Reviews

Our favorite letter

Hi Guys,

…please allow me to tell you how great great great The Transfer Book effort is.
I was thrilled to discover it online, I have enjoyed reading and re-reading it, and I have certainly profited from it…

Our nephew, who is a senior at (top national university), confirmed your comments on their high transfer rate… (As hard as he worked and as qualified as he was to get into to [top national university], I would never have broached this with him.)

Frankly, I wouldn’t have thought that our son (a freshman at [small local state school]… a true late bloomer who is academically [sic] blowing it out of the park this year–FINALLY!!!) would be remotely eligible to transfer there.

But, because of The Transfer Book, he will be applying there.

He went to (public high school), and was consistently in the bottom quarter of his class. Lots of extracurriculars, loved by everyone, integrity and honor, great all-round kid, captain of the tennis team, etc. Just not “there” in the maturity category… though blooming did begin late Junior year. The classic upward trajectory.

John’s SATS were 1300, so we knew that though not yet ignited, he was capable of more. Fortunately, the scores were high enough for him to apply and be accepted into to (small local state school’s) honors program. With 15 hours behind him at (small local state school), his GPA is a 4.3.

He intends to double major: history, political science, and he wants Rosetta Stone for Christmas to learn Arabic… because he thinks that it will be fun to learn it! Wow, who is this kid????

Because John’s high school grades were weak (2.6 freshman year, 3.2 Senior year) and the college counselor never spent much time with us, I am especially grateful for your “partnership” and edification.

Best to you both!,
Jane

I have printed and bound The Transfer Book and consult it regularly as a reference book.

I have told A LOT of parents (and freshman students) about your book.

I do hope that you have enormous success. The Transfer Book contains valuable information and is an exceptional service to any student considering transferring. And it is highly illuminating for a parent who knows next to nothing about what it takes to be a good transfer candidate.

And the follow up

Hey Chris,

I am writing you before I even write my brothers!
John just got in UNC today…
we absolutely believe that you guided us.

A review from a reader on her blog (you can also read it here)

Every year, organizations such as The Princeton Review and College Board publish hundreds of books and articles for freshman college applicants, while students interested in transferring are given at most a page or two. In 2010, after 5 years of research, Chris Goodmacher and Lan Ngo published The Transfer Book. Found in .pdf form on the website thetransferbook.com, the book contains almost 400 pages that break the entire transferring process down step-by-step, including:

* a walk-through of every component of The Common Application
* a process to ensure that as many credits as possible transfer over
* a simple, polite way to tell professors what to mention in their letters of recommendation
* interviews with top transfer students and admissions officers
* and 331 pages of full-length interviews with transfer students of all kinds (community college, four-year, international, students that took time off, etc.)

The entire book costs less than the cost of a single application fee. In addition to the .pdf book, the website contains a blog with various statistics and dozens of articles that address topics such as: Are There “Transfer Friendly” Colleges Out There?, When to Dump Your College: Transfer Mid-Year or Stick It Out? , and The College Transfer Admissions Essay: Three Keys. Unlike the College Confidential transfer student’s forum and other blogs and books on transferring, The Transfer Book provides extremely detailed information and countless real-life examples in its two books and does so in a streamlined, easy to read format. On the site, Chris and Lan brag that “We’ve put the best college transfer guide together possible.” Speaking as a transfer student and someone who has referenced those other sources, I can attest to the helpfulness of this book and website. I find it a shame that it wasn’t published only a few months earlier to help me when I was going through the entire process.

The Transfer Book is (also) instrumental in ensuring that students know exactly what to say to admissions offices and what to look for on school tours.

