Time Out for Transfers
Admit It! Transfers, you’ve been clamoring for more blogs specifically related to transfer admission and we’ve been listening. So, from here forward we will do our best to take a “time out for transfers” every so often to provide more insight into our transfer admission process and to answer your questions.
So for starters, let’s talk about something you’re probably not thinking about: the high school transcript. Oftentimes, transfers wonder why it is we require a high school transcript. There are actually several reasons. The first of which is that we consider it a permanent part of your academic record, and as such we want it to be part of your W&M record should you be admitted. It assists us, for example, in determining whether or not you’ve already fulfilled W&M’s foreign language proficiency (which you can accomplish in high school by completing the fourth level of a single foreign language).
The second reason is that it provides context for your coursework in college. Knowing what courses you completed in high school helps us evaluate the rigor of your college curriculum. For example, we sometimes see transfers repeat courses in college they completed in high school or even regress (for example, someone completing calculus in high school and then taking pre-calculus in college). We recognize that placement tests or AP/IB exams can determine which class you’re required to take at college and that may compel you to repeat a course but when that’s avoidable, we’d recommend it.
Finally, a high school transcript may be the bulk of a transfer’s academic record. Students applying to transfer in their first or second semester of college have a very limited, or no college record. In those cases, we rely heavily on the high school transcript to determine if a student is prepared to be successful in W&M classrooms.
Note that we do put the high school transcript in context. If you’re a non-traditional student, and it’s been five, ten, fifteen or more years since you graduated from high school, we recognize that that record is long since detached from who you are as a student now. That being said, see the first reason above.
So how did we do on our first “time out for transfers” blog? What other topics should we take time out for in the future? For now, the transfers’ first time out has come to an end.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
To answer your question on other topics, I believe a good topic for a post would be IB/AP emphasis. I am currently a senior in the IB program and was interested in knowing what the Admission Officers thought about the Program.
Thank you,
Drew
Drew, are you interested in transferring or are you applying for freshman admission?
We consider the full diploma program to be the most rigorous program a high school student can pursue. And high school rigor and performance is certainly important to us. Students who pursue the IB diploma successfully are certainly look on favorably in the transcript portion of our review process.
I read that about 80% of W&M students graduated in the top of their high school class. I was trying to find out what about the other 20%. I also understand that a 3.5 GPA is competitive as a transfer. Have you accepted students with less than 3.5 GPA? If so what made them standout from the rest of the students with higher GPAs. How many transfers do you receive for fall transfers? Do you have any advise to transfer students that don’t have the 3.5 GPA but still want to apply to your school? Is it a waste of $60 or there is chance. Sorry for asking to many question.
Thank you in advance.
James, the statistic about the number of students in the top 10% of their class is a stat that applies to freshman applicants; not transfer applicants. Generally, almost all of the students who are admitted who do not graduate in the top 10%, graduate in the top 20-25% of their high school class.
We do accept transfer students who have less than a 3.5 GPA for a variety of reason (course rigor, extracurricular activities, stand-out personal qualities, etc.). If you do not have a 3.5 you can certainly still apply but realize that you may be less competitive than other applicants who do have a high GPA. If your GPA is relatively close to a 3.5 it’s not a waste of $60. and if there’s any reason your GPA is lower you can let us know why.
We usually have about 800 students apply for fall transfer admission and we admit 40-45%.
Hello again!
I am currently working on my transfer application. I wonder if there is anyway to submit recommendation letters and the mid-term report online. If not, would you accept the copy of mid-term report? or the original one?
Thanks,
Piaoyang
Unfortunately these cannot be submitted online for transfers. They can be mailed or faxed however. For the mid-term report (not due ’til March 28), you can simply download and print the form, have your professors write down your grade and sign and then fax that to us.
Great! Thank you for your answers. 🙂
The ReOpen application says that the midterm report has to be faxed, but can it also be mailed?
Amy, we prefer it be faxed. There’s likely an office on your campus that provides fax access to students.
I had my official college transcript sent out a few weeks ago. Would the admissions receive that and keep it in my application file even I didn’t click “submit” on common app yet? My schools and professors have been sending materials to the admission since mid-December. I am still working on my common application now, and I am thinking about to submit every by the end of Feb (definitely before March 1st). Is that okay? Or should I submit my common app first, and then have my school and professors sent out the materials again? Sorry for asking lots of questions. I just want to make sure every application section goes right and smoothly.
I am applying for freshman admission, but thank you for answering the question on the diploma program!
Piaoyang, we will keep any materials sent to us on hold until we receive your Common App. So your transcript and your recommendations will be kept in our mail room. We will start a file for you when we receive your Common App and then add those to it.
Okay,thanks. I have another question. Can I update my application materials after I submit everything? Say, if I have more important activities and new leadership positions to add to my resume after March 1st, can I still send the updated resume to the admission before the end of April(Since the notification is around May 1st)?
You can but we just ask that updates be made only for substantive changes to your previous record. We just wrote a blog on this subject (http://blogs.wm.edu/2012/01/12/oh-but-wait/)
Got it! This blog is so informative that solves all the puzzles I have about the application. Also, I REALLY appreciate the super prompt responds. This makes me love W&M more!<3 Thank you!
Any time Piaoyang! We’re here to help.
Hello, Admit It,
Would the Admission still receive paper application materials (High school transcript, high school final report, and financial statement)after March 1st if I submit the online application before March 1st? Because I requested to release my official transcript from my high school a few weeks ago, and they just mailed the transcript out. It takes a week or two to ship from China to the U.S., I am afraid that it won’t get to the admission office by March 1st. In addition, my parents just sent me the financial statement. I might not be able to get it before March 1st. Does that mean I won’t be eligible to apply to W&M even I will definitely submit my application on Commonapp before March 1st?
Piaoyang, you’re in fine shape. The application deadline is a postmark deadline so if your materials are sent by March 1 you’ve done what you need to do. We will certainly still accept them if they are received after March 1.
Thank you for answering my question! I will send my application materials and fax my mid-term report ASAP.
Piaoyang, the mid-term report isn’t due ’til March 28. Check out our second Time Out for Transfers Blog for all you need to know about submitting your application (http://blogs.wm.edu/2012/02/23/time-out-for-transfers-2/).