Are You Writing a Transfer Essay? Here is How to Do It
Introduction
When introducing you to a new school, a transfer essay is the best opportunity to do so. Some styles will work and others will not, you need to adopt the same concept as your first college essay.
Why are you applying to that particular school? This should be your primary question. The answer to this question should form a large part of your transfer application essay. Cara Jordan, who is a Director of Transfer and admissions at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, says that the chief thing transfer admission officers want to know is why a student wants to join their school. If transfer students have challenges such as poor grades, the application essay gives them a chance to take responsibility for that and explain the measures that they have undertaken to curb this.
Cara Jordan says that the essay should not be used to highlight one's weaknesses or in any way attack a rival school or try and be defensive about one. You can, however, use it to showcase your character and ability to accept one's mistakes and positively move past them. By letting you tell your own story using your own words, the essay makes for a superb means to do so.
The Content
The college application essay should give a vivid picture of the kind of person you are, Jordan adds. The image it should portray is apparently different from what you were a one or two years back. According to Cara, transfer students have an idea of the direction they want to take with their lives. Through their experiences in college, they have learned what works, also what doesn’t work for them as they are now older and focused.
A transfer student already knows why they're leaving one learning institution for another and this is what a transfer officer wants to read in your application essay Cara Jordan emphasizes further. Students are allowed to share other information as well but the question why should be answered somewhere in this essay. Jordan also says she wants to understand why a transfer thinks that he or she is perfect for her school. (This example relates to Sacred Heart but follows the general format a transfer essay should adopt).
During the fall of 2011, 3,488 students enrolled at Sacred Heart as full-time undergraduate students and one of them conveyed their information particularly well. The student expressed her passion for being taught by professors, who are experienced and are concerned with the success of their students, while still being a part of a diverse student body as she was transferring from a local community college. She continues explaining further how her visit to Sacred Hear and her interaction with staff and students showed her the zeal that they have to succeed in life. To her, teachers and students worked together in harmony overcoming challenges and achieving their full potential. Being a business major herself, she was impressed by the fact that the adjuncts who teach at the John F. Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart are not just respected instructors but are well-respected leaders in the business world.
Rules and Regulations
Transfer students should follow instructions directly in their application essay and other areas of the university or college application by sticking to word counts, submitting all requested materials and information, as well as meeting the deadline set and strictly adhering to the set of rules put forward.
Paying attention to detail is particularly important as the transfer admission officials mainly concentrate on each applicant's information Cara Jordan says. The National Association for College Admissions Counselling reports that one in three students, who are undertaking a two or four-year course in college or university, is likely to transfer for one reason or another. Cara Jordan says this fact allows college admission officials to give personalized attention to the transfer students more than first time undergraduates since the number of students requesting to transfer lower than those who wish to enroll for the first time.
It is a good thing as it allows admission officials, such Cara Jordan, to meet and assess each applicant to gauge if they make a perfect match before joining the college. By already proving that they can do college work, the area to concentrate on with transfer students is finding out if they are a good fit for the school as well as if the school is a good fit for them adds Jordan. When both, the applicant and the institution, communicate and understand each other honestly and transparently, a successful transfer occurs. A transfer application essay is an excellent tool for students to exercise this.