Transferring to An Ivy League - NYU to Harvard, Advice + Tips

PART 2 FAQ: • Transferring to an Ivy...
Hello, watch in 4k! This video is about how and why I transferred from NYU to Harvard, but is mostly advice on the transfer process generally. We will cover: personal, good, and bad reasons to transfer, and specific advice tailored for if you're applying to very selective transfer programs. The nitty gritty of it all (instead of reading through hours of toxic forums - I'm guilty of this, hopefully this is a somewhat more level-headed but also detailed overview)
/ msmarygao
0:00 intro!
0:38 important words of wisdom for the stressful process
0:44 the 4 reasons why I wanted to transfer
3:56 categorically "good" and "bad" reasons for transferring
5:53 tailored advice for very competitive schools
8:06 how to craft a personal narrative
11:50 how to use every part of the application
14:31 reading a bit of my essay cringe
*This advice applies to Stanford, MIT as well which are not officially part of the Ivy League (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.) - but the point being that this advice is tailored to applying for very competitive schools

[@faithlesshound5621]

"The key to success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made." In other words, Marketing is the key to success in American education.

[@quintjohnson7462]

Really really useful and made me think about why I even considered transfering. Thank you!

[@yilongli6167]

I am working on my why transfer essays right now. Your essay comes across a perfect time! I have requested your ins. Love ur video so much!

[@marysbraindump]

I'm so glad this was helpful! Good luck and try your best not to stress out too much, it's going to be okay!!

[@shivamkk007]

The one video that I was looking for... You literally lit up the damping lamp of my hopes for applying as a Transfer Student. Thanks a lot! 🤝🤝

[@marysbraindump]

I am so glad this could be helpful!! And yes, you never know where life can lead you if you just take a chance (even if it's a small chance, and also happiness is mostly found internally)

[@marysbraindump]

PART 2: answering all your FAQ's (like all the questions in this comment section) kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6umZJmInK-tb80 PART 3: reflection on post-transferring kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXmtmYOtqcaahac

[@cat-developer]

I really like your video. Especially your emphasis on not lying and being authentic.

[@marysbraindump]

thank you! and totally, it's very important

[@sardornodirov8696]

Wow, thank you very much. Everything was so clear! I am an international student who recently got into a “small Ivy school” in Maine after two gap years. Unfortunately, I was rejected by Harvard and my other top choices so now I am thinking about transferring. Again, thank you for such valuable tips and insights. Looking forward to your next videos :)

[@marysbraindump]

thank you for the kind words! I hope you really enjoy your time in college and whatever else awaits you!

[@BeCarefulWithAI]

You are such a joy to listen to and stunning to look at! Gorgeous!

[@nickwong3604]

Great video!

[@ellamason2715]

this popped up on my recommendations 2 days after I submitted rice, cornell, and upenn 😭 i think i did most things! thank you for your insight

[@marysbraindump]

ah now that they're out in the world, just know you've done the best you can!!

[@sophiaxiao637]

Insightful!

[@oscarbaek8732]

Wow thank you SO MUCH for making this video! Everything was so well explained and thoughtfully answered :) I'm currently a hs senior committed to UCI. I really don't know if I want to transfer just yet but this video would definitely help in the future if I do decide to. Anyways, I was wondering if you can transfer to top ivy league schools after just 1 year of college? Also, do high school grades play a big role when it comes to your transfer application?

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Oscar, thanks for the kind words!! Depends on the school but all the ivies I looked at required at least 1 year at another school but no more than 2 years (so yes, you can apply during freshman year to transfer after freshman year). As to whether high school grades matter, you'll have to submit them but I think the further you are from high school the less they matter (i.e. almost all of my transfer app was about what I did in college since I applied as a sophomore, if I was a freshman my high school life probably would matter more)

[@jadehamati845]

Hey, did you end up transferring?

[@leoliu3851]

This was one of the most informational videos I've come across for the transfer process. Thanks for the guidance Mary! Also, in your own personal opinion, do you think that having a semi-low grade (e.g. B) in only one class will badly reflect your Senior year as a whole if the rest were A's? Love your videos btw!

