transferring to an Ivy-League school -- Virtually Advising Q+A

The Q: I know that I have what it takes to enter an Ivy League institutuion, but however my high school grades do not show my full potential. I recently started to attend a private university which is not rigerous enough for me. What are my chances of geeting into an Ivy League school by transferring?

The A: Transferring into Ivy League schools is pretty hard -- usually, harder than getting in as a freshman, which is pretty tough in its own right -- but statistically speaking, you'd have a better chance at some schools than others. Harvard, for instance, accepted only about 5% of its transfer applicants in 2002. At Yale the odds were only 3%. Percentagewise, you'd have a much better shot at Brown, Cornell or UPenn, which accept about one out of every five transfer applicants.

The catch is that the people applying to transfer usually have pretty impressive resumes themselves -- so even Cornell's 23% transfer-acceptance rate in 2002 is deceiving, because the competition is still very intense. Still, if you can excel at your current school and firmly believe that an Ivy League school would be the best match for you, there's no harm in applying next year and seeing how things go.

Be sure, though, of the reasons you want to go to an Ivy League school -- and the reasons why you're not enjoying yourself at the college you're in now. If this is your first semester, the classes you're taking now are very likely introductory-level, so they'll usually be less challenging than courses you'll take later on. Lots of profs also try to take it easy on freshmen during their first month or two in school, to help them get used to the new environment. Give things at least a few more months before you make any judgements about the difficulty of every class your college offers. Use that time to think about which classes you enjoy more than others, which subjects you'd like to learn more about, etc., so you can register for some classes next semester that you think you might find more interesting. And be sure to talk with profs and your adviser about your concerns -- they may be able to help make your academic life a little more exciting.

If time goes by and you feel you've given your current school a fair shake but that it's just not a good match for you, then sure, start looking into transferring. But keep in mind there are tons of excellent colleges out there besides those up on the Ivy League pedestal, and any of them may be able to match your needs, your goals and your personality better than the ones with the fabled names. It'd be kind of crummy if you went to an Ivy League school just to prove to yourself that you can be in one, then realize once you're there that it may not have been the best choice for you after all. Keep a strong sense of who you are, and I think you'll end up making the choice that's best for you when the time comes. In the meantime, you're at your current school for at least the next year. Settle in! Make the most of it!

best,

—Myles Helfand, General Advisor