—Hannah Haas, a successful transfer student now at Furman University (the review is also on her blog here)

A review from a reader on her blog (excepted with permission)

As I started my transfer application process, I came across an extremely helpful site called The Transfer Book. Their website provides first-hand testimonies, essays, and advice for transfer applicants… As I embarked on this crazy yet perfect journey as I now see it, I kept finding myself to be reading up on their book. The book not only details the transfer process but provides so many personal accounts of students who transferred. At first, I felt extremely alone but after reading this, as cheesy as it sounds, I feel that I can do it. I was scared at first because this isn’t traditional… Yet I found myself more and more unhappy with the education and experience I was getting… So when it came time to transfer, I hid it for as long as I could before mustering the courage to ask my dad, can I transfer?The answer is, of course, yes. I am applying and I am more than happy to pay the money and go through the process (and stress) that the college application brought me 2 years ago as a high school senior. The only difference this time around? I know what I want. I know what I am looking for. And I know how to approach the writing.

One thing, though, strikes me as I continue on with the process. How can I make myself stand out in the crowd? What can I do? What can I do to make my application the strongest it can be?

I continue to doubt myself everyday. I wonder if I am making the right decisions. However, when it comes to writing my essays and as I work my way through this book, I am starting to believe in something… This is a decision for me and me only. I am doing it because I know what I lack in my current education and I know what I am looking for. I want to learn. I want to be pushed to my limits and strive for something I never imagined I could reach.

—Fang-hua, a student applying to transfer for Fall 2012 (excerpted from her blog with permission)

I showed Lan my essay and she told me exactly what I needed to do to improve it. She gave me feedback on the overall essay and also made detailed suggestions: where to add more information, what kinds of details to add, and what parts to change or delete. She gave me useful examples to look at as I edited my essay and she suggested how I could make the conclusion better. It was especially great to get help on how to explain why I wanted to transfer to make the essay specific to my situation and the school I wanted to transfer to.

The best thing about the one-on-one help was the support and encouragement I got throughout the entire process. Applying to transfer isn’t easy! Sometimes, I felt like it would be easier to just stay where I was, but Lan kept me motivated. Thank you! I couldn’t have done it without your help!

—A successful transfer student now at NYU that used our one-on-one services (we keep all one-on-one consultations strictly confidential)

When I first sent Chris the email saying I was interested in his one-on-one service, I had my doubts; there are so many so-called helpers and institutions in the college application process whose chief conern are money and will drag on the process without any meaning. It turned out that I could not have been more wrong.

Chris’s responses were prompt and effective. He showed me the strengths and the weaknesses of my essays and made suggestions on how I could improve it. He truly wanted to help. His guidance on how I should make the essay about myself really helped me improve my essay. As I corresponded with Chris and made changes according to his suggestions, I realized how difficult the transfer process is. I could not have done it without the one-on-one help. Chris’s experience in the transfer process and his constant support make his one-on-one service the best help out there for transfer applicants. I would recommend it to any transfer applicant.

—Jay, an international transfer applicant that successfully transferred to the Wharton School of Business at UPenn

Taking the transfer process on for the second time, I thought I was more prepared than most, but I soon realized that I was wrong. Luckily, I stumbled upon this gem! I received one-on-one help from Lan. The time spent speaking with her was phenomenal. Her advice was straightforward and easy to understand, and her criticisms were constructive. She showed me how to take seemingly trivial background information and use it to distinguish myself in my essays. The transfer process is hard, so it was helpful to speak to someone who has experience and examples to draw from.

—Cynthia, a transfer applicant

If it was not for Chris, I would never have written an essay that I am so proud to show everyone.

Transferring schools is stressful and not easy. But I am glad that I worked with Chris. He is not someone who just corrects your essay then disappears. If you need help, he will stick around and give you the assist you need. I sent Chris dozens of questions and he answered all of them with great detail.

He is very honest with his corrections, that is the best part. If your response is good, he will shout “amazing,” if not, he will show you exactly what need to improve. I strongly recommend Chris to any transfer applicant out there.

—Duc Nguyen, a transfer applicant

Lan is really great! She was always encouraging and supportive, and the feedback on my essays was incredible. I usually got email replies from her just in a few hours, and she was very devoted to helping me to make those deadlines. I would not have gotten into my dream school without her help!

—A transfer applicant that successfully transferred to a top university (we keep all one-on-one consultations strictly confidential)