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Leo, thank you for the kind words! So funny story, I scored wayyy lower than I was predicted in my senior year (for ib, and I would do it again since I was making quality memories) so 1) that's proof that they look at it holistically and clearly you have a very strong overall academic record and 2) if you do exceptionally poorly somewhere due to certain circumstances, you can always explain yourself in the additional essay section

[@leoliu3851]

@@marysbraindump Phew, that's a big relief to hear. Thank you for the advices Mary, really appreciate them as always!

[@espectador-]

​@@marysbraindump If I couldn't take the ib program from my school, should I explain why? I'm not from USA tho

[@nicholasnguyen8584]

Wish I found this video before I submitted all my apps. Very well said.

[@marysbraindump]

thank you, I hope it goes well!!

[@devonberry9836]

so good!

[@marysbraindump]

thank you!!

[@alisonchu5475]

Hi! For the experience/activities section, did you use close to 600 words? the transfer application gives us 600 words max in contrast to the 150 words for the first-year application

[@marysbraindump]

So when I was applying the experience/activities section was limited to 10 activities and like 2 sentences per activity (so I think it's totally changed now). As a whole, yes if they give you more room I would take the room (so long as you're not rambling) to paint as complete of a picture as possible

[@Stopivehadenuf]

I love you thank you for this 😭 I’m so stressed

[@marysbraindump]

I know it's such a stressful process but you will get through and it'll all be okay!!

[@Stopivehadenuf]

Can you explain which classes you took for transfer credits? Every school I’m researching is saying that I need a certain amount of transferable credits/classes for that school, but I’m not sure what that means or which classes I need to take.

[@marysbraindump]

@@Stopivehadenuf hmm i'm not sure what they mean by that exactly but I assume it means at least 1 years worth of credits and no more than 2 years worth of credits (it doesn't have to be a specific class, they just need to make sure you'll slot into their class system)

[@mikaelaalexitrajano3486]

Hi! Im a Filipino Grade 12 student (currently). I actually missed the deadline of NYU (last Jan 5 for Regular Decision) and I was thinking of transferring NYU for my 2nd year of college. Is the transfer process still applicable for students like me (outside of US, especially the school is not partnered with NYU)?

[@nezfromschool9463]

Hi Mary, I’ve been watching some of your videos regarding your experiences transferring and wanted to commend you for all the insight you’ve provided. I reallly appreciated the self-reflection in your other videos as well! A question I had about the transfer process and maybe something you noticed among your own transfer cohort - were any transfers able to graduate “on time” in a traditional sense of completing only 8 semesters? I am looking to transfer after sophomore year, but I am really worried about graduating late due to wanting to pursue med school. Any insight would be appreciated if you have any! Xx

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, sorry for the late response, your comment actually inspired me to make an entire transfer FAQ where I will 100% answer this so look out for that in about a week

[@danocorral1715]

What an amazing video!! thank you so much for the information🙏 it has to be the same career? from the first university?

[@marysbraindump]

no it doesn't! I studied business and political economy at the first university, and then computer science and philosophy at the second!

[@aminemohamedelamine3255]

Hi Mary, how are you? First of all, thank you for your videos because being an international student (from Paris) it's really hard to find information on these topics. The quality of your video is incredible. I was planning to apply to transfer to Harvard and your video really helped me. I would like to know if I can ask you questions about the transfer process on instagram please? Thanks a lot.

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, of course! (there are so many topics intl. students are not told about which is why I'm making these videos) You can message me questions on instagram, my link is in the description. It would also be great if you can ask them here if they're not too specific so that I can make more videos on them (since that's just a more scalable solution)

[@verredeau9630]

I'm also a student from Paris. How did it go??

[@izzyd4341]

hii! thanks for this video; it is really helpful! if you don’t mind, can u help answer a couple of my questions? thanks!! 1) when did u transfer to a different school? was it after freshman year or sophomore year in college? 2) also how did you take advantage of the ecs offered at nyu before transferring? was there significant improvement between your hs resume and college resume? thanks for your help!!!

[@marysbraindump]

Hey! 1) I transferred after sophomore year and 2) yes totally, my application was almost completely different than my high school application. I would say the primary reason why my college app would seem "stronger" from an ecs perspective is that they told a much more cohesive story

[@aileenn978]

Really wonderful vid! Could you possibly share your stats, ec’s, or anything else you think made you stand out?

