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How to Take Advantage of the Common App for Transfer Students

If you’re unsettled at your current college, you might be considering a change of scenery. It can be overwhelming to feel out of place, but remember that you’re not alone. In fact, 37.2% of students transfer schools, and half of them go for a change more than once. But it’s also not easy - having gone through the nerve-wracking application process once already, you might be stressed about taking on the task again. To help you, we’ve prepared a guide to the Common App for transfer students.

The separate Common App for transfer students is a new addition. But since you probably previously filled out the Common App the first time, the structure for the transfer side of things should be quite similar. Having gone through this before, the actual process for competing your transfer application should take less time. There are a few differences in the inner technicalities of the application, however. I’ve outlined the dos and don’ts, notable changes you need to be aware of, and the various sections you will encounter in order to guide you through the Common App for transfer students.

Getting Started

You might be wondering whether you’re able to use your old Common App account for your transfer application. Even if you can dig up your old password, you actually have to use a different email address and start the process of filling out the Common App for transfer students afresh. So when you go to the Common App website, the first thing you must do is create an account for your transfer application.

Once you’ve entered your name and contact information, you’re ready to log in - make sure you click the “transfer student” button - and start adding all of your information.

Now we come across one of the key differences between the Common App for first-year student and the Common App for transfer students. Since the Common App knows that you’re already enrolled in college or have taken college level classes, you’ll have to answer questions about what you’ve done so far, such as how many college credits you’ve earned, whether you have an associate or bachelors already, and what degree you will pursue at your transfer destination.

Next, the Common App for transfer students asks you to add the schools you have on your transfer list and the semester when you’re planning to begin at a new college so that the portal can be modified to add your school-specific requirements.

Once they’ve been selected, you can see the deadlines for each institution that you’ve chosen. The transfer deadline for almost every college is the 1^st of March, so make sure you start the Common app for transfer students with plenty of time in hand.

Understandably, you also need to enter the school you plan to transfer from, along with the semesters or quarters that you’ve already completed at that university.

Although you didn’t have to do this the last time you used the Common App, the selection process is very straightforward. Ensure that you’ve checked the correct years of your attendance. 

Next you’ll be taken to the main menu, featuring the sections that you’re required to fill in order for the Common App for transfer students to be complete.

As you can tell, this dashboard is different from the way the regular Common App looks. The headings are not the same as the Common App for first year students. Let’s take a closer look at each of the sections.

Personal Information

The Personal Information section is divided into the following parts:

• Communication Preferences
• Biographic Information
• Contact Information
• Citizenship Information
• Race & Ethnicity
• Military History
• Other Information
• Parent/Guardian
• Common App Fee Waiver

This is all information that was required from you when you filled out the Common App before your freshman year of college. The questions ask for your name, address, citizenship, parents’ education and professions – you get the picture. Remember to avoid common mistakes such as misplaced digits in your phone number, putting your school address instead of your home address, etc. Double check that everything is spelled correctly.

Academic History

Like the Personal Information section, the Academic History section also features segments that you already had to complete for the regular Common App

• High School Attended
• Standardized Tests
• SAT Subject Tests
• AP Scores
• IB Scores

But you also have some sections where you need to provide data from your time in college:

• Colleges Attended
• College Coursework
• GPA Entries

Colleges Attended

Since you’ve already added your current school, it will automatically show up here. If you’ve attended a college besides the one you are about to transfer from, this is the place to include that information. Otherwise, you’re all set and don’t need to revisit this part.

College Coursework

The universities you’re sending your applications to obviously want to know how you performed in your college level classes to see how you would fit in academically.

Select the term when you took the class, along with the course code, title, how many credits it counted for, and your final grade.

GPA Entries

This section only exists in the Common App for transfer students, as you must add your latest GPA from college courses. Make sure you’ve used the correct number. Schools will see your official grades, so don’t exaggerate anything!

