A Hopeful Chance?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi. I've made the decision to attempt to matriculate to another University from SUNY Stony Brook. My reasons mainly comprise of a desire to burgeon in a more academically stimulating atmosphere, as I feel relatively unchallenged in my current place of study and am seeking an environment that will offer such an opportunity. I don't feel that my present student body is exactly the most driven of students, and while I acknowledge such a breed is pandemic, the general atmosphere doesn't seem to hold what I'm looking for - a place where I'm not only challenged by the academic system, but by my peers. </p>

<p>Some relevant numbers:</p>

<p>HS GPA: 94.2 UW.
14 AP Courses taken; I took most of the tests, with a balance between 3s and 4s, with dominance towards the 4, and a few peppered 5s. Most of these credits were accepted at my current university.</p>

<p>HS Extracurricular activities spanned the list: Heavy involvement in Model United Nations, participation in Honor Societies, Orchestra (Chamber, etc), Varsity sport, a few others of relative note but nothing earth-shattering.</p>

<p>SATs: 700 M, 680 CR, 670 W (1380;2050) I don't really remember my II's, but they weren't anything ground-breaking. </p>

<p>College Information:</p>

<p>Currently a Rising Sophmore at SUNY Stony Brook pursuing a Pre-Medical career with a double major in Biochemistry and Political Science. </p>

<p>GPA-to-date: 3.90 [~3.7/4.0/4.0)(47 Credits completed; not counting AP credits)
EC's: Involvement in campus newspaper, member of several on-campus Honor Societies that provide opportunities for service in the local areas; I maintain a healthy connection with my high school's activities, often going back to coordinate MUN activities; I am also involved in a Research Position in Pathology (300+ Hours) </p>

<p>I'm predominately interested in the: University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, University of Virginia, Northwestern University, Cornell University (CALS), and Georgetown University (College). I also have an interest in: New York University, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. </p>

<p>I would greatly appreciate any and all input, and welcome all questions. Thanks in advance, ladies and gents'.</p>

2

<p>haha so many people from stony brook are popping up on this thread! i get to go to cornell from stony next semester and i’m SO happy to be leaving. i hate stony brook so much, ugh >:(</p>

<p>i think you have a very good shot at all of the schools you listed, with cornell, northwestern, and jhu being the most difficult to get in. you have great stats though, so with solid essays i would say you have a good shot. since you’re pre-med, your essays will have to both explain why you want to major in your prospective major and why you want to do medicine. for cornell, you can’t double major if you’re in CALS. </p>

<p>you should also know that stony takes forever to process things, so give yourself a solid 2 or 3 weeks (a month being ideal) to get all the forms to the right places. the official’s report will need to be filled out by 3 offices (your advisor, undergrad academic affairs, and registrar) so that will take time.</p>

3

<p>Thanks, ironicallyunsure! If you don’t mind me asking, what were your numbers like? Just to get a feel of how a fellow SB-er is faring at transferring. And as for the double major, I’d likely drop PoliSci wherever I went and take it for a minor where possible - it’s more of a personal fancy than anything of substance. </p>

<p>Any other comments would be greatly appreciated.</p>

4

<p>Hi, NYU transfer here. </p>

<p>Your major will have a big impact. We don’t have a “pre-med” major, and both of your majors (biochemistry and politics) are very competitive for transfer students.</p>

<p>That being said, you have terrific “stats” and you have a great chance for CAS.</p>

<p>The only thing I would advise you about is that NYU is very stingy with financial aid for transfer students, and if you are pre-med, I would rethink NYU unless you’re prepared to pay in full. I’ve never thought NYU was worth it for pre-med students, and neither do my parents, who are both doctors. One of whom works for NYU School of Medicine. </p>

<p>But anyway, I would be VERY surprised if CAS rejected you.</p>

5

<p>i had a 3.49 when i applied with 58 units and now i have a 3.52 with 74 units completed. i applied to human ecology as a human development major.</p>

<p>i can’t stress enough how important the essays are, so make sure those are top-notch. my numbers are low for cornell, but my essays are what got me in.</p>

6

<p>missamericanpie: Thanks for the vote of confidence! I’ve heard much of the same about NYU, and while it’s still an excellent school, that’s one the main deterrents. </p>

<p>ironicallyunsure: Thanks for sharing your stats! I hope you enjoy Cornell this upcoming semester. Might I ask what you’d recommend the essays to focus on? </p>

<p>General question: I’ve been looking through some supplements and crafting responses, though I do have to ask:</p>

<ul>
<li>When discussing reasons to transfer, and focusing on academics, is it prudent to weave in professors that I’d like to take a class from - say Larry Sabat at UVA, or any of his contemporaries at other universities. </li>
<li>Also, I believe it was in the Northwestern supplement that it asks to include the abstracts of relevant independent research experiences: does this include work with your current affiliated school, or is it restricted to truly independent work - such as Intel projects, etc. </li>
</ul>

<p>Thanks, and as always, all comments are more than welcome.</p>

7

<p>for the academic interest essay, they want to hear how exactly you got interested in your prospective major. tell them about an experience you had that made you realize that you want to pursue bio/biochem and then eventually go into medicine. for the commonapp essay, write about why you want to transfer, but make it focus on what you’re looking for in a new school instead of what you don’t like about stony</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the tip - and as a little long-intended bump, would any else be knowledgable about the previously posed questions? Of course, any general comments are appreciated.</p>