[@marysbraindump]

Thank you! I've thought about this and I really understand the curiosity but I genuinely don't think comparing your stats, and ecs to others is useful (and mostly just anxiety inducing, I don't want to give off college confidential vibes). My stats were probably average or slightly below average, I think what most made me stand out was my application was very cohesive and authentic of a story, trying to demonstrate thoughtfulness around why I do what I do and self awareness (I know this isn't a satisfying answer, but I think it's more honest)

[@aileenn978]

Totally makes sense, ty for the taking the time to reply :)

[@adamhanna4941]

Hi Mary, I want to apply to transfer as a Junior, do you think Harvard will bear a lot of weight on my hs grades if they’re bad but my college grades are excellent? Did you achieve a good hs gpa?

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Adam (ps I made a whole transfer faq video that largely addresses this + other common questions) but in short, its holistic and the later you apply, likely the less they focus on HS (i.e. weight more college grades + extracurriculars vs high school grades + extracurriculars). I actually did not have a super high high school score and there were particular circumstances around why it was lower than I thought I could achieve and I explained that in one of the "optional essay" portions

[@stephaniesgao]

YAY GO MARY

[@sarahtan1171]

this video was so articulate and helpful! i'm also trying to transfer from nyu rn, did you feel like doing 5 applications was too much to balance with school?

[@marysbraindump]

Thank you! For myself, I drafted 1 schools app per day during a break, and then on sundays spent an hour a week ish getting feedback and editing. I actually forgot a bit about the deadline so on a very long train (12 hours) the weekend before it was due, I did a final read of everything. All in all, because the work was very time boxed, I didn’t find it to interfere with school much at all

[@marysbraindump]

In other words it’s very possible, I think especially if you keep a positive mindset around building relationships/having experiences where you are now but still putting aside time to apply

[@sarahtan1171]

@@marysbraindump Ohh I see, yea finding the time to allocate is hard but I think it'd definitely make both more manageable. I really resonated with wanting to experience being a student during undergrad and waiting til later to be an adult. Did you feel like Harvard had a more supportive community and better campus environment in comparison to NYU? I'd love to see a video about the differences.

[@marysbraindump]

@@sarahtan1171 that's a great idea, I'm actually just about to release a video no what I thought about both schools and hopefully that'll answer your question!

[@aashritanatesan670]

OMG hi sarah lol

[@kamelboss2545]

Quickest subscribe ever

[@marysbraindump]

I super appreciate that, thank you!!

[@edith8373]

this can be done from another university? I mean, do they consider now your progress in another university instead of highschool? i’m mexican and i will study university here and i want to transfer :( btw thank for your video!!

[@marysbraindump]

yes, you can transfer from one university to another (even if it's from a different country!

[@edith8373]

@@marysbraindump thank you so much!!

[@styyonhe467]

One question. In terms of transferring, do these collages look at your collage results, or both high school and collage results.

[@marysbraindump]

I believe they look at both. I think the longer you've been in college (i.e. transferring as a sophomore vs. freshman), they'll look more at your college results than college (in other words, I assume they weigh more recent data more)

[@user-tk7dv6tv1e]

Is transfer is only possible within USA or likely from India to USA?

[@JanaMohamed2901]

If I transferred to Harvard as a sophomore student in the same major I am studying and I got admitted I will start there as my current year right? I won't start over as a freshman? pls if anyone knows I need an answer.

[@poloyoung7099]

Hi, I am an international student that is going to attend UBCV ECE which is computer engineering. I heard it is quite hard to transfer from a Canadian university to a US school. Is this true?

