Transferring to an Ivy League FAQ: answering all YOUR questions

[@federicoruiz5892]

I just got into Columbia as a transfer! I'm so excited

[@msmarygao]

congrats!! hope you have an amazing first semester!

[@itsrobelschwarz7248]

filling out my Uchicago transfer right now, thank you so much for these tips

[@JadynSaelao]

howd it go?

[@itsrobelschwarz7248]

@@JadynSaelao rejected lol

[@jamorant7132]

Hi, there are no articulations for transferring so should we do our best to match the Ivy League courses?

[@shoaibqaderi9066]

Thank you for making this video and sharing your experience!

[@msmarygao]

thank you for watching!

[@JadynSaelao]

I have decided I need to apply to transfer out of cal poly before I even start my freshman because it is extremely expensive for a low income student, and I think I can do better for cheaper. But if I stay I'm sure I will be happy.

[@msmarygao]

Ah wishing you the best and that's a really good attitude! To make your life great regardless, but also yes it's not super well known that a lot of expensive schools (by tuition) are actually way more affordable for low income students

[@chenlu6484]

This video is so amazing! Thank you so much!!!!!! It gives me the courage to apply.❤️❤️❤️

[@msmarygao]

I'm so happy to hear that! You never know until you apply so go for it!!

[@Rafick203]

As a transfer and non traditional, I am applying to Yale Eli Whitney and they did state they will interview a small group of applicant prior to the decision.

[@andrew-song]

I know you only applied to 5 colleges, but when you were admitted to Yale and Harvard, did you receive acceptance packages much like the ones incoming freshmen receive, or is that something unheard of for transfers? Also, thanks so much for sharing your insight, both in college admissions and in personal finance. I’m sure I speak for a handful of people in saying that it provides a great source of wisdom :)

[@msmarygao]

Hey Andrew, thank you for the appreciation, it's really nice :) I did receive a whole admissions package from both schools! The Yale one among the normal admissions stuff had a cute certificate of admissions and I actually have a picture of the front of the Harvard package on my instagram!

[@manjus636]

Hey, I have a question, I'm currently in my undergrad 3rd Semester in India. I want to transfer to a US university. I have failed a few subjects, here in India, but I have cleared all of them with A's and B's. I have strong Extracurriculars. Will colleges in the US accept me as a transfer student even if I fail a few subjects?

[@debtfree.degrees]

Hey, so I am currently at a state school and I knew going in that I would try to transfer (this feeling was confirmed upon arrival). My reasoning is that the curriculum here is too constricted in comparison to a liberal arts education, and the student body is not motivated, is a large party crowd, etc. This makes it very lonely when you're trying to make a difference in the world and you are passionate about different topics, but it feel like nobody understands or supports these efforts. I am afraid that even if I try to transfer, I will still have difficulties making friends or that it won't be significantly different enough to warrant paying the extra money. One of the schools I am applying to is Harvard. Do you have any advice?

[@msmarygao]

I relate to a lot of what you wrote! First, I think it's really hard when you don't share the values of the mainstream population around you, it's not impossible (because you can still be yourself and eventually find your people), but I acknowledge it's really hard and lonely. So a couple things, hopefully you know more about yourself now than when you were in high school so you'd be more careful about transferring to a school that's more aligned with your interests. With that said, whether you like your new school or whether you stay at your current school is very much based on your internal self and not external factors. In other words, to be happy, I'd say invest a lot into your community and relationships (there's got to be some people who you'll get along with even if that's not the average person around you) and invest in yourself such that you can be happy anywhere (i.e. maybe do internships online or off campus, or just read about topics you're interested in, etc.)

[@suzukitaka4470]

Hello! I’m transferring from community college to Columbia! This is a very random question but do you have any book recommendations?

[@prissycatdoll6366]

is there any way i can get in contact with you and talk about the process for Columbia???

