American looks great after looking into it a bit. But, would you recommend going there or to a public university (like the ones I mentioned above) if I plan on continuing to grad school at some point? If I were to go to AU, and then still want to continue onto grad school, the amount of money I’d be laying out would be (at least) $20k more after two years. Would it be more cost effective to complete four years at a public university and then look into AU for an MA?
I also appreciate your encouragement. You’re very kind.
Your cc transcript will hold more weight than your hs transcript. The hs transcript may hurt, but don’t assume it will.
(you can always study for the sat and retake it, although I’m not sure it’d be that useful.)
Since you’re a nys resident, you should look at the private colleges there.
American SIS is highly respected.
As I said, Vanderbilt ‘meets need’ for transfers it admits, so that should make it a must-apply even If you should keep expectations in check.
Apply widely. Once you have your acceptances, weigh the pros and cons of places that admitted you and are affordable. Don’t start by crossing out schools that offer good financial aid.
@MYOS1634
With regards to financial aid, do universities send you, along with the acceptance letter(s), offers of aid as well? I’m not exactly sure how that works.
I’ll check out Vanderbilt.
They typically do, or within two weeks. In addition, if it looks like they didn’t evaluate your income properly, you can ask for a review.
Vanderbilt isn’t as known as Georgetown or tufts for IR but it’s a very strong program, with incredible resources at our disposal.
Do you study or speak a foreign language?
I only speak English at the moment. I’m taking Chinese (Mandarin) this semester and plan to continue with it. If I were to do IR, I’d hope to focus on China/East Asia. I had originally looked into Arabic, but the closest university taught MSA and would have cost me $1,000 more for the class.
I’ve looked into Vanderbilt, but they seem to require SATs and HS transcripts, which I really feel will have my application thrown into the shredder.
Also, you guys have really been great. Gave me a bit of a confidence boost. I’m usually hesitant to take any large leaps, but I’ve written a few professors for letters of recommendation and all have already said they would be happy to write them. That was something I thought was going to be much, much more difficult than it was.
Try to join a conversation group in Chinese, too; take classes that focus on that region: Asian religions, Asian Philosophy, Chinese History…(The classes themselves may have different titles, you have to root a bit in the catalog or email the Philosophy and History Dept Chairs to ask for their semester offerings this year). Anything you can add that fulfills a requirement while adding to your list of classes relating to China/East Asia will help your case.
If you really worry about you HS record, retake the SAT (after working through the Khan Academy tests and exercises). It’ll show your HS score reflected your circumstances, not your potential. Even if it dosn’t count for real (probably won’t), it’ll still have a positive effect confirming your upward trend.
Remember that for transfers, the HS records, even when requested, are an afterthought. What colleges need is a proof you will succeed IN COLLEGE. You proved that. Continue to work hard and try your best. Apply widely. 
I feel horrible for continuously bumping my own thread, seeing as how there are others that could probably use some love, but since you mentioned conversational groups - would you recommend finding a private tutor? I’ve been eyeing Italki for one-on-one lessons and they’re only about $15/hour. That seems like something that would be useful alongside my classroom study, since that’s a bit less personal.
Do you recommend any other universities that I should look into while we’re on the subject?