[@marysbraindump]

hey, I'm not sure but I haven't heard that in particular. I think the ivies are actually really knowledgeable about international situations (i.e. I missed submitting a financial aid thing because I didn't know what the right form was for Canadians and they were very forgiving). I think more US students transfer to US schools because they're more likely to apply, not because there's a bias against international students

[@Rafick203]

I am transferring from NYU SPS to Princeton. Similar situation, but my gpa is a mere 3.6 (sadly plummeted because of one course) despite getting mostly As and A- on my transcript. Also no extra curricular and I only took my ACT. Do I have a chance? Lol

[@marysbraindump]

Unfortunately I wouldn't be honest if I told you I had any clue in terms of your particular case but anecdotally - you have an extra essay section where you can explain the situation about that one course in particular, I actually do know people who had a lower GPA, I only submitted my ACT to Harvard, extracurriculars I'd say are very important but at the end of the day, you'll never know until you apply so the only way to get that answer for yourself (and the peace of mind of not asking what if) is by applying!

[@user-ut9jv7oh6r]

Hi! How much do extra curriculums weigh in the application? I was focusing on school work and didn't involve much in activities😭

[@marysbraindump]

I think extracurriculars are a huge part of the application (let's say ~1/4 essays, 1/4 academics, 1/4 recomendations, 1/4 extracurriculars). You still have time to be involved! Because it shows your interests outside of what you were required to do at school

[@dyuthikumar7260]

Hi! Thank you so much for this - would you be willing to do a stats video?

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, I don't think I'll do a stats video because I think it's genuinely not very useful to compare your stats with others (since these are liberal arts colleges that take a very wholistic view of your application, and I think it feeds a mindset that makes these processes even worse than they're meant to be). I'd say my grades and standardized test scores were above what the school's mention you need to get your foot in the door, but by no means near perfect

[@dyuthikumar7260]

@@marysbraindump Makes sense, thank you so much!

[@jadehamati845]

Hey, would you be willing to assist anyone with applications? Or maybe answer a few more specific questions? It would be really helpful since there's not a lot of info on transferring, please let me know :)

[@Kyle-ke4hk]

I’m an international student who will do my mandatory service after completing my freshman year at state school known for business (I’m a finance major) I’ll take two years off to serve in my home country, but I’ll serve at US military base with US army. I can only apply to schools where offer need blind policy for international students like me (like harvard, yale, princeton, brown, or dartmouth) because my mom is fighting cancer and our family’s had financial struggles. Would they still prefer this kind of non traditional background even tho I’m technically not a US veteran? (I heard princeton especially prefers veterans)

[@adey8000]

Nice to hear U Canadian. I m planning to transfer from UToronto to Wharton. So what can I expect ?

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, what do you mean by that question? As in, what to expect once you're at the new school?

[@katewexell]

Hey, I am a freshman and feel very out of place in the academic environment at a state school. I am applying to about 13-14 schools for transfer. I reviewed my previous applications as a high school senior, and my application now looks completely different! However, I wanted to ask a few questions: 1. What were you able to do to boost your ECs? 2. Since I've only been at my new institution for one semester, will they take my ECs with as much value since I've not participated long, even though my roles are larger? Should I include a lot of high school activities? 3. What did you list for honors/awards? 4. My first-semester college GPA is 4.0 with 15 credit hours. However, in high school, I received 3 Bs. How much will that affect admission? 5. Did you submit a lot of AP exams? I only took 5 APs in high school (we weren't allowed to take APs until junior year), but didn't take 2 exams due to the pandemic and opted for dual credit. Out of the three exams I took (Literature, Music Theory, and German), I got a perfect score on Literature, but since I have a hearing disability, I scored a 3 and 2 on the others since they were most auditory. It was a struggle. Will I be at a disadvantage since I only have one good AP exam score to list? How much of this should I put in the additional information section? 6. What are some tips for conveying emotional intelligence in essays? 7. In high school, I was in the top 6% of my class, but was ranked 40/610. How much will they look into class rank for transfer? Obviously, you were already very successful in high school to gain acceptance to NYU. I feel like I was at a disadvantage, so I just want to know what I can do to raise myself up. There was one girl from my school who did get accepted to Harvard, but she was valedictorian, a National Merit semifinalist, and had awards for the Scholastic Art and Writing competition. I did not have that rank, was not in the top 10, was not a National Merit recipient, and haven't placed in those very prestigious national competitions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Kate, it's great to hear that your application has changed a lot as likely that's a reflection that you've changed a lot! On your q's, answering to the best of my abilities and knowledge (as someone who is 100% not affiliated with any of these processes): 1) At this point in transferring it's less about boosting and more about coming up with a cohesive narrative for your ec's. It's a good idea to draft those narratives too 2) It should be a genuine reflection of how much they're apart of your life. Aka they'll probably weight them a fair amount since they're more relevant to your current life, totally understandable to have many high school activities as you've only just had one semester 3) I had a few but honestly not anything very impresive, they're less of a thing in canada than the us 4) you and I both don't know until you apply, as someone who's interviews (for not colleges but other programs), I'll say people mostly skim so I don't think they really care unless it's a glaring grade 5) No, in Canada I only had time to take 1, but I took the IB. If you scored very poorly somehwere, I'd generally just not list it. Is it a disadvantage? They take your application holistifcally so I can't say 6) showing not telling, being reflective and self aware 7) I have no idea as I'm not sure we had class rankings in canada