[@msmarygao]

Hey, congrats on the transfer!! And interesting question, I may do a whole video on this at some point but off the top of my head (this is a whole hodgepodge of genres): difficult conversations, the warmth of other suns, sapiens, winner take all, siddartha, when breath becomes air, dying of whiteness, take a class on aesthetic philosophy (schillers letters), atomic habits, good to great

[@seli9490]

I applied NYU EDII and no matter if I get in or not I want to transfer to an Ivy League after the first year of college However I didn't do very well on the SATs (Took it 3 times) and I wonder if I could compensate by getting a higher score on the ACT AFTER graduating highschool since some Ivies accept these scores as long as the test is taken by a specific deadline (For Example Before the end of November) In addition I am also considering taking 2 more AP exams by self-studying during the first year of college (Maybe that would increase my chance of getting in as a transfer student} I really want to know, would they increase my chance of getting in and are they doable? I've never heard about college students taking AP exam or a senior in highschool taking ACT when the college decisions are already out

[@msmarygao]

Hey se li, (warning:) I'm not an advisor and I've actually never heard of that before (taking high school tests after high school but before some deadline). First, I'd check if that's allowed (you can always email the school's admissions email). Second, this may be helpful if you try to transfer freshman fall but all in all, I think it's more feasible for you (and more helpful for admissions) to just work on your college academics. As you spend more time in college, it gets weighed more as well. If your college grades are for example way better than your high school exams, in the extra essay section you can explain what you think that difference is as well

[@seli9490]

@@msmarygao Okk Thankk you : )

[@msmarygao]

PART 1: tactical advice for the application + references + interview kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXO0ooSQqM2SetU PART 3: reflections post-transferring: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXmtmYOtqcaahac

[@kazuma8492]

Hi, thank you so much for sharing your insights into college transfers and your admission journey. I'm still a high school student, and I'm not really sure what I want to study at university so naturally, my extracurriculars include a bit of everything. Would you say that a lot of people you've met had a clear idea of what they wanted to pursue when they first applied? I'm just a bit worried that universities prefer students who have a much better grip on what they want to do because like you said, having a more focused interest makes your application a lot more cohesive. Thank you so much for always producing such informative and entertaining videos! I always love how you explain things in such a fun and simple way :)

[@msmarygao]

Thank you for the kind words! I would answer your question in 2 different ways: first, absolutely no one has nearly any idea of what they're doing or want to do (think of the people you know who are the most put together, or adults, or parents, they also have no idea or will change their mind soon enough). With that said, I think it's useful to be able to create a cohesive story but that doesn't mean all your extracurriculars need to be on one subject (i.e. your story could be that you're close with your family, always was a curious child, and was interested in X subject but it turns out you didn't like it but one small spark led you to subject Y and that's where you're currently at). In other words, you can craft a story out of anything and I promise you it is totally ok to not know exactly who you are or what you want (a lot of life is exploring to figure that out)

[@kazuma8492]

​@@msmarygao Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I think I really resonate with the last line, and I feel reassured to know that I'm not the only one going through this feeling of uncertainty about the future.

[@corneliusp.labella17]

Hi, thanks so kindly for such a nice video. Can transfer students receive an I-20 if they are accepted by a particular University? If yes, is their I-20 similar to that of the I-20 of students who are not transfer students?

[@emmanuelmakinde7694]

im at NYU right now (first-year) and i really want to transfer to Harvard

[@nadiawoo571]

Hi! I am a high school graduate and an incoming freshman at college, I have never been able to find myself the motivation and opportunities to be able to participate in SOOO many activities as you did, do you have any advices on finding that motivation, and finding those opportunities? And also how did you work in so many clubs while also managing academics?

[@msmarygao]

Hey, these are all great questions! I would say each person has different motivations for doing ecs and you need to find what resonates with you, this can include finding a job (not the best reason but valid), finding friends, because you like doing the activity, etc. In terms of managing your time, try to be intentional about if how you're spending your time is aligned with how you want to live your life. How you spend your time should be an intentional reflection of your values. I.e. you can kind of force yourself to spend less time on academics and more time on ecs if that's what you value by signing up for EC's where you're then responsible to the club/to others, and you'll naturally shift your calendar that way. One tip for academics is to realize what you're trying to get out of it & keep it within those bounds if that's what you value (i.e. you can say, I'm going to try and get a B and not prioritze more than that). And in terms of opportunities, my number one tip is at the start of the year, sign up for all the clubs and email lists that you're remotely interested in and wittle it down, most opportunities in college are on those email lists and most people don't read them (but you should, across clubs you're not even in if you're interested in those subjects). Finally, don't be too hard on yourself! We capacity build over time, if you get a little bit better at a small thing, over time those habits stick and add up!

