美国本科转学，一个很可能比申请研究生更好的选择。

在做留学咨询工作的十个申请季过程中，我遇到了很多被天朝高考制度坑害的学生，他们或因为分数不理想被调剂到一个不理想的学校或专业，或因为家长压力被迫选择自己不喜欢的专业，或因为不懂而盲目选择了一个不适合自己的专业。如果孩子心智成熟，或者运气好，就会通过一些机会积极努力，找到好的出路；如果心智不那么成熟，或者运气不那么好，就有可能走向一个极端：逃课，挂科，甚至退学。2013年有一则令人唏嘘的新闻：一个清华大三生江焕波为换专业退学复读。

为什么要付出这么大的代价去学一个自己喜欢学的东西？因为大家不知道还有什么别的选择：国内要想换专业非常非常难（虽然国内已经开始学分制，但多数学分制只是换汤不换药，虽然有些学校允许换专业但要求成绩要年级第一第二才有资格转），换大学就更别想了，只能退学再来一次连西方都知道的变态高考了。（不少国外大学网站上现在已经有了“Gaokao”这个专有名词了）所以很多学生只能痛苦的煎熬着。这个问题现在变得越来越严重，因为九零后是更有个性的一代人，而国内大学的变化速度赶不上他们的节奏。他们只能强忍着，在研究生留学的时候换专业。（国内考研换专业也是很难的）

虽然越来越多的中国学生去美国读本科，但很多人并不知道，还有“本科转学”这么一条路可走。为此我专门在豆瓣开了转学答疑帖希望帮助更多的人了解情况。因为做咨询，其实不见得是对问题做出正确回答，很多时候提出一个正确的问题更重要。例如，对很多人来说，不应该问“我能不能转专业申请”而是该问“我是应该研究生的时候再出去，还是现在就转学出去”。下面进入主题，跟大家详细介绍一下美国的本科转学。

什么是本科转学？

本科转学，在美国大学官网上称之为：Undergraduate Transfer，只要进到美国大学官网，大家就能发现，在UndergraduateAdmission 中Freshmen申请和Transfer申请基本都是并列关系。只要你是在读大学生，没有获得学士学位（一般以大一大二为，大三大四情况比较复杂），成绩达到一定标准（不同档次学校标准不同），有SAT/ACT with writing（很多学校不硬性要求，比如Yale对本国无考点的学生可以免SAT或ACT，密西根大学安娜堡分校要求如果高中申请本科时考了SAT或者ACT需要提交，否则就不用提交，top30往后的很多学校则要求如果入学时已经读了两年，那么就不用提交SAT或ACT成绩），有语言成绩（国际学生，且没有四年母语为英语教学经历的需要提交托福、雅思、PTE之类的语言成绩）就可以申请转学。这个结论是很多很多学生和家长不知道，难理解，但又是事实的事情。

虽然top10的本科转学比新生申请要难（比如Stanford的转学录取率在1%-4%之间，Yale每年能收到大概1000份转学申请只能录取20-30人，Harvard有些年份如果没有space空出会停掉转学申请），但是从制度上来说，本科转学和新生申请完全是并列的关系。所以不管你是在中国的大学，还是在英国，新加坡，美国，澳洲，还是在哪儿读本科，只要你想，符合对应的条件，就能申请到美国对应档次的学校过去读本科。

这里可以附上最难录取的几个学校的资格说明，供大家参考：

Stanford University

l Studentswho have enrolled either full-time or as a degree-seeking student aftergraduating from high school must apply for transfer admission.

l Studentswho are dual-enrolled in both high school and college programs should apply forfreshman admission.

l Studentsmust have a high school diploma or the equivalent in order to enroll atStanford.

l Transfercoursework must be completed at an accredited degree-granting institution;coursework completed in vocational, technical, performance or professionalprograms are not considered.

l Transferstudents are required to complete at least two years of full-time enrollment atStanford in order to attain a bachelor's degree from the university.

