Any chance of transferring to a top tier school with a GED?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I currently have a 4.0 college GPA and my standardized test scores, while not stellar, generally fall within the middle 50% range of such schools (30 ACT, ~2050 SAT). However I was wondering if having a GED in lieu of a high school diploma puts me at a significant disadvantage or makes me a less competitive applicant. The most competitive schools I'm looking at are Brown, Amherst, Cornell, and Georgetown. I will be applying for junior standing.</p>

<p>So am I worrying for no reason? Will schools see me as unique in comparison to their usual applicants? Or will my application have a much shorter trip to the reject pile? I'd love to see if anybody has any evidence, whether it be anecdotal or empirical.</p>

2

<p>If you’ve taken generally more than 30 college credits then schools don’t put so much weight on your high school performance. In this case since you have a 4.0 I wouldn’t worry however all 4 of the schools you listed are competitive regardless of having a high gpa so keep that in mind.</p>

3

<p>I hope so, being as I’ll have 60 or so credits after this semester. I just fear that since they are such competitive institutions that there will still be a decent weight placed upon my interesting HS stats.</p>

4

<p>Anybody have any experience with a situation like this?</p>

5

<p>I also have a GED and am hoping to transfer to a higher-tier school. I have been told by admissions people at NYU that it shouldn’t have any bearing, if that is reassuring at all. I think it’s important to show that a) you got a GED for a good reason (I was very ill) and b) you have shown, through your 4.0 GPA that you can definitely handle the work assigned at an elite collegiate level. Honestly, I would just focus on getting good rec’s, writing a good essay, etc because you really can’t change the fact that you have a GED at this point. But I’d be interested to hear another opinion.</p>

6

<p>Thanks; that’s reassuring because I’m applying to NYU as well. Mine was also for medical reasons, which I intend to explain in an essay.</p>

7

<p>bump for any more input</p>

8

<p>anyone else?</p>

9

<p>Amherst, Brown, and Cornell are what people generally call top tier. They are top schools. Your best bet is to apply to schools that do not require junior transfers to submit high school record. However, all top schools ask you to submit everything.</p>

<p>There is really no way to know how much of a negative factor your GED will be. The problem with GED is that school have no basis to evaluate your performance in high school in relation to your peers. But if you come from a good school, such as Cal or UCLA or UMich or UVA, and your coursework was rigorous, your GED will have minimal impact.</p>

10

<p>Your scores are on the low end for an unhooked candidate at the ivies and Amherst and you don’t say what level of college the 4.0 is from. </p>

<p>Colleges do want diversity though, if you have a good story and tell it well, it’s possible.</p>

11

<p>The 4.0 is from community college - I hope that doesn’t further disqualify me :(</p>

<p>Also, what about not applying for financial aid at Brown and (I think) Georgetown who are need-aware for transfers? Could that be a significant factor? I’m also taking another crack at the SATs this month and will hopefully improve in that category.</p>

12

<p>And for schools that are score optional (Amherst and Cornell) should I submit those to at least show that I’m in their middle 50%? Or are they too far at the low end?</p>

13

<p>Any other input at all? The approaching due date is making me so anxious.</p>