Did you start school at a community college? Would you like to transfer to Ivy League universities? If your grades weren’t quite up to snuff for Ivy League acceptance straight out of high school, a great year or two at community college may be able to help you get accepted into the most prestigious universities.
Just because you didn’t get accepted to your dream school the first time around does not mean you no longer have a chance. By following this advice, you can increase your chances of transferring to Ivy League from community college.
Make Freshman Year Count
You need to get near perfect grades at the community college you are attending. This will show that you are academically capable at a college level. Get into the community college and start getting busy.
You are going to need recommendation letters from professors. This means that you need to introduce yourself to professors, participate in class, and perhaps stick around after class to talk with the professor. Stop by your professor’s office during office hours. You need to start this early so you can build a relationship before applications are due. Choose challenging courses. Make sure the courses will be recognized as challenging.
You want your transcript to look as impressive as possible. You need to participate in extracurricular activities that show leadership skills. Join clubs. Start clubs. By starting a club you are immediately the president. This leadership looks good on applications for Ivy Leagues.
To learn more, read about how to become a top student.
Change Up Your Application
Whether you got denied or put on a waiting list, don’t just resend your previous application. If you send in the same application and essays, you will probably get the same results. Change it up. Rewrite your essays. Tell different stories. Talk about changes that have been made and experiences you have had in the last six months.
Do something great during the summer break after high school. Talk about how your internship, service project overseas or starting up a business has made you a much better candidate for the school. If your application didn’t get you in the first time, mix it up for round two.
To learn more, read about how to craft an exceptional transfer application.
Retake Your SATs In Community College
If your scores on standardized tests were sub-par, retake the test. Study for the test and try for a higher score. Sign-up for a test prep course. Take practice tests before you take the actual test.
Retaking your SATs can greatly improve your attractiveness to Ivy League universities. Perhaps, more so than any of the other tips on this page. Providing, of course, that you do well while retaking your SATs in community college.
To learn more, see how to score above the 95th percentile on the SATs.
Visit the Campus
If you know which school you want to go to most, make a visit to the campus. Get to know the Ivy League school and make it known that you are extremely interested in attending because each Ivy League university has it's own culture that is quite different from your local 2 year community college. Then, feel free to mention your visit in your application.
Let the Ivy League admissions counselors know that you visited the campus and how it made your decision to attend there concrete.
Now you can learn how to transfer from community college to Ivy League.
About The Author: Linda Hildebrant is the Associate Director of Internet Marketing for Resume.com. She has years of experience teaching people how to build a resume. When she is not writing about resume tips, she likes to shop and travel.
