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Health & Fitness

Rejected by Your Dream College? Consider the 'T' Word

What I'm talking about is the 'T' word: transferring. Put in a year at one college or university, then transfer into your dream college for Year 2.

So, your daughter tried everything. She got good grades. Took SAT classes to boost her test scores. Wrote good essays. Lettered in 2 sports. Played sousaphone in the band. Clipped senior citizens’ toenails. Wove blankets for shivering children in Nepal . . .

. . . and still it wasn’t enough to get accepted at Vanderbilt, her dream college since she was a little Commodore.

Alas, all is not lost. Because there is still hope – if you’re willing to live with a little delayed gratification – via an often overlooked backdoor entrance. The good news is it may actually be easier to get in this way than through the usual means.

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What I’m talking about is the ‘T’ word: transferring. Put in a year at one college or university, then transfer into your dream college for Year 2.

Some elite colleges have stopped taking transfer students altogether. At a handful of others, it may be more difficult to transfer in than it is to be accepted in the first place. But that’s the minority.

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In most cases, you’ll have an easier time getting into an ultra-competitive school via the transfer route than the traditional route. I’m talking about top tier universities such as M.I.T., Georgetown and Amherst.

A couple years ago, the New York Times reported that Vanderbilt admitted an astounding 55 percent of transfer applicants (versus 25% of freshmen applicants).

Perhaps the most surprising trend was the increase in students from community colleges being welcomed into the hallowed halls of elite colleges. At Amherst, for example, 57 percent (12 out of 21) of the transfers admitted came from community colleges. According to the Times, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation gave Amherst and seven other top schools a $7 million grant to encourage them to seek high-achieving transfers from two-year colleges.

So if your student is still carrying a torch for their dream school, consider transferring in, because the back door is open.

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