Advice on Transferring from CC

Transfer Students
1

Sorry about the generic discussion title, but truthfully, I do not now how to clarify what I’m seeking.

I am in my fifth semester of CC, I applied to transfer out of CC last semester, of course, but when faced with the cost of four year institution, I decided against transferring once again. (I was wait-listed at Swarthmore, accepted to NYU, rejected from Cornell, Colgate and Stanford.)

Now, I’m looking into transferring once more and would like to seek advice. College recommendations, advice on how to improve my application, what I should and shouldn’t mention, it is all welcome. I invite constructive criticism, since I honestly have little idea where to go from here.

I took a year off between HS and CC, so my HS stats are largely irrelevant; except for: 3.0+ GPA, four AP courses (Bio, Lang, Lit, Euro - excluding Bio, Lang and Lit were 4’s, Euro was a 3), a 31 super-scored ACT, Track and Field, four-year class representative, some volunteer work and online buy and sell. I took the year to gather myself together and travel. Japan, France, U.K., etc on the budget of whatever I got as a ‘Congrats, you’re a high school graduate!’ and the money I made doing my e-commerce out of hostels, family and friend’s houses. I did a fair amount of work, attended presentations and conferences, did familial field work, took care of family matters, and a slew of miscellaneous things.

Here are my CC stats:

GPA: 4.0
Classes: Three credits in English and History, five in Sociology, two in Sciences, three related to Business
Major: Sociology, with interest in English, History and Business
EC’s+:

  • Dean’s List
  • Debate Team Captain, annually Best Speaker (in-college)
  • Farm and Market Volunteer: Manual labor M-F 4-6am, 5-7pm; Sales Sat. 4am-12pm. I also do miscellaneous jobs including baking, restocking and more manual labor.
  • E-Commerce: I’m a “solopreneur” - I do the basic buy-and-sell, importing items from Japan to the U.S. I manage the business myself to pay for life expenses, it is not a big income. I also do local fairs.
  • Virtual Assistant: Write, organize and schedule blog posts, media updates, emails, and newsletters; research; promotion; and managing finances and traffic.
  • Mentor/Consultant: Mentoring in e-commerce, work-life balance and communications; consultation in administrative tasks and presentation; primarily geared at students. Signed up for this on a website, and I really enjoy helping to guide students to get their life in order when I couldn’t. Learning from my mistakes to help prevent history from repeating!
  • Assist Swimmer: I assist disabled peoples, including service men and women, to surf and swim. Certified CPR, lifeguard and first aid. I work with adults as well as children, particularly those with Autism.
  • Graphics and Code: I’m self-taught in using photoshop and various coding; with it I create creative content for fun, websites, I make public tutorials for free use. I put this into action for my businesses, but also my run-of-the-mill blogs. Additionally, I put a lot of it to use in my research. After data collection, data organization into statistical outputs is important for my quantitative research.
  • Conference Presenter: I have presented at my annual Sociology Conference since 2014 and have conducted my own independent and unique research at each. I won the Best Undergraduate Paper Award in 2015. I am seeking to expand this to the ASA conference, and I have applied to a few others in different fields. Due to expenses, however, I have not accepted my place. This year, as well, I am doing an independent study on an international subculture that I will present on.

Additional Info:

A lot of my EC’s are at-home and independent because of family obligations. I’m responsible for my older brother, who works late due to his record. I take him to work on the weekends (1pm) and pick him up from work daily (11pm to 1am). The drive is an hour long. Additionally, I have obligations to my sister’s children. My nephew is Autistic, and I provide transport as well as help him with schoolwork in the afternoons on weekday’s. Additionally, because the rest of the household is fully-employed whereas I only have a “stay at home job”, household responsibilities fall to me. I take care of all responsibilities except mowing the lawn and toilets. The work that I’ve created for myself was the only work I could handle whilst maintaining what I already do. How do I include this information, though?

Forgot to include aid! As I said, I work in order to provide for myself - computer, fun, gas, etc. So I don’t have much saved. I go to CC without paying anything because we are just that poor, my mother is an assistant clerk at a Middle School. So, I am really looking for schools that are affordable. (This is why NYU was immediately disqualified last year.) I’m not picky, I chose these schools because they’re attractive. I just want out-of-state and as affordable as it can be without giving up quality or diversity.

Interested Schools:

  • Amherst
  • Cornell (ILR) - Completing my Macroecon and Stats courses next semester
  • Swarthmore
  • University of Chicago
  • Four UC’s: Berkeley, Santa Cruz, LA, and San Diego
  • UH
  • Columbia (GS) - Not Attached

The main issue with my proposed and easy transfer (UH) is that the Sociology program isn’t note-worthy and I worry about the implications of that going into Graduate School. Law School is another option, as I have always wanted to pursue being a lawyer and still do. Chicago is the best for my major, but a reach. I did fall in love with littler schools during the last application cycle. Probably due to the similarities considering my little roots.

I am also applying to scholarships, I have started my JKC application but, frankly, I don’t know if I should submit it. I don’t feel as though I stand out enough to earn it and I’ll be wasting my time. If you have scholarship suggestions, I’d love to hear. I’m applying mainly locally. As an aside: I am mixed race, of Native Hawaiian descent and have been involved with the community.

