How International Students Can Transfer Between US Colleges

If you think you're stuck at a college you don't love or if you think transferring from one school to another means that you're going to have to start over, then I'm going hoping that this video is going to show you that that's wrong. [Music] In this video, I'll actually show you how international students like yourself can transfer between US colleges like a pro and basically also save up thousands of dollars and also develop your degree and skip the mistakes. Now, every year, international students lock themselves into the first school that says yes to them, which is already a big problem. Now what happens is they will go to this school and maybe the location sucks or the program isn't great or the costs are unbearable but instead of transferring when that happens they decide to stay and this is because most likely no one really explains to them the US transfer system. So let's just break it down and show you how to upgrade your education without starting from zero. So here's what actually makes the US system different from that of other countries. In the US, credits are portable. So, you can complete courses at one college and carry them to another if you plan smart. And by planning smart, it just means that you need to take certain classes and those classes are automatically transferable. And in particular, touching on that, general education classes are often the same across schools, especially within state systems. So think of it like history, English, math, those are very common. And basically what that means is that you can start at a cheap, flexible college and transfer later to a more prestigious university with fewer costs and a stronger application. So what that means is that you can take a class at one school and then transfer to the other and still have your courses go with you. And yes, this means that you could literally take courses at a community college and still transfer them to a school like Harvard. Okay? So do not think that that's not possible. All you need to do is just understand how these courses are transferable with one another. So for me, for instance, I started at a community college in the US as an international student. Then there I actually took the core courses, you know, I worked hard. I joined FTHEA Kappa. I got an associates degree. Then I transferred to a four-year school called the University of Rochester and it's a top top school and I basically transferred there with a full ride scholarship. And this is the thing I didn't lose credits. I got my full credits of two years. So when I got to University of Rochester, I actually started out as a junior. So I started out as a thirdyear student. And basically that decision to actually go to a community college first saved me over $100,000 and basically also gave me a better degree when I transferred to the University of Rochester. If you want to kind of do the same and transfer like a pro, then do this right no matter what school you go to. The step one is to meet your advisor early so that you know exactly what classes will transfer. So if you know that you already dislike the school that you're currently in, what you can do is you can just take all the general education courses such as English, history, government, those type of things because you know that those type of things will transfer to most other schools. So as you're doing that, go to your advisor, talk to them about it, and then this will lead us to step two. You need to choose a target school and download their transfer credit policy. This is because you'll then understand what classes you need to take and what classes can actually transfer to that school that you're wanting to go to. And that will actually lead us to step number three, which is you need to maintain a strong GPA. And I know even if you're at the school that you hate, you need to somehow maintain a strong GPA. My secret to that is take easy classes once you know you already want to transfer so that your GPA is really high. And then number four, join different honor societies. So for instance like FTHEA Kappa join those honor societies because that's going to help you unlock some scholarships when you transfer. Then number five you need to write a really good transfer essay. Now I actually walk through how you can write a very great essay that's going to leave admission officers wanting more in one of my previous videos. So I'm going to put it up here somewhere so that you can go and watch that video. But basically step five is to make sure that your essay is really really good and also addresses the fact of why you are transferring and that's it. You're going to apply afterwards and basically that's a way you can kind of level up by transferring. Now there is one thing I want to talk about which is the myths about transferring right? There's a myth that transferring is hard and that's not true. Transferring is more so strategic than it is hard. If you follow those five steps that are outlined above, then it's not as hard to transfer from one school to another. Of course, you also have to show some documentation that you'll be able to financially pay. Once you are transferring, even as an international student, you'll be able to still get a visa and an I20 when you transferring to the other college. You just have to talk again with your adviser and it's quite straightforward on how you can transfer. It's not as hard. Now, there's another myth which says you'll lose all your credits and have to start over. Again, this is a lie. You know, you only lose credits that you didn't carefully plan. And what I mean by that is if you took unique classes that are only in that college, then when you try and transfer them, it's going to be very hard for those credits to be transferred to the new institution. But new institutions love working with you, especially if you're trying to transfer to them. They'll work with you to try their best to transfer as many classes as possible. Myth number three is that you'll be looked down upon. And this is actually a very big myth because a lot of top schools love transfer students. And this is because transfer students bring a different type of dynamic to the campus, right? So instead of them coming in with typical freshmen, they actually come in as sophomore and juniors and they have a different perspective which helps diversify the campus. So schools love transfer students and they also love the fact that you're leaving one school to come to our school. So that makes them feel really really cool and good about themselves. So having said all of this, I want to tell you this as an international student. Do not be scared to transfer. It's totally possible and it's totally normal. Lots of Americans transfer and you should also take advantage of it. Especially if you do not like the school that you're currently in or if you just want to save money. These are valid reasons to transfer and you do not have to be fearful about transferring. Yes, there's going to be some more requirements when it comes to, you know, your I20 and all of those type of stuff, but your advisers will work with you in order to get that across the line. It's not that much harder. I mean, if you already have an I20, you don't have to do a an interview again or anything like that. It's literally you just have to prove to them that you have the funds required to start at that new school, right? So, you just have to show to them that you have the bank account with the money inside for the amount that they say you're going to have to pay at that school. So, again, transferring is not that bad and you definitely need to look upon it as an international student as it can save you thousands of dollars. Now, if you like this video, definitely like and subscribe to my channel. I release weekly videos about international student affairs. If you have any questions or comments, leave them down below in the comment section. I try to get to every comment. So, thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next video.