l Studentswho have already earned a bachelor's degree are not eligible to apply forundergraduate admission

Harvard University

l Bythe anticipated date of matriculation, students must have satisfactorilycompleted a minimum of one continuous academic year in a degree program at onecollege, and not more than two academic years of full-time college study.

l Studentswho have completed more than two years of college study with transferablecredit, and those who have earned a bachelor’s degree, are not eligible totransfer to Harvard College. Students may not choose to relinquish academiccredits or a degree in order to apply for transfer admission.

l Studentswho will have completed less than one full-time continuous year of study at onecollege by the anticipated date of matriculation at Harvard should apply asfreshman candidates. (All such applicants, if admitted, will matriculate asregular freshmen without any transfer credit.)

l Studentswho have completed one full-time year of college in a regular degree program inlieu of their senior year of high school (often referred to as dual enrollment)should contact the Admissions Office before submitting an application, butgenerally, if the courses were taken for credit toward a high school diploma,candidates should apply as a freshman.

l Studentswho are enrolled part-time are not eligible unless they have previouslycompleted one continuous academic year full-time.

l Studentsare eligible to transfer only from a liberal arts curriculum that is similar toHarvard’s. Candidates whose education has been in a vocational, professional,technical, online, extension, or performance program will not ordinarilyqualify for transfer admission.

Yale University

To beeligible to transfer, you must have a high school diploma or GED by June of thecurrent academic year, and at leastone year and no more than two years of transferable post-secondary-schoolcollege credit.*

l Ifyou are currently jointly enrolled in high school and college, you are noteligible for the transfer program, but should apply through the freshmanadmissions process.

l Ifby the end of the current academic year you will have completed less than oneyear of full-time college study*, you should apply through the freshman admissionsprocess. If you are admitted as afreshman, work done after secondary school graduation but before matriculationat Yale may be accepted (up to a maximum of two course credits) with theapproval of the appropriate director of undergraduate studies at Yale.

l Ifyou have received a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent) or if by the end ofthe current academic year you will have completed more than two full yearstoward the degree, you are not eligible to transfer to Yale, nor may you applythrough the freshman admissions process. (You may not voluntarily relinquishcredits in order to qualify for consideration.)

l Ifyou are a non-traditional student and have taken a break from your educationfor five or more years, you may wish to consider Yale College’s Eli WhitneyStudents Program instead of the Transfer Program.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

l Studentsapplying to transfer must be in good standing, both academically and socially,at the institution(s) attended.

l TheUniversity of Michigan considers the college grade point average, the qualityand quantity of transferable college credit, TOEFL/MELAB scores (ifapplicable), and the quality of high school credentials (including grades,strength of curriculum, and standardized test scores) during the transferreview process.

l Thereare specific admissions requirements for schools and colleges. Some requirespecific course prerequisites, portfolios, and auditions, which are taken intoconsideration when evaluating applications.

谁适合申请本科转学？

那么是不是谁都适合做这件事情呢？当然不是。绝大多数事情都是有利有弊的，所以我们一定要了解情况，做好分析做对自己来说利大于弊的选择。所以下面跟大家具体解释一下。

先来看看大学都喜欢什么样的转学生呢？我把几个大学官网的说明附在下面，大家可以认真品读一下。

Harvard University会Growth and potential，Interests and activities，Character and personality，Contribution to theHarvard community这4个点去考察。具体我们可以看看学校的细节提示：

Growthand potential

l Haveyou reached your maximum academic and personal potential?

l Haveyou been stretching yourself?

l Haveyou been working to capacity in your academic pursuits, your full-time orpart-time employment, or other areas?

l Doyou have reserve power to do more?

l Howhave you used your time?

l Doyou have initiative? Are you a self-starter? What motivates you?

l Doyou have a direction yet? What is it? If not, are you exploringmany things?

l Wherewill you be in one, five, or 25 years? Will you contribute something to thosearound you?

l Whatsort of human being are you now? What sort of human being will you be inthe future?