[@user-sq4fe1ly7w]

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?

[@marysbraindump]

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

[@emnalouhichi983]

Hello Marry, I was wondering if you were asked to have an interview with the admissions Committee, I know that usually happens with freshman admissions but I am not sure about transfer admissions

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Emna, I did have an interview though I know they explicitly say they don't give transfer applicants interviews. Of my transfer class, I think most but not all had an interview

[@emnalouhichi983]

@@marysbraindump Thank you Mary, was the interview in person or online ?

[@marysbraindump]

@@emnalouhichi983 online, I was in studying abroad at the time

[@Vence.]

Would you be ok with sharing your supps/essays?

[@JustAnotherLokiStan]

Hi! Can you please clarify the application timeline? If the semester starts in August/September, does the application have to be submitted in March?

[@JustAnotherLokiStan]

Also, do any issues arise when asking academic advisors and/or professors at the current college for letters of rec? Will the people responsible to send my transcripts and reports feel salty or bad in any way that I'm transferring out? My situation is kinda weird atm, I'm an international student and the college I'm going to attend this fall is a pretty high ranked college (T50) but it offers no financial aid to internationals and is very expensive. It would be extremely difficult for us to bear the cost of attendance for all four years, so I'm planning to focus as hard as I can on getting a high GPA and on research so I'll have the necessary credentials, but my parents are worried if the professors will even agree to help me out.

[@JustAnotherLokiStan]

Can I be absolutely transparent with my professors and academic advisors regarding my financial situation while asking for LORs? Will that make it more likely for them to give LORs?

[@marysbraindump]

It depends on the year, I would double check every school's website that you're interested in to make sure you get a clear sense of the deadline. This year if the semester starts in August/ September, most ivy league applications were due the first few days of March except Stanford which was middle of March. You will find out near the end of the semester early May (unless you're on the waitlist in which you'll find out mid summer)

[@marysbraindump]

This is a really interesting question and actually the same situation I was in (went to a good school ranking wise, no financial aid as an international student and that made me feel guilty/motivated some of my wanting to transfer). When it comes to transcripts/ reports, those are requested by you through the school's administration and sent from the college so they don't care at all about you transferring. When it comes to LORs, I'm not going to lie, some professors who I had wanted to ask seemed like they had some interest in me not transferring so I ended up not asking them. Most professors will be very very understanding and want the best for you

[@marysbraindump]

I wouldn't unless they ask for reasons you want to transfer (because your reasons for transferring are probably irrelevant to their relationship with you from a professor/student perspective which is what they're going to write about)

[@theabyss4894]

Hi, I was just wondering if you had previously applied to any of the schools you applied for a transfer.

[@marysbraindump]

I did not (essentially as an international student I didn’t understand the strategy around early decision). I’m not sure how it affects your transfer app

[@thetimemaster1475]

Hello, I am a high school senior and I have applied to most Ivies (including Harvard) but I have a low hs GPA (2.6) and I have a good reason for it though, which I wrote in my essays. My application was actually very good except for my GPA. If I don’t get accepted should i try CC and transferring, do you think that would work for me because I am dead set on an Ivy League school, nothing else.

