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Much like snowflakes, DNA profiles, or interpretations of a David Lynch film, no two college transfer applicants are alike. Even if two prospective transfers to Boston University are both named Fred and each hail from Farmington, CT, their paths and the contours of their academic journeys are probably quite different from one another. Perhaps Fred #1 is a first-generation college student who, for financial reasons, had to complete his freshman year at the local community college. Perhaps Fred #2 underachieved a touch in high school, gained admission into a less-selective state school where he excelled freshman year, and is now highly motivated to study at a top school. Each Fred possesses an equally valid story to tell the BU admissions office, and doing so adeptly may well be the key to their acceptance. This is where the college transfer essay comes in.

Whether you’re Fred #1, Fred #2, or someone not even named Fred, you need your transfer essay to be so strong that it leaps right off the page and captures the attention (or, even better, heart) of an admissions officer. In the following article, the ������һ����ӰԺ�ݲ� team will explain precisely how to master this essential component of the transfer application.

What is a college transfer essay?

When required, the transfer essay is an opportunity for you to explain 1) why you would like to leave your current institution and 2) what you hope to achieve elsewhere. Although the wording of transfer essay prompts varies between colleges, most will ask some variation of the following:

 The personal statement helps colleges get to know you better as a person and a student. Please provide a statement discussing your educational path. How does continuing your education at a new institution help you achieve your future goals? (500-650 words)

It’s important to note that transfer essay requirements vary significantly depending on the school. Some schools will only require a version of the above essay prompt; others will ask you to also write a  and/or answer supplemental essay questions on topics that range from “Why Us?” to community-focused or extracurricular activity essays. Therefore, it’s essential to look at the various prompts you’ll need to write before getting started in order to figure out the balance of information across the application.

What should I write about in my college transfer essay?

If you do need to write a transfer personal statement for your college applications, you’ll want to cover the following:

• Your educational journey so far, and how it led you both to & away from your current institution
• Your academic and career ambitions, and how your prospective transfer school will help you achieve them
• Your past achievements and/or unique attributes that bolster your case

Let’s dive in and take a more thorough look at each component, beginning with #1.

1) Your Educational Journey

In this first section, it’s important to give the reader an idea of why you chose your current school before sharing why you wish to leave. For example, perhaps you chose your current school because you originally wanted to major in political science—one of its strengths. However, after taking courses in a variety of areas, attending a summer program, and writing for the campus paper, you now want to major in journalism, a degree that is unfortunately not offered at your present institution.

Or, perhaps you chose to chose to attend your local community college for financial or personal reasons. Now that you’ve built a solid educational foundation and spent time exploring career paths, you’re ready to transfer to a school that offers four-year degrees and a more traditional college experience.

Regardless of the main reason for transferring (which, as you may have gleaned, should preferably be related to academics rather than social or environmental factors), you’ll want to demonstrate how you have gone out of your way to make your current school work for you. Have you chased down all possible opportunities? Have you joined relevant organizations, formed personal relationships with professors, and exhausted all resources available?

In the process of discussing why you wish to transfer, make sure that your essay does not sound like a nasty Yelp review of your present school. We’re going for “it’s not you, it’s me” vibes here. You can praise your current school for what’s working and discuss how a different institution would better satisfy your needs moving forward.

2) Your Academic and Career Ambitions

The reasons why you wish to leave your current institution should be closely tied to your academic or career ambitions, allowing for a seamless transition into this next section. Let’s go back to our previous example. If you now want to major in journalism, where do you see that taking you down the road? Are you considering graduate school? Do you want better internship placement rates? Are you leaning toward a particular specialty?  You don’t have to be 100% sure of your career and future academic path at 19 or 20 years old, but as a transfer student, you should share where your experiences and interests may someday take you.

After you share your general academic and career ambitions, you’ll want to detail how and why the college you’re applying to will help you achieve them. Mention specific courses that you are eager to take, certain distinguished professors who you desire to study under, and unique clubs, activities, or programs in which you are excited to partake. Take advantage of this chance to impress admissions officers with your expansive knowledge of their institution as well as a highly specific accounting of how you will take advantage of your 2-3 years there. Doing so will separate you from the pack of similarly qualified transfer applicants.

3) Your Achievements, Experiences, and Attributes

As you craft the above two sections, you’ll want to weave in past achievements/experiences that demonstrate your record of involvement on your current campus. It is far easier to sell yourself as someone who will be a contributing member of the campus community if you displayed these qualities at your previous college. Students with an eye on transferring are sometimes so focused on escaping their first institution that they fail to become involved in anything outside of the classroom. Thus, they miss out on valuable opportunities to demonstrate leadership and passion—the very traits needed to transfer to a prestigious school. Write about what you are most proud of—rising into an editorial position on the campus newspaper, convincing a professor to bring you on as a research assistant, or spearheading a guest speaker series for the journalism club on campus.

College Transfer Essay Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

• Make a coherent and well-researched case for why you wish to leave your current institution.
• Paint a picture of the reasons why this new university is the right place to pursue your academic interests.
• Explain how you’ve taken advantage of the opportunities available to you.
• Give the committee a sense of your character/personal qualities. Most likely, this essay will be the primary vehicle through which you can forge a personal connection to a fellow human being.

�ٴDz�’t:

• Bash your current school or overly focus on the negative.
• Make excuses for past academic performance or lack of involvement outside the classroom.
• Say that you want to attend a new school for the prestige, the pretty campus, or for a personal reason (close to home, girl/boyfriend attends, etc.).
• Forget to do adequate research on your prospective academic home. Details matter!

Final Thoughts — How to Write a College Transfer Essay

Want to work with one of ������һ����ӰԺ�ݲ�’ expert essay coaches on your transfer personal statement? Book a free consultation today.

Looking for additional transfer resources? Check out the following:

• How to Complete the Common App Transfer Application
• How to Transfer to an Ivy League School
• How Do I Get My High School Transcript?
• Transfer Admission Deadlines
• Transfer Admission Rates
• Transfer Acceptance Rates & Requirements