[@nadiawoo571]

omg! i didnt expect such a thorough and helpful response! thank you so much I think i am trying to get to that step. U have inspired me a lot with ur video, thank you!@@msmarygao

[@Oscar-fm1fr]

Thank you so much for making this video !! Just one question, when you applied to those five schools, did you include your SAT/ACT score? If you did, were they scores from your high school years or did you retake them during college?

[@msmarygao]

Hey! I took both exams (SATs twice, I did worse the second time lol) and only took them during high school. I applied with my ACT scores for transferring and didn't retake them (my act and sat scores were approximately equivalent)

[@tanmayyardi]

Hi Mary, Thank you for making this video and congratulation!! I want to transfer as a junior (after completing my sophomore year). I just have 2 questions if you don't mind answering: 1. Should I retake the SAT/ACT? My SAT score (in HS) wasn't good enough for the ivy league. 2. I have researched (mostly on Reddit) that colleges like Harvard whose acceptance is

[@msmarygao]

Hey Tanmay, so I definetly can't speak to your situation in particular but personally I think they will judge your college grades more (and if those grades are pretty good) then it's probably unnecessary to retake the SAT/ACT (especially if you can explain why those were low vs. why your grades are higher now). 2) I didn't come from the military and wasn't previously accepted. I will say it's true that most ivy transfer programs save spots for people in those situation, however there are still spots left and when it comes to "chances", you'll just never know until you apply. There's likely always a chance, and more importantly, it's better to find out than to wonder what would have happened had you tried

[@qngmlwnn]

Thanks for such a helpful video! I’m trying to transfer next year as a sophomore, and this really answered the questions I had. But I was wondering if I have to take SAT in order to transfer into the ivy league schools? Did you take it, and if you don’t mind what score did you get?

[@msmarygao]

I think it depends on the school as a lot of schools are standardized-test optional now (but not all, i.e. I believe for MIT you have to submit scores). I submitted my ACT score, it's above Harvard's recommendation score if you google that but it was on the lower range (and nowhere near perfect, I was probably like 50th percentile)

[@sofiahernandez5066]

I'm in my second year of architecture studies, so I am eligible as a transfer student. But can I still apply as a first year student to Harvard?

[@msmarygao]

Hey Sofia, I'm not sure about the rules for your specific situation (every school will have their admissions eligibility requirements on their website) and you should contact the school to get the most accurate information. But generally what happens is when you get accepted, the school tells you how many of your credits will transfer over and that determines your standing (i.e. if you transfer 1 years worth of credits you'd be a sophomore, if you transfer 2 years you'd be a junior, I don't think there's any scenario where you'd be a first semester freshman). Transfers at Harvard (at least when I was there) could take an extra semester if that time matters to you

[@sofiahernandez5066]

@@msmarygao Okay, thank you!!

[@Lebron_edit893]

Is it possible to transfer to an ıvy as an ınternational student

[@msmarygao]

Yes, I know international students who transferred to an ivy

[@مزيدالشمري-ض7ت]

My GPA in high school was 3.67, and my GPA in the first year of university was 5/4.88, and the SAT 1580. I have research in politics and sociology, a project on sustainability, and the author of novels. If I transfer, is it possible for me to be accepted into ivy?

[@msmarygao]

hey, unfortunately the only way to find the exact answer to this is to apply but I definetly think it's possible for you!

[@monasikagautam2676]

Hi Can i transfer to the university in the states after I complete my diploma in canada ? Is that okay or is there any other way to transfer to the uni in states ?please let me know!