Interestsand activities

l Doyou care deeply about anything—intellectual? Extracurricular? Personal?

l Whathave you learned from your interests? What have you done with your interests?How have you achieved results? With what success or failure? What have youlearned as a result?

l Interms of extracurricular, athletic, community, or family commitments, have youtaken full advantage of opportunities?

l Whatis the quality of your activities? Do you appear to have a genuinecommitment or leadership role?

l Ifyou have not had much time in high school for extracurricular pursuits due tofamilial, work, or other obligations, what do you hope to explore at Harvardwith your additional free time?

Characterand personality

l Whatchoices have you made for yourself? Why?

l Areyou a late bloomer?

l Howopen are you to new ideas and people?

l Whatabout your maturity, character, leadership, self-confidence, warmth ofpersonality, sense of humor, energy, concern for others, and graceunder pressure?

Contributionto the Harvard community

l Willyou be able to stand up to the pressures and freedoms of College life?

l Willyou contribute something to Harvard and to your classmates? Will you benefitfrom your Harvard experience?

l Wouldother students want to room with you, share a meal, be in a seminar together,be teammates, or collaborate in a closely knit extracurricular group?

Yale University

Yale seeks to admit a small number of extraordinary transfer candidateseach year. However, no simple profile of grades, scores, and interests canassure a transfer applicant admission to Yale. The two to three percenttransfer admissions rate reflects space limitations at Yale and means that wemust deny admission to most qualified applicants. Diversity within the studentbody is important, and the committee works very hard to select a class of ableand contributing individuals from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible.

It isdifficult to state in general terms what qualities will improve a transferapplicant’s chances of success, because those chances are unfortunately quitelow, and we judge each application individually and holistically.

l Atransfer candidate’s academic strength is our first consideration. An applicantfor transfer admission should have an outstanding academic record. The averageGPA of admitted transfer students is usually 3.8 and above in a demandingselection of courses.

l Transfercandidates should also have particularly compelling and well-defined academicreasons for wishing to attend Yale.

l Wantingto leave one’s current school is not a sufficient argument for admission toYale. Transfer candidates should explain in their application essays howstudying at Yale would give them an educational opportunity particular to theirinterests that could be experienced nowhere else.

l TheAdmissions Committee also gives serious consideration to a transfer applicant’smotivation, curiosity, energy, leadership ability, and distinctive talents. Thepersonal essays and evaluations from college faculty members, deans, andsecondary school counselors provide a great deal of insight into thesequalities. We hope to find students who have made significant contributions totheir college and local community.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor说的比较简单：

l Isin good academic and social standing at his/her prior institution.

l Hasa distinguished record of college work, earning a cumulative GPA of at least aB (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better.

l Hasearned sophomore or junior standing (preferably) with transferable creditearned at a community college or another two- or four-year college oruniversity.

在这里不一一陈列，我个人总结来说，这些大学希望通过招收转学生实现以下几个目的：

1， 寻找潜力股，筛选最值得投资的年轻人（这几乎是所有美国优秀大学的目标）

2， 给本校现在的大学群体增加多样性

3， 实现教育公平性（这个主要是公立大学的着眼点，例如加州大学系统）

4， 弥补学生退学、休学、转走后的空位

关于第一点具体到转学这个场景下，那么核心关键点就是：你是不是已经证明，你有能力最大化利用身边的资源，你现在所处的环境不能再给你更多的帮助，需要一个更高的平台更好的资源帮助你进一步提升。

再进一步解读，就是：第一，你要在你现在的学校学术上有出色表现，学习能力没问题，能很好的适应未来在我们学校的学习压力，所以各个学校都会根据自己的水平来在对应档次的大学中选对应的学生。比如top20的大学录取的绝大多数学生都是在世界知名大学中选GPA比较出色的，这是一个基础条件。第二，你要证明你还是一个有很强的自我管理能力、有激情有想法的人，能够积极主动且成熟的做事、看待问题。例如，除了常规的学术学习，你还能去干一两件（几件的比较少）自己喜欢的事情，且干得非常出色。