[@marysbraindump]

Hey (you're going to hate this answer but it's the truth) which is that I have no idea if that strategy will work for you. It is true that if you don't get into an ivy now, you can go to any school (including CC's) and apply to transfer freshman and sophomore year which gives you 2 more chances. I would also generally really caution against being dead set on an ivy, both because it's out of your control ultimately and because your actions are in your control and so where you'll be happy and what will set you up for your future interests is still in your control even without an ivy.

[@thetimemaster1475]

@@marysbraindump Thank you for the advice.

[@jansoup1829]

I thought that was an interesting observation that transfers are weirder. Do you have any examples of in what sense were they weird? Did they have a unique extracurricular, etc?

[@marysbraindump]

Yeah, so this is just an observation, but my hypothesis is that since they've already filled out the regular class, the new people they add tend to have a more unique story (not always true, lots of people had very normal backgrounds). For example, some people grew up in unusual circumstances or were older and had decided not to go to college right away, etc. I wouldn't try to be "weirder" than you are, but just that it's okay to not have a "stereotypical harvard background"

[@jansoup1829]

@@marysbraindump Thanks so much! I also had a more specific personal question I asked via your GC email (abbrev for your privacy), if that is still active. Let me know if it isn't, and totally understand if you don't have the time!

[@ananyakohli8413]

Is it possible to transfer from mount holyoke to an Ivy like Dartmouth or brown?

[@marysbraindump]

yes, any transfer is possible (seriously, I've seen people transfer from across any range of schools)

[@goodness9752]

Hi Mary! I just wanted to say, first and foremost, thank you so much for taking the time to make this video and guiding potential transfer applicants, such as myself, along the stressful process! I am a high school Senior who is looking to apply next year as a transfer applicant, and I was wondering: how much emphasis the admission officers will be placing on your high school transcript? Right now, my Senior semester grades are quite alright, but not the best it can be (I have a Calculus class with that is in the mid 80s, while the rest of my class averages are in the 90s). Should this be a major concern for me? Additionally, during Junior year (last year), I marked two of my classes as a CR grade, which meant that the actual class average never showed up on the transcript, and I received the credit for them only (I freaked out back then because the grades for those two classes were high 80s and the rest of my classes were in the high 90s, so it might worsen my overall GPA). Do you think the admission officers will perceive these CR classes on the transcript, thinking I did extremely badly in the classes, and I was simply trying to cover it up? I am so sorry for bothering you with these questions, as you are most likely extremely busy, but I really, really do appreciate your help! Have a great rest of your day!

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, thank you for the kind words! So while I'm no admissions expert, I imagine if you apply freshman year (since you won't have many data points from college, they will still consider your high school grades and activities along with what you do freshman year). I think ivy league admissions are very holistic so instead of focusing on what you can't change (your previous grades), I would focus on trying your best during freshman year and building up a strong narrative during that time!

[@goodness9752]

@@marysbraindump Oh, I see. I will most definitely take these things into consideration, and focus on what I actually can change during the time I have left. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

[@tellurium2557]

Got an offer from gallatin recently, thanks so much for the transfer tips!! But just my personal problem with it, since harvard admit under ten candidates from transfer.....the video is more on tips than results....so dont get hopes too much if you are planning to transfer....sorry for being a bit pessimistic teehee

[@marysbraindump]

congrats on the gallatin offer (my freshman roommates went to gallatin and they both loved it!) harvard does admit ~12 people a year, yale and stanford about~30, and columbia about ~100, so it is a pretty small pool but as I said, it's one of those things where if you'll regret not trying, then you should try because some people do get in every year and it could be you

[@tellurium2557]

@@marysbraindump !! Thanks for the information! I was presented with not so accurate data then. It now sounds very worth a try teehee

[@lilianlopez23]

Do you think I could have the same result if I go to cc instead of a 4 year college?

[@marysbraindump]

yes! I know people who transferred from a cc as well

[@nafisakabirrhyin2621]

Can you shed some lights on the stats necessary for transfer? Like we are aware of the fact that cgpa matters. But what else matters as stat?

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, so again I'm not an admissions officer in any way shape or form but I think the 4 most important parts of your app are (and equally weighted more or less): grades, activities, recommendations, and essays. The only part of that that is quantitative is grades. Either by googling (or best by going to different school's websites), you can find average scores of those admitted. So i.e. mitadmissions.org/apply/process/stats/ has a range and median score of those admited

[@CB_Walker]

What month did you get your decision?

