Transfer Students and the Admissions Quest

If you think a transfer student is out of the ordinary…think again. Over 30% of students from two and four year colleges transfer from their original school before earning their degree. That’s the statistic reported by the Washington Post from a recent study conducted through the National Association For College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Kids decide to look elsewhere for all types of reasons such as the wrong academic or social fit, the inability to pay, emotional or physical issues, and athletic direction. Students also may have exhausted coursework at a community college or completed a two year degree and are ready to move on to a traditional four year college. Whatever the reason, families should know that most universities/colleges welcome transfer students although transfer admittance numbers vary from school to school. As an example, NACAC notes Yale admitted and enrolled  24 out of 751 transfer applicants in 2008, while the University of Virginia admitted 956 and enrolled 640 out of 2,434. How can you maximize your admissions chances regardless of the numbers game?  Be aware of what the admissions offices are looking for in a candidate. NACAC’s study identifies these areas : GPA (college and high school), recommendations from college professors, quality of the institution, essays or writing samples, and standardized test scores. Will merit $ be available? Absolutely. Over 77% of the colleges listed in the study offer merit aid to students. To read more, go to: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/college-admissions/new-study-1-in-3-college-stude.html