<p>So as a senior looking at CC, I really want to make the most out of my CC experience and transfer to a good school. I was looking at top ranked schools, such as UChicago, Cornell, NYU, UCLA, and etc. I was wondering what I'll need OTHER than a good GPA to transfer? My HS GPA isn't that good (3.5W), but I had a heavy courseload and really good extracurriculars. 1290/1920 SAT (1310/1940 superscored). Do the top ranked schools look at my HS record, and if so, how much of a difference will it make? Will I still have a chance at these kind of schools?</p>
<p>Yeah! Same question here!</p>
<p>You should read the sticky on transfer admissions 101 at the top of this thread.</p>
<p>I have. I guess I was looking for a more in depth insight from someone who has transferred/is transferring as well as their experiences.</p>
<p>Your chances depend on a lot of things.</p>
<p>How well can you write? How good are your ECs? How strong was your HS schedule? Which school within Cornell are you applying to?</p>
<p>Top ranked schools in particular will carefully evaluate your HS record. If you weren't even competitive as a HS student, I don't think your chances are good.</p>
<p>If you're looking for anecdotal evidence, I guess I can help you there. :) In HS, I had a 2160 SAT, 4.0 GPA, leadership positions, all that jazz. But there was one glaring error in my transcript -- I didn't take Pre-Calculus. My guidance counselor mistakenly told me that since I was going to be a theatre major, it wasn't really necessary (maybe if I was just applying to the state schools who had to accept me anyway, but I wasn't). I used my first year of college at an unranked school to take Pre-Cal and get an A to make up for it. The schools I'm transferring into are top 40 LACs, so they're not going to offer me any credit for a course as lowly as precal, but I don't think they would've let me in the first time around without it.</p>
<p>Does that make sense? Use that year to make up for any deficiencies you had in HS. Get a 4.0 at CC, there's no reason you can't.</p>
<p>I guess I can write pretty well, but I'm definitely not the best. I took Honors English last year, but am not enrolled in AP English this year as a senior. My entire HS courseload consisted of 5 AP's and 3 Honors. It doesn't seem like a lot, but my school doesn't offer that many AP's/Honors. The 3 Honors classes I took were the only ones offered. </p>
<p>Hmm, I guess you could say my extracurriculars are pretty above average. I worked two jobs, tutored, played an instrument for 8 years winning scholarships, a national award, and an international award. I was in a sport for 2 years, but had to quit due to work ): 100+ hrs of community service, church leadership positions, music camps/masterclasses, National Honor Society, etc.</p>
<p>I'm actually not sure what I'll be applying as. I would like a double major in music, but I'm still not sure what the other major would be. Perhaps business?</p>
<p>First of all, a 3.5 is NOT that low. There are stories from people here (including myself with >2.5s that went on to bigger and better after high school). </p>
<p>Secondly, common knowledge suggests that the more time you do at a CC or any other university, the less your HS transcript will matter. If you try transfering after only one semester, your HS grades will play a huge part. After a year, they'll still place some weight on them, but more on college. After two years/four semesters they probably won't matter at all, some colleges won't even ask for your HS transcripts at that point. </p>
<p>NYU and UCLA take a lot of their transfer applicants from CCs, so I don't think you'll have any trouble at either of those schools. I hear U. Chicago has some bias against Community Colleges, and Ivys are usually tough transfers regardless of where you went. </p>
<p>Your major will make a lot of difference too. If you apply to NYU Stern or Cornell as a business major, you'll be up against quite a few very strong applicants. NYU Stern is way, way, way more selective than NYU CAS. Also, you should think hard about what you want to do in college and why you want to do it. Most colleges want transfer applicants with a strong sense of direction.</p>