关于第二点，和新生申请学校的考量一样，希望通过有各种不同经历的人在一起碰撞，以了解来自不同世界的人，从而可以站在一个不同角度（或者叫更高角度，只是学校不会选用这个有争议的说法）看待问题。和Freshmen申请一样，你可以从自己的特长，特殊的成长经历带给自己人生观世界观的影响角度去展现给学校。只不过，本身在别的学校有就读经历和本校的学生比就是一种多样性。

关于第三点比较复杂一点，需要对美国本科教育体制有较全面的了解。美国的全职本科教育提供方式有2年制副学位，4年制学士学位两种，前者就是社区大学（既community college，大家习惯缩写为CC；虽然有一些4年制社区大学，但多数都是2年为主），后者又可以从资金来源方式分为公立大学和私立大学，或从培养侧重点分为文理艺术教育哲学和专门职业教育两类（前者多以LAC存在，后者一般在综合性大学惯称大U）。无论是2年制还是4年制，都有公立和私立两种形式。这样丰富的形式就可以让美国人在高中毕业之后有很多种高等教育的选择，通过公立体系解决大众教育的问题，通过私立教育实现个性化教育和精英教育。

基于这样的体系，公立大学会留出很多名额给本州的社区大学学生，比如UC-Berkeley这所顶尖的大学，有近三分之一是来自CC的，转学最大优先级是给CC的，有些和UC-Berkeley，UCLA这种顶级高校有协议的CC，学生只要达到GPA要求，可以确保被录取。所以一些没有把握申请到UC-Berkeley或者UCLA这种学校的学生，会选择加州的一些CC，然后通过转学实现目标。（当然，这里是有风险的，比如被一些中介误导以为很容易，过去后才发现很少有学生可以达到要求的GPA）

不过关于这点，大家只要知道，美国大规模的公立大学相对规模较小的私立大学而言转学更容易一些就好了。

关于第四点，对转学申请的影响比较直接的就是，转学名额相对不太稳定，而且越好的学校，因为录取时已经着重考虑了学生的适应情况，流动率越低，转学名额越少。不但录取比例比新生要低几个百分点，更要命的是总名额只有二三十个这种量级，难度非常大。而公立大学因为学生基数大，流动性高，转学难度较顶级私立大学小很多。

基于上述情况，我们可以知道，适合考虑转学的人群有以下几种：

1， 高考或者Freshmen申请录取结果不理想，对所读大学失望的学生

2， 大学专业不是自己喜欢的学生

3， 现在大学不能满足自己需求，学不到更多东西的学生

4， 不安于现状，想挑战新高度的学生

前两类好理解，不解释。第三类比较显著的特点就是在本校的学习成绩比较好，学习按部就班，较为平淡，没有特别大的挑战，缺乏高考时那种拼命努力的激情。例如我这些年接触的很多适合做这件事情的学生就是在国内顶尖985学习成绩很好，比较有自己想法，但是缺乏释放自己更大激情的挑战，对未来很困惑。

第四类，不管是在国内的大专，还是在985，对自己有更高要求。比如在大专的，可以通过转学拿到超出国内一本含金量的学士学位，在985的，希望研究所的时候可以进到全球最顶尖的优秀大学。（全美top10这种的）那就可以通过转学作为跳板，让自己在研究生申请时可以拥有更大的竞争力。

不过，无论是上面那种情况，最后都要有足够的资金作为保障。虽然我们有LAC转学半奖的案例，但是转学比奖学金巨难拿的Freshmen还要难拿，所以如果没有60w以上的资金储备，最好是100w，因为很有可能还要读研究生。（当然如果以后要读PhD，基本是全奖，也就只要考虑本科两年左右的费用了）

为什么说本科转学是个跳板？to be continue。。。。