[@msmarygao]

Yes! You can transfer if you came from an international school, I know people who did that

[@tobi.nikolas]

Thank You So Much For Making This! Love the specifics and honesty. Heres a Questions: would a LOR from a government official or politician from a past or current Internship be good? I'm a bit unsure myself because I don't know if GOV is allowed to do something like that but ig no harm in trying.

[@msmarygao]

Hey Tobias, (I'm not an admissions officer) but that sounds totally reasonable to me! If they would be willing to, then that's as good as any other LOR (and I've heard some stories of pretty out there people who gave LOR's). Also, I actually did have an extra LOR from a past internship

[@Rafick203]

Do transfer students (traditional or not) get likely letters? Or is this only first year students?

[@msmarygao]

I haven't heard of this personally for transfers but I'm not sure

[@smithdhote]

How would and where would i ask for transfer procedure in college for transcripts and other college material?

[@msmarygao]

In terms of college transcripts and docs from your school, your school should have a web portal to request those, otherwise I'd ask your advisor!

[@constantinerocky5352]

Is there a lots of international student that successfully transferred to Harvard/ Yale? What’s their school background? How to connect with admission officer?

[@msmarygao]

Hi, unfortunately I can only speak from my limited experience. I know of at least 1 international student who transferred to Harvard/Yale over the past few years. They came from all sorts of schools from small 2 year schools to universities in other countries to myself who came from NYU. I don't think it's easy to connect with admissions officers but many have posted content online

[@mona-ju8jl]

hey! thank you so much for this videoo

[@msmarygao]

Hey Mona, yes! Even if you are accepted ED, you can even apply to transfer freshman year or sophomore year. ED binds you to attending (and even then people do reneg), it doesn't bind you to staying

[@mona-ju8jl]

@@msmarygao thank you so much!!

[@edith8373]

omg thanks mary! can i ask a question? do you think what i’m doing this year of career matters more than what I did in high school?

[@msmarygao]

Hey Edith, I'm not 100% I'm answering your questions correctly but I do think the more recent the activities are considered more (since they represent more of who you are now) but that they consider all your activities holistically

[@edith8373]

@@msmarygao omg thank you mary!💗

[@sadafahmed3266]

You are so pretty! ❤

[@SMender_07]

Hi thank you for your video. I plan to transfer to Harvard next year. Can you please help me by reviewing my essays, all along the application ?

[@msmarygao]

Hey Sabrina, I don't usually read people's essays as that takes a lot of time and there are a lot of requests, but if you have specific questions on your application feel free to message me on Instagram and I'll try and get back to you quickly

[@Stopivehadenuf]

Thanks so much!

[@msmarygao]

Ofc! Thanks for watching :)

[@DaBestAround]

Hi, Great video. Subbed and liked I just stumbled upon your channel and this video. I have a question and I would really appreciate if you could help me with it. I'm from the UK and I want to transfer to an Ivy League from my college. I think you were correct in the video when you mentioned that it is trickier to apply internationally. You said that you knew someone who applied from the UK; did they give you any insight/tips on how they applied? (There's not much information online and I'd be grateful for any help I could get.)

[@msmarygao]

Hey, thank you for subscribing and liking! I'm trying to think and the person I know from the UK didn't mention anything in particular but I'll say applying from Canada, some things that were different: - I missed a financial aid form because they had different requirements for tax returns, luckily harvard let me send it in later but that could've been a huge problem - If you have a different school calendar you can ask about how to send grades - From what I can tell, your app gets read by people who understand your region so I wouldn't be overly concerned about regional nuances as they likely understand them Also, you can always email each school's application contact email to ask really specific questions for your situation

[@DaBestAround]

@@msmarygao Thanks so much.

[@subathrak1164]

Hi, I'm applying as a transfer student from the UK as well, hoping to get into an Ivy. How's your application going so far, if you don't mind me asking?

[@prissycatdoll6366]

can you change majors when you transfer ???

[@msmarygao]

Yup, at least when you transfer to a liberal arts college! So I did business and political economy at NYU and then computer science and philosophy at Harvard