. So give it a shot!