I’m currently a freshman at George Mason and I have a few questions about transferring to UVA for junior and senior year;
Does the university you are transferring from hold any weight during the admission process (silly question but I really don't know much about transferring)
I'm currently double majoring in math and comp sci. Is a double major going to hurt my chances of getting accepted? I ask because I read somewhere that the main goal of accepting transfer students is to get them to graduate within the standard 4 years. Currently I can graduate in 4 years at my current university, but I'm not so sure if the same amount of credit requirements are present at UVA. Would it be better to just transfer as a single major?
Go on their website, there is a program where you can type in your school and classes and it will bounce back what the equivalent transfer classes are. It is not written in stone though, my son had a class that didn’t come up because his last school had changed the course number. They will work with you. Also see if you have the liberal arts core classes. This will help you figure out if the majority of your classes will transfer. They did accept some AP credits and others that were 4’s and not 5 were carried over as elective credits.
For your major you are better off staying where you are. You just started college and need to prove that you are able to do well in the classes you have taken. Both majors you are studying are excellent at GMU.
Hey I actually transferred from mason to UVA last year, after my first year. So I would say the school you transfer from doesn’t directly matter, though often times the college you transfer from is reflective of how you did in high school which they do look at albeit not nearly as intensely as for first year admission, especially if you want to transfer after your second year. As for your second question, you actually apply for a college, not directly into a major typically. So for example I applied for the College of Arts and Sciences, and as soon as I finish some requirements, I can declare economics as my major. Though I believe for application purposes you only apply for one major(college), and you’ll have to add the second major once you’re a student. Double majoring at UVA actually isn’t that hard, in fact I think I heard many people go to UVA specifically because they have the ability to double major easier than at other comparable universities, though I may be wrong in that aspect. I actually lost some AP credits from transferring, but nothing crazy, and all my classes from mason ended up having at least some sort of direct application for my UVA credits so don’t stress there, but I’d still check to be sure. Best of luck! If you have any other questions about the transfer process fell free to hmu, as I was in your shoes just last year.
Ps. I would def recommend transferring after one year if you can, many people think two years is the only way to do it, but I was able to transfer after one, and honestly all it took was one very good semester, and good mid-term grades second semester. I had like a 3.3 in hs so if I can do it I feel like it’s really not that difficult.
P.S.S. If you end up posting later on about your chances, which is something I know I did, I would take everyone’s responses with a grain of salt. When I put in my stats, some told me I had an okay chance, others said I didn’t have a shot-- no one really knows so don’t be afraid to submit the application and see what happens!
The school you transfer from doesn’t matter because UVA takes students that transfer from community college. The school you currently attend is not a reflection necessary of how you did in high school as GMU has students that have done very well academically but chose the school because it was an affordable option for them or they received scholarships. For many students affordability is a key factor in choosing a college. For students that commute to GMU they are saving on room and board which they would have had to pay had they attended UVA or some other school. By commuting to GMU they were able to pursue internships in the area while attending college since Northern Virginia is known for the number of tech companies in the area. Academically the computer science program at GMU is very challenging and a lot of the local companies recruit computer science students for internships and fulltime positions. I know a TJ graduate that attended GMU and is now completing their Masters/Phd from Berkeley.
The success of a student depends on their capabilities and how hard they are willing to work.
Prove yourself as an academically strong student first and then decide if you want to transfer.
If at that point you have done well then I would also consider Virginia Tech for computer science that is if you are able to get accepted into their very competitive program.