[@mayukimura905]

Hi!! I completed my first year at CC with a GPA of 3.957 and am hoping to transfer to an ivy league college from my junior year. I have a couple of questions. First, is my GPA competitive? Second, is fulfilling the general education requirements of that college important even though it is not listed as a criteria to become an eligible of a transfer student? Third, how much are extracurricular and honors classes important? Thank you!

[@marysbraindump]

Hey! So I'm not an expert so I can't advise and I know it's frustrating to hear but they actually do look at your application holistically. Your GPA is phenomenally high, the requirements to transfer for an ivy aren't based on specific classes but rather number of credits so you should be good, and extracurriculars I would say are heavily weighted, honors classes maybe less so (since it's a component of your academic record generally though of course also taken into consideration). Once accepted, the exact classes you took matter in terms of what requirements you've fulfilled at the new school, but I don't think they matter for acceptance

[@mayukimura905]

@@marysbraindump Thank you for your very polite and clear reply! Just two more questions. I created whole course taking plan up to the Spring 2023, and my total number of CC credits will be 87 including 28 for my major subject. Does this look good for them (if I can get A or B+ at least)? In addition, my high school GPA was about 3.75, is this a big problem as a transfer student? Also, it's good to know that extracurriculars are really important (I am not really an active student, but I will attend some clubs which relate to my major!). Thank you!

[@marysbraindump]

@@mayukimura905 Hey Mayu, I wouldn't overly worry about any peice in particular, i.e. I had a much lower high school GPA than many of my peers and it worked out. I want to emphasize (though I know this is hard), that it's very important to not do things to try and look the way they want you to, because they actually do want you to be yourself and have a strong sense of self and purpose (which is demonstrated with your app. Aka your app is a reflection of who you are, not making who you are a reflection of the app)

[@mayukimura905]

@@marysbraindump Thank you again!! I really like how you explain my application and myself. It’s very hard to not try doing things what colleges want to see, but I try to focus on demonstrating really myself on my application. Thanks so much!!

[@spider-maninside5401]

Did you complete your first 2 years in NYU as you can only transfer 2 full years at harvard. I want to just confirm it. Please inform me if i am correct

[@marysbraindump]

Yup I completed 2 full years at NYU before transferring (and yes that's the max you're allowed to take before transferring)

[@jackiehedges320]

Great vid....love seeing people move away from business school, too, hah

[@hansonalister1476]

Hey Mary, hope you're doing well! I was wondering if you could get your opinion on something. For the SAT/ACT, how important would they be for a first-year application? I took both, and I got a 1520 super-score for SAT (790 Math &730 Reading) and a 34 super-score for ACT (35 English, 32 Math, 36 Reading, & 31 Science). Do you think it would be better to simply send either score as it is, or should I attempt to retake one of them again? Thank you so much for the video and your help!

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Hanson, I don't have a very informed answer for you unfortunately. All I can say is I scored lower than you on both BUT I also came from an region where people don't really prepare for American standardized tests (because I'm Canadian) so probably the best bar to look at is whether the people around you (which is who your application is read with) scored much higher or lower.

[@hansonalister1476]

@@marysbraindump No worries! I will definitely take your advice into consideration. Thank you for your help Mary!

[@lokkomotive8153]

I guess you can do this but for most students people would be fine staying at NYU cause it’s extremely selective

[@shuddup3618]

do transfer acceptance rates vary on which major you have.

[@marysbraindump]

I think the answer to this probably isn't super meaningful - i.e. yes, I imagine they do vary by major per school but also many of these schools take very few transfers so the numbers aren't significant (also, i.e. more cs majors probably apply to MIT and more business majors to wharton). At Harvard, my transfer class was very spread out across many majors

[@nadeerkhojah1981]

THANK U SO MUCH THIS VIDEO HELPED BUT CAN I ASK HOW MANY SKLS OUT OF THE 5 did u get accepted into

[@marysbraindump]

glad it was helpful! I was accepted at 2 - harvard and yale

[@Stopivehadenuf]

How many colleges were on your transfer list?

