So, you are currently attending a university that you feel is not the right fit for you. It's frustrating, right? It seems like everyone around you loves the school that you are at, but you are starting to learn that it is not right for you. I know this feeling. For me, the decision to transfer was a tough one. I guess that it will be the same for those of you trying to make the same choice. You have already gone through the college application process once, but now you are going to have to do it all over again. I have learned a great deal about the transfer process, some of which I hope will be helpful to you.
1. Paperwork Galore
The goal of the common app is to cut back on the amount of paperwork that a college applicant has to complete. It also increases the ease and efficiency of applying to college. However, the transfer student does not benefit from all of these. Although transfer students can still use the common app to apply to most of their colleges, their process comes with added paperwork. For every official transcript, letter from the dean, mid-term report and final grade report, you must fill out paperwork to get these mailed. Many of these must be completed for each individual college that you wish to apply to. For someone who choose to apply to nine colleges, this paperwork adds up fast.
2. Applications are Expensive.
Applying to college is expensive, even as a senior in high school. Unfortunately, for a transfer student, there are added expenses. It will cost you a certain amount of money for every official college transcript you wish to mail. In my experience, it cost me $5 per transcript. Depending on how many colleges you apply to, this small fee can add up quickly. As I stated before, a transfer students must fill out more paperwork. So, for each piece of paper that you fill out, there will be an acquired cost to mail it to the respective institution. These costs are all added onto the already steep application price that can be as high as $90. Yes, it is possible for transfer students to receive fee waivers, but, in my experience, these are hard to come by. Unlike in high school, where you guidance counselor probably helped you figure out the expenses of applications, your college has many more students to look after, and it will probably not be able to help you with this factor.
3. Increased Selectivity
This is not true for every university, however, I feel that it is still one that transfer students should be aware of. Many colleges are more selective when choosing which transfers to admit. In some cases, you may see a school's acceptance rate drop from 40 percent to 20 percent. In these cases, it is harder to be admitted as a transfer student. You will also find that some of the top schools do not even accept transfer students. There are also cases in which it is easier to get admitted as a transfer student, but I have found these to be few.
4. Conflicting Deadlines
Every college has their own date that is designated to inform you of your admission decision. Each school also has different dates by which you must inform them of whether you are accepting their admission offer. Your housing deposit will be due around the same time. It is possible for a student to have a housing deposit deadline that comes before they have been notified of all their other schools' decisions. A college does this to ensure that they fill their open spots, but this can be very frustrating for a transfer student. Once again, this can also be another added expense. In most cases, a transfer will have to commit to one school before they have received an answer from all of their other schools. If they later find out they have been accepted to a different university that they wish to attend, they have to forfeit their housing deposit at the university that they enrolled in prior to receiving the new admission decision.
5. The Housing Dilemma
Housing is a very important aspect of your college experience. Your dorm or apartment is going to be your new home for the next few years. Most colleges guarantee their freshman housing, but a transfer does not have this luxury. Not all universities guarantee their transfer students housing. Most of them will list transfer housing as, “Available, but not guaranteed.” This creates a frustrating dilemma for transfer students. You will not find out if you are able to get housing until you have committed to the university. So, what happens if you have sent your deposit in and then find out that the school will not be able to house you? Now, transfer students and their family must search for alternative forms of housing such as a nearby apartment or choose to forfeit their deposit and pursue a different university.
6. Availability of Scholarships
Some colleges are still able to offer merit scholarships to transfer students. However, as I quickly learned, this is not true for all universities. Some colleges simply do not award scholarships to transfer students. This can make the transfer process more of a strain for the student. Some students who already receive a scholarship at their current university might find that it is more expensive to attend a different university. Suppose that the university with higher tuition is the one that the transfer student wishes to attend. Now, they must take into consideration if the higher cost is worth it or if they should possibly stay at their current university because it would cost less.
7. Number of Students That Transfer
Upon telling your friends and family that you wish to transfer, it may seem like the decision is very rare. However, it is actually more common to transfer than most people think. Upon reading a U.S.News article, I learned that one-third of students will transfer at least once during their college years. So, although you may feel like you are in the minority, know that there are more students like yourself who have also decided to transfer.
For those of you who are embarking on the same journey that I have chosen to take, I wish you the best of luck. The transfer process may be more difficult, but it can be just as rewarding. People transfer for all sorts of reason, so I encourage you to do what is best for you. I wish you the best of luck in finding where you belong!