I know my chances are largely slim, feel free to “rate” them if you like or bluntly tell me what to take off my list. I love Cornell’s ILR program, but have been rejected twice before (applied in HS on the “off-chance”, then again last semester without fulfilling the prerequisites). Anyway, share your stories, tips and advice - anything is appreciated! I’m really trying to “get my head in the game” but still feel like a moose trying to tread seawater.

Thank you, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2

UH = Hawaii, and you are a Hawaii resident, correct?

If you want to find out what kind of financial aid each school may offer, try the net price calculator on each school’s web site. Do not expect the UCs to be affordable as an out-of-state student with financial need, except maybe if you get the Regents’ scholarship at UCB or UCLA (which would be a super-reach).

Hawaii does seem to have a substantial number of sociology courses available:
http://www.catalog.hawaii.edu/courses/departments/soc.htm
https://www.sis.hawaii.edu/uhdad/avail.classes?i=MAN&t=201610&s=SOC

Of course, each school’s offerings may indicate a stronger or weaker focus on particular subareas, so course listings and faculty rosters can help you determine if the subarea emphases match your interests.

3

@ucbalumnus Yes, Hawaii!

I’m being pushed by my counselor to look at the UC’s, despite NYU being less expensive for me than a UC with OOS tuition by about $12k… I will remove those, it’ll be a waste of an application fee.

Their course selection is good, the issue arises because I know the department and its professors already. The ones who took their undergrad there have told me they consider it “not the best,” and have recommended other schools. That didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Social Inequality, Gender and Law and Business are my focuses, though. I am very reluctant to stay at UH, though.

4

With a 4.0 GPA, you could try for UCB (and maybe UCLA), as long as you know that you are aiming for the super-reach Regents’ scholarship, not just admission. At UCB (and maybe UCLA), this scholarship means that they will give a financial aid package that covers all costs above your FAFSA EFC, including the out-of-state additional tuition. For UCSD, the Regents’ scholarship does not cover the out-of-state additional tuition, and UCSC’s Regents’ scholarship is just a relatively small fixed amount. If you do want to apply to any UCs, the deadline is in just a few days.

Seems like the problem you are facing is that many of the best financial aid schools are highly selective, and admit few transfers. Generally, the more transfer friendly tend to be public schools (with usually poor aid for out-of-state students), though some private schools with decent aid like USC admit significant numbers of transfers. You may also want to look into large-enough merit scholarships at the public schools (particularly less selective ones like Arizona), though be warned that merit scholarships for transfers are typically far less plentiful than for frosh.

Within UH sociology, there may be variation in the depth and rigor to which specific instructors or courses go. If you go to UH sociology, you may want to look into where the greater depth and rigor within the department are.

5

@ucbalumnus All right! Sounds like UCB is my best shot, then. We can definitely do loans if it comes to it, but it has to be worth it. I know UCB will be, but I’ll pass on the other two in that case. I have my application completed, just need to submit. Might as well try and hope.

Yes, that is the issue, making a list of “schools that won’t bury me in debt” is also the list of “schools that are high reaches.” I read up on USC, it sounds like a solid choice for my major so I’ve added it to my list. My counselor thinks I should add Penn, Boston College, Georgetown, Vassar, Wellesley, Michigan and Tulane, as well. I’ll look into Arizona and similar schools, thank you!

Hm, yes, I can see that. If I pursue sociology at UH, I’m going to seek out course assistance with the professors I know. At the least, I will be able to continue independent research there.

6

I would say that UCB would be worth it to you if you get the Regents’ scholarship, but not otherwise – the amount of loans you would need to take would be too much without the Regents’ scholarship (particularly since your major and post-graduation plans are not that high paying). If UCLA’s Regents’ scholarship covers the additional out-of-state tuition, it may be worth adding to your UC application, again aiming for the scholarship, not just admission.

7

@ucbalumnus I’ll keep that in mind!

I’ll be the first to admit my post-graduation plans are unreliable! My major is simply convenient. It’s what I’m the most qualified for, after all. I’d prefer an International Relations/Business major, or Political Science, even Philosophy or History. But I can’t make the commute or the times or it’s online. I don’t know if an additional year to transfer in as a Sophomore into a better major would be worth it, either.

Sorry for the vent, my counselor is wonderful a wonderful person, but her investment in assisting me with this is lacking to anybody’s eye.

8

How much do you like sociology, and how much more would you prefer the other majors? If you are considering going on to PhD study, it would really be best to do so in a subject that you are interested in.

On the other hand, law school does not require any specific major, though there are some suggestions on undergraduate courses and majors at http://lawschoolnumbers.com/application-prep/making-undergraduate-courses-count-for-law-school and http://lawschoolnumbers.com/application-prep/choosing-your-major-for-prelaw .

9

@ucbalumnus

Thanks for the input once again! My apologies for the late response - Thanksgiving is the worst offender besides Christmas for making me busy. And I’ve been working on my UC application.

I am not considering going onto PhD study, and certainly not immediately after Undergraduate study. If I sought higher education - after a period of work - it would be between Law School and Business School. (It does seem as though Sociology makes the cute for Top 20 majors that get in! Nice.)

Anyway, to answer the question: I do enjoy Sociology, I think what we study is interesting - but it is also “obvious.” It’s an easy major, for me. I enjoy Political Science by leaps and bounds, and Philosophy has always been more challenging and thus, more interesting.