Barnard is both a top women’s college in the United States, and a top college regardless of gender or identity limitations. It’s also a great college to apply to for transfer. While the recent first-year acceptance rate has been a mere 9%, the transfer admissions acceptance rate is about 20%. Barnard accepts transfer applicants for Fall Term or Spring Term admission, and the respective due dates are March 1 and November 1. While far more students apply for Fall admission, there isn’t an advantage, historically, to applying for the Spring over the Fall, as they have been accepting the same percentage in each.
Before you start planning out your essays, though, you need to make sure that you are eligible for admission as a transfer. They require transfer applicants to have completed a minimum of 24 transferable credits, or typically at least 1 year of college, and to have done no more than 60 credits. These all need to have been completed at a college or university after graduating from high school. If you have less than 24 credits, you must apply as a first year. And if you aren’t sure how many credits are on your transcript, you need to contact Barnard admissions to confirm prior to applying.
In this post, we’re going to break down what you need to do if you are eligible to transfer to Barnard and want to get in. Transfer isn’t an easy in, even with the elevated transfer acceptance rate at Barnard, but it can be a great option if you play it right. Read on to learn how.
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When applying to Barnard as a transfer, it isn’t too different from your first go-round applying to college as a senior in high school. You’ll have to write one main essay, and three supplements — but the approach to each is most certainly different from what you took on at least a year and a half ago.
The Common App Essay
Like when you applied as a first year, this main Common App Essay is called the “Personal Statement.” However, the essay is actually very different from what you wrote a while ago — and you can’t reuse what you did way back when. You’re going to have to start over, and with a totally different objective.
When you apply to Barnard as a transfer, they want to know why you want to transfer and what you hope to pursue instead. This isn’t a Barnard-specific essay, though, unless you are only applying to Barnard for Transfer in which case it could be…but we also don’t recommend that all-or-nothing approach to transfer admissions.
Instead, the best way to approach this essay is to be honest, tempered with humility and gratitude. Except for extreme circumstances (talk to us if you think this applies to you), it is always better to focus more on what you want for the future than what you feel is missing from where you are — especially if you feel inclined to be critical of the student body, quality of professors, or level of scholarship where you are now.
Remember, they want students who can work within their system. They respect that you’ve identified that where you are isn’t a strong fit, but they don’t want to read hundreds of words focused on badmouthing your current school. Rather, we find that one of the best themes for a strong transfer essay is transformation, and how you have changed from a high school senior looking for your perfect fit to who you are today.
The Supplement
Barnard has three supplemental essays, and it’s extremely important to answer them carefully and with one particular thing front of mind: Barnard is an all-women’s college. They want to accept students who will thrive in an environment that, while not isolated from the Columbia community, is geared, in every way and on every letter, towards educating women. You want the application reader to leave your application confident that you love Barnard for everything it offers, and this particular facet of its offers in particular.
Barnard College is an extraordinary community of women committed to fostering curiosity and the exploration of new experiences and ideas. By utilizing the resources of our campus, our Foundations curriculum, and New York City, our students expand their world and discover their own capabilities. How do you envision these intersecting components of Barnard shaping your academic and personal journey? (200 words max)
As we said, Barnard cares a lot about you caring a lot about them being an all-women’s institution. This supplement isn’t just about why you want to transfer to an all-women’s institution, though. They want to see the full picture of your vision for your experience at Barnard. Yes, in only 200 words.
We recommend accomplishing this be being specific, and not focusing too much (if at all) on what happens off of campus. They mention “New York City,” but they don’t want to let in students who are only interested in them because of the geographic location. Rather, they are looking for transfers who are specifically drawn to their academic program, so show them where your interest is. Mention specific courses, programs, and professors you are drawn to, and paint a picture of how those opportunities, paired with community and clubs, will create a more successful second stab at a perfect fit school.
If you could plan and lead a semester-long college seminar, what academic topic would you choose and why? (200 words max)
This supplement is super fun, and we recommend approaching it in an equally fun way. We challenge you to write an actual course description. Give your course a title, write a description with learning objectives, and make it sound like a course you would sign up for if you could. Since the idea is that you would plan and lead this course, though, you want to pick a topic that you could actually guide fellow students through. You don’t need to be a thought leader in the space — they don’t expect that, as you are an undergraduate — but you should pick a subject that you’ve expressed interest in inside and outside of the classroom already.
Maybe you are a prospective history major, for example, and also an avid scuba diver. You could come up with a course that is about the history of underwater exploration.
In college, you will encounter others with diverse viewpoints and experiences. Describe an instance where you engaged with someone who held a different opinion and explain how it shaped your perspective on the issue. (150 words max)
This question can be a bit of a trap. We don’t think they necessarily mean it this way, but it is how it works out. Rarely does it work well to write about a one-off encounter, or a political conversation unless there is a strong social relationship undergirding the exchange. So, we recommend writing about a conversation with someone you know and, ideally, love. Then, be honest but with an emphasis on gratitude and kindness.
As you are working on the application, remember that you need to work with your high school to successfully complete your transfer application, as Barnard requires your high school transcript. They’ll also need your college transcript, college report, recommendations, and things that you didn’t have to submit for first-year admission, like the descriptions of all of the college courses you have taken. This is true even if you’ve been out of school for a while. There are no interviews, though, and being accepted doesn’t guarantee that all of your credits will transfer.
If you’re considering a transfer but aren’t sure where to aim for, Contact us.