Because the transfer applications is so similar in appearance to the standard freshman application, students looking to change schools are inclined to say, "I’ll just use the same essay I used for my undergraduate application."

To do so is a big mistake. Consider the transfer essay question on the Common Application:

"Please reflect on your reasons for considering a transfer. Why are you transferring? Why was your most recent college not a good fit? What do you know now that you didn’t know during your first college search process?"

Your answer to this question is an invitation to show how mature, thoughtful, and focused you’ve become since you sent off your first batch of applications back in high school.

When you go to write this essay, as with the Supplement Essay response, be sure to do your homework. What specifically are you seeking in your new school’s curriculum that is lacking at the school from which you want to transfer? E-mail students, even the chairman of the department into which you hope to major, and ask detailed questions about your new school’s program. Be sure to visit your new prospective school, even if you did so during your original college quest.

That way, your all-important transfer essay will painlessly pave the way for the successful change you are about to make.