<p>Whether you got rejected or not a community college for a year or two is a great way to get your generals out of the way. The classes tend to be less expensive and personal experience more applicable to everyday life.</p>
<p>My D transferred from George Washington to Wake Forest after the first semester of her freshman year. She had been waitlisted at Wake and really felt she belonged there. After being admitted mid freshman year(1 of 7 kids who transferred) she was wishing she was back at GW! I think it is more difficult socially than people realize.</p>
<p>I agree with you. For some reason many at community college seem more serious about learning and want to help others. I don't know if that was your D's experience.</p>
<p>@ tickleme, I don't think your HS GPA matters that much when transferring. Your SAT scores and your current college GPA are the main 2 factors. Im guessing you meant college gpa anyways.</p>
<p>^^ HS GPA does matter in order for the admissions to see an upward trend and that you can still improve. SAT scores probably do matter when you apply to big-time transfer schools like Cornell, UCs. and Brown where the application isn't evaluated as holistically as at smaller schools and LACs.</p>
<p>So you think it is better to have a 3.2 HS GPA and a 3.9 GPA in college rather than a 3.7 in HS and a 3.8 in college? I beg to differ.</p>
<p>If you are going from hs straight to college than it probably is very important what the gpa is. If you are going transfering from a college or technical school than I do not think the hs gpa matters.</p>
<p>Most top 30 schools still weigh in your HS stats pretty heavily, you can't change four years of poor performance(aka 2.0-3.0) with a 4.0 first semester in college. However, you can make up four years of above average performance (3.5-3.7) with one great semester in college.</p>
<p>@ kapeesh, yes. I agree. When transferring to a different college, SAT's and current college gpa matter, not so much the hs gpa.
And ramennoodles is 100% correct.</p>
<p>To skx46: Some programs at Case are extremely difficult from my understanding. I would think you have a decent shot at all of them, even UVA. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the support!</p>
<p>tarheelbound and douzerw: Yeah UVA and Clemson are reaches. I think I have some sort of chance at both since Case is considered to be a world-renown institution. I'm hoping that VT and Mason consider that as well. My old high school coach who's a VT alum is sending his rec for me to Tech. My film professor and adviser at Case is also sending recs to all of my colleges. </p>
<p>rms01: Oh god yes it's difficult. I slacked off a lot in high school and got a 3.2. At Case, I'm working my ass off right now and pulling a 3.2. Thanks!</p>
<p>Thirty years ago I barely graduated from high school (with a D- average). Ten years later I graduated from MIT. </p>
<p>After working dead end jobs beyond high school, I returned to school attending community colleges. By studying every night till midnight and learning all the material I should have learned in high school, I convinced MIT I was worthy of transferring in.</p>
<p>I'm a firm believer in community colleges. They're a great place to start for anyone serious about investing in their future.</p>
<p>When a 4-year college sees a young 20-something giving up everything (weekly paycheck and accompanying lifestyle) to work as hard as they can and excel in a community college, they will definitely look seriously at you.</p>
<p>^ wow, that's really impressive and interesting. Was it worth it, and what do you do now, if you don't mind me asking? Was it MIT you were always aiming for?</p>
<p>I wasn't aiming for MIT at all.
Around May (end of the school year) at the community college, I began to think about transferring to a more challenging 4-year college. </p>
<p>Looking back, it didn't matter that I went to MIT as much as it mattered that I went to a challenging 4-year college. The harder a college challenges you, the easier time you'll have solving hard problems when you enter the work force. </p>
<p>Community colleges can be a great stepping stone for those who need it.</p>
<p>I was waitlisted at Vanderbilt in high school and transferred there sucessfully over a year and a half ago. It was worth the wait!
Mal :)</p>
<p>Was rejected from Harvard, Brown and Duke out of high school. Got into Duke, Dartmouth, and Brown as a transfer and WL at H.</p>
<p>TransferMal, </p>
<p>Vandy is my top choice transfer school. </p>
<p>How competitive do you think a 3.1-3.2 HS GPA/ 1240 SAT from a good private school, and a 3.41 GPA from Sewanee: University of the South be for sophomore transfer admissions? In addition, a very strong rec from my adviser who is a Vandy Ph.D and former Vandy political science professor. </p>
<p>EC: Middle School Tutor during fall semester in College
Sewanee Baseball (D3 Athletics) and a bunch of ECs from HS such as student government, President of Community Service-oriented Club, Tri-Varsity Athlete </p>
<p>Anyway, how hard was it to adjust socially as a transfer at Vandy? Glad you seem to like it though</p>
<p>i think it's more likely if you wait till your second year in college to transfer</p>
<p>Was waitlisted to Syracuse's Newhouse in high school, but I was accepted as a first year-transfer. It definitely can happen!!</p>
<p>Yes, it happened to me.</p>
<p>I was a so-so h/s 3.0 student and after leaving h/s went on to work full-time for 4 years. In my last job I made a *****load of money and I said to myself, now what? So I went back to school p/t at the local community college, and took 2 easy classes (art). I got A's in both classes and then decided that it was a good time to go back to college f/t.</p>
<p>So I went back to college (regular state university) as an "older" student at age 22 and I lived in an apartment with 3 other freshmen! </p>
<p>Since I was older and more serious I was much better disciplined than my roommates. After my first semester--6 classes--I had a 4.0. I have to confess, my ACT scores weren't that great, an average of 26. But I had become good friends with 2 of my professors (professors LOVE older students) and they said they would write me letters of recommendation for whatever I wanted, they could see that I was motivated. </p>
<p>So I applied to an Ivy Leage and was accepted as a transfer student. It also helped--a great deal--that I had done a few phenomenal things in my past (treasure diving for a living; working in the Congo for 9 months; learning an ancient language while spending 18 months in the Andes as a translator) that made me stand out in a crowd of applicants.</p>
<p>Not only that, but I received numerous scholarships and grants because I filled a niche that many other students couldn't fill (older student, single, woman).</p>
<p>Although I didn't graduate from the Ivy anywhere near the top of my class (I'm the first to admit, I'm not brilliant) it didn't matter, it was an incredible experience for me and it was a transformational time in my life. </p>
<p>So I say: go for it!</p>