I’m a US citizen and currently a first year studying International Relations and Economics at the University of St Andrews. I’ve decided that St Andrews is just too small for me, the weather is too much to bear in the winter/spring, and I belong at a city school. I also miss the US dearly and I hate having to go 4 months without seeing my family or friends.
I have no idea what my GPA is, considering the grading system here is completely different and we haven’t even gotten our final first semester grades yet. If I had to guess I’d say I have about a 3.0-3.2, keeping in mind that St Andrews is an extremely competitive school, academically.
My HS unweighted GPA was a 3.75 uw and a 4.1 w with an SAT score of 2000. I took like 8 APs and was reasonably involved, had a job, etc.
I’m currently applying to UW-Seattle, UMD, and UT Austin for sure. I’m looking to apply to 2 other reasonably affordable, reputable, city schools.
Are my chances of getting into those 3 reasonable? Are there any other great schools I may be missing?
Univ Illinois - Chicago (right in the heart of downtown)
CUNY
Georgia Tech
Pitt
Univ of Houston
UT Dallas
CU Denver
Most of the California UCs (UCLA, UCSD, etc) - however these are tough for out of state students
@sgopal2 I applied to most of the UCs as a freshman and got into UCSD + UCSB, but when I called, they said that they only take transfers entering their third year. If they accepted first year transfers, trust me, that’s where I’d be going.
Those are all things that you should have been aware of before deciding to enroll. You may also want to change your major. International relations is not a field for a home body.
Visiting somewhere and deciding to enroll and actually living somewhere for an extended period of time are two very different things. It’s not my fault that I’m unhappy, because there’s no way I would’ve gotten the true feel of the university just from visiting. No one does.
I’m not a home body at all and all. I’ve travelled a lot for long periods of time and have been perfectly okay. I want to do a career in law, so studying political science and/or IR is very interesting to me.
You didn’t answered my question at all and I don’t know why you thought I needed any kind of commentary on what I’m studying. Obviously, there are many, many things wrong with the university ITSELF to make me want to leave so badly. It’s not just because I’m a “homebody”. I just turned 18 years old, so obviously my friends and family are a huge part of my life.
@auntbea I’m a PA resident, but I’ve visited the schools and decided none of them were for me. Also, money really isn’t my issue. All I want to know is whether or not the schools I listed seem realistic.
Well, I don’t think the UC’s will work since they really aren’t unaffordable and, as an OOS transfer you would need a minimum of a 3.4 GPA as a transfer for the UC’s. Texas also has some great schools.
Have your tried using the super match tool or any of the links on the left?
Your decision to go to college in Scotland was not like a decision to go to an out of state flagship that you only visited once. Are you certain that what you are planning now will make you comfortable? You made a major leap a few months ago that did not turn out well in virtually every respect.
In another post you mention that you got accepted to Georgetown last year- would you consider talking to them? City location, really great for IR, they have they already accepted you once, and they are might even have more familiarity with St As (in a good way) than some of the big state uni admissions offices.
@auntbea I can’t transfer to the UCs as an incoming second year anyway, so that won’t be a problem. I have used college match tools and the closest, most frequent matches, other than the UCs, have been UW-Seattle, UT Austin, and UMD. The main question I had in posting this was whether it would seem reasonable that I would get in. Also, GPA-wise, I talked to a few admissions counselors at the schools and they said that they’ll most likely calibrate my GPA, since St Andrews is very similar to “Brown, Tufts, and Emory” and I would be viewed different than a CC student.
@TomSrOfBoston The only reason I posted this was because I’m wondering if random people might think that I could get into the 3 schools I mentioned. That’s all. My situation is very complicated and you don’t know enough about it to question my current decisions. I don’t regret anything, but I just simply feel that I would get more out of a large, American city school.
@collegemom3717 I did get accepted to Georgetown, but I didn’t go/can’t transfer there because I can’t afford it financially and they gave me 0 financial aid. That’s why I’m looking at UMaryland. It’s a reputable, affordable school 25 minuted from DC and they have a pretty good government/politics/IR program. I really was just wondering if random, unbiased people might think I would have a good chance of getting in.
Is money a concern or not? ie., is UMD’s OOS COA your budget?
Yes, your odds of getting in are very good and it’s probably your best choices for the reasons you listed. In addition, apply to the Honors College, see if you can “transfer in”.
For UT, you may get in but not get your major.
@MYOS1634 Money is a concern, but my cap is around $50k so not really. Yes, I talked to my parents and they sad UMD is within my budget. Thanks for your help!
I know it’s been awhile on this thread, but I wanted to throw University of Richmond into the mix–check out its International Relations’ major options and ranking. Plus, each student gets an allotted amount of money every year to study abroad. Just FYI. Good luck!