Supporting Information 

The supporting information section is the place where your activities and achievements go. This area is divided into four parts:

• Experiences
• Achievements
• Documents
• Affirmation Statements

Experiences

The categories of “Employment,” “Research,” “Extracurricular Activities,” “Volunteer,” and “Internship” all fall under the Experiences tab. The same rules apply from your first time filling out the application – order your entries with the most important ones first. Think about any jobs you’ve had, labs where you’ve worked, or internships, and include them in the Common App. There’s one big difference when it comes to the Common App for transfer students – there seems to be no cap on the number of experiences that you can add!

The portal asks for information on the organization, your supervisor, the dates of your involvement, if you were paid, and a description of your role. You have 600 characters total, so take advantage of this relatively generous space compared to the 150 for the first-year Common App!

Achievements – You might remember the Common App Honors section. Similar to that process, in this section you can enter any relevant professional or academic achievements under the categories of “awards, honors, or publications.”

There doesn’t seem to be a cap for the number of achievements you can add here either! You’ve also got a 600-character limit for describing this section. Make sure to clarify what you did, especially if the achievement’s title is not clear. If you received the award multiple times (e.g., Dean's List), you can mention the frequency in the description instead of repeatedly adding achievements.

Documents

If you want to upload any files that you believe should go to all of your schools, such as your resumé or Green Card, this is the place to do it.

Affirmation Statements

The final portion of this section asks that you confirm that everything you’ve entered into the Common App for transfer students is correct.

Program Materials 

The program materials section is where your essays and school-specific requirements go. They are divided into:

• Documents
• Recommendations
• Questions

Documents

The “Documents” tab is the place for your personal statement. This year’s prompt is straightforward: “Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve. (250-600 words).” When thinking about what to include in your essay for the Common App for transfer students, you need to mention why you’re hoping to transfer, what appeals to you about your target school, and what your impact so far in your college career. Make sure your essay is as clear as possible, with specific details about why you believe the program of your choice fits you over your current circumstance. It is important to be positive in this essay. Don’t just mercilessly criticize your current school. Talk positively about how you hope to move forward.

This section also gives you the chance to add optional documents that you think might contribute more color to your application, such as your resumé, high school transcript, and a writing sample to demonstrate your skills.

Recommendations

Just like your first Common App, this is where you add your recommenders’ names and emails so that they can upload your letters. As a transfer student, you might be wondering who to ask for your letters. If you’re going to be a sophomore in the upcoming year, you should definitely ask your current college professors. Give them a heads-up so that they don’t have to rush.

Questions

The questions section is required and tailored to each institution that you’ve chosen, just like supplemental essays when you applied the first time. For example, it looks like the following for Princeton transfer applications:

Princeton asks the same questions in the Common App for transfer students as it asks its other first year candidates. Take a look at our blog to guide you through the dos and don’ts of approaching your response.

Harvard on the other hand asks the following questions, which are exclusive to transfer students:

• Briefly, please indicate the most influential factors in your original decision to attend your present college, such as location, cost, size of student body, only option, special program offered, Early Decision plan, etc. (3,000 characters)
• What alternatives to transferring to Harvard are you considering? (3,000 characters)
• Please indicate your field of specialization and briefly outline your academic plans at Harvard College. (3,000 characters)
• What are your current postgraduate/career plans? (3,000 characters)
• Briefly discuss one book that has strongly influenced you. (3,000 characters)

As you can see, the writing section really depends on the school. You might either get the same questions as current first-year applicants, or you might have to write transfer-specific responses.

Once you’ve filled in everything above, you should be ready to hit the “submit” button. Make sure you’ve proofread all of the information you’ve provided and that everything included is up to date! 

While the transfer acceptance rates at most top schools are very competitive, a properly filled out Common App for transfer students will help you go a long way. Take advantage of this application system specifically geared for your situation so that you can take the next steps to find yourself at a school that is better suited for you. Good luck!