[@marysbraindump]

5, I only applied to school's I'd rather have gone to

[@alishaandleeb6112]

Can we transfer in last year of our degree?

[@marysbraindump]

Every school has their own elibility criteria but most of the ones I've seen for ivies you can only have 2 years worth of credits so in that case, no, you can't transfer in the last year

[@matiasmuttoni9044]

THIS IS AWESOME! Okay, hopefully you can acknowledge this comment, but I’ve been trying to figure out if I can transfer from George Mason University in Virginia to Harvard! I’ve always been wanting to go big, and it has always kept me highly motivated and focused on my goal, but here’s the catch. I have always been in poverty, and I’ve had problems throughout my highschool experience, that being COVID, my father’s death in the first day of 10th grade, going virtual while dealing with depression. In 11th grade I soon enough suffered depression and didn’t go to school, but eventually it has led to me dropping out. I am in the process of getting my GED, and here’s the plan, after my GED I was going to enroll in my community college NOVA. NOVA has a partnership with George Mason University so after two years in NOVA I can transfer to GMU. The problem is, for my masters in Computer Engineering WITH Philosophy just like you!! I wanted to go to Harvard. I was curious if that’s a possible process! I feel like Harvard could enhance my life and help me excel within my career.

[@marysbraindump]

Hey Matias, thank you leaving such an open comment, and I'm sorry about all the hard things you've been through, I'm sure it hasn't been easy and it's amazing how you've turned that into motivation! Since I'm not an admissions officer, I of course can't tell you anything about your case in particular, but I will say you can go on the Harvard transfers website and see their eligibility requirements. For example, you can't have more than 2 years worth of credits from another school. But so long as you meet the eligibility requirements, then the process is totally possible for you. Wishing you lots of luck!

[@dansamuelvicente5775]

nice

[@kennyjimenez6742]

Is it possible to transfer to an Ivy or Stanford from Usc or UC Berkeley? Thanks for all the advice

[@marysbraindump]

Yes totally possible from any school to any school, somebody in my transfer class came from Berkeley!

[@kennyjimenez6742]

@@marysbraindump I recently committed to Usc but after talking with a lot of the faculty and current students, I really don’t feel like I belong at this school and they aren’t very strong in my major. I’m already looking into transferring and your video was so helpful! I know it’s near impossible but it could be so worth it. Thank you!

[@marysbraindump]

@@kennyjimenez6742 my best advice is to enjoy life at usc as much as you possibly can (make friends, try new stuff!) but also totally apply if you still want to transfer because you'll regret not knowing what could've been! Either way, you can have a very fulfilling college experience!

[@researchandanalysisschool6838]

Can CS major transfer to Harvard university?

[@marysbraindump]

Yes, you can study any major Harvard offers and transfer from any major (I did business and political economy to computer science and philosophy)

[@researchandanalysisschool6838]

Thanks...

[@terminator-hn3fz]

Hey, I DMed, I have some doubts, can u please reply

[@marysbraindump]

will check!

[@ranar6319]

Can you please make a video of your stats, extracurricular activities, and essays PLEASE, YOU WOULD BE HELPING A SISTER PLEASE 🥺❤❤❤❤❤

[@marysbraindump]

Hey, I've thought about this and I really understand the curiosity but I genuinely don't think comparing your stats, and ecs to others is useful (and mostly just anxiety inducing, I don't want to give off college confidential vibes). My stats were probably average or slightly below average, I think what most made me stand out was my application was very cohesive and authentic of a story, trying to demonstrate thoughtfulness around why I do what I do and self awareness (I know this isn't a satisfying answer, but I think it's more honest)

[@kimhong-js1zs]

Hello friends good videos friends great videos super like videos friends 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 look beautiful friend

[@therankmaster9279]

The value of liberal arts education lol

[@tyronemidzi2457]

NYU is overrated. Columbia and Ivy Leagues are better.

[@marysbraindump]

there's lots of pros and cons to both - that's why I made a video on my experience at both schools. Also, it's a fit thing, people are better fits at different schools

[@tyronemidzi2457]

@@Stopivehadenuf I agree that there are many amazing kids at both schools. I never said anything about the students.