Average Student... Above Average Ambition

Transfer Students
1

<p>So, here's the deal. I never got outstanding grades in high school. Had about a 3.5-3.6 gpa. I was an incredibly hard worker and studied harder than most of my friends, but for some reason I could never get my grades to reflect that. I was ridiculously involved in high school, and even outside of school. I founded my own music magazine and organized many local concerts for charity. I graduated as a junior and was going to go to art school in Chicago. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how unrealistic that idea was until it was too late. So I applied to University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee, and got a 3.0 there. I, again, worked extremely hard for that 3.0. Since then I've transferred to a community college in Madison with the intent of getting into the University of Wisconsin here. I tried applying to UW-Madison last semester but was rejected. It's been really hard on my confidence. I believe I'm an incredibly bright, intellectual person, with much drive... why can't these schools see that?
I'm only 18 and I'm starting up my own record label. I'm very driven, and want to be a part of a school that shares that. I ideally would like to go to NYU, UPenn, UC-Berkeley, Columbia, etc... but if I can't even get into my own state school, those schools seem like a lost cause.</p>

<p>Can anyone else empathize with this inner struggle? Why are these universities so close-minded when it comes to admissions? How can I prove to them I wouldn't let them down?</p>

<p>I'm feeling rather lost and I don't know where to go. I've been filling out college applications since I was 10 years old. I've been fixated on going to an Ivy League school since childhood and now I'm going to a community college and have absolutely no chance with my dream schools.</p>

2

<p>Wow..I don't know what to say. You seem like a hardworker, but your grades, I suppose don't really stand out. Good news: CC is usually easier, so you could boost your GPA and then reapply to UW Madison. The main problem here is that you have the opposite of what all transfers are expected to have...an upward trend. Going from a 3.5-3.6 to a 3.0 looks really..really..bad.</p>

3

<p>I'm almost in the same situation...except my high school GPA had nothing but a HUGE downhill trend. I was rejected as a first year transfer to Johns Hopkins. I have huge ambitions too. I hate the community college I'm in. There's not much to talk about with the other students, seeing as how they're completely different than me. It sucks. But I have huge ambitions. I'm trying to get into Johns Hopkins (again), GWU, William and Mary, and a few more. My high school GPA was around a 2.7</p>

4

<p>Hey nika, don't get so down on yourself. If you really are hardworking and intelligent, sooner or later, that will show. The problem with colleges, GPAs, SATs and all that stuff is they are such shallow tools to dissect what a person is really like. I'm going through a similar thing, last year I got rejected from UCLA, USC, and UCB and I'm planning and reapplying as a transfer. I truly believe that the residue of hard work is luck. Remember that the name of a college shouldn't define who you are.</p>

<p>OK, now I feel like I'm some cornball teacher giving a pep talk. I think I'll go watch a couple episodes of Jackass to get back in the right frame of mind. =)</p>

5

<p>if you have large ambitions and willing to work for it, you will get rewarded in the real world</p>

6

<p>MMoral, I feel the same way. I take my academics very seriously, and the kids at this community college I attend are so obviously the opposite. They tease me for taking notes and asking questions. I'm not offended by them, I'm just offended that I'm not allowed to be a apart of the learning environment that truly suits me. Oh, bureaucracy! I've been lost in the shuffle!</p>

7

<p>You may want to drop by UW Madison and talk to a professor in the field which you are interested in to enlist some support to overcome bureaucracy at the admission office.</p>

8

<p>You sound like a truly winning student and applicant, so let's try and figure this out.</p>

<p>First question: what do you mean you have been filling out college applications since you were 10 years old? Maybe that was a figure of speech, but if not, I'd like to hear more as it may give a clue.</p>

<p>Some thoughts: </p>

<p>it is possible that you do not come through in your applications, especially at schools which are numbers-drive in their admissions process. Seems to me you will have the best chance of success at schools which are more holistic in their review process. Is UW an all-about-the numbers admissions game?</p>

<p>how do you think your essays worked? for your type of profile, I think the essays are key.</p>

<p>what about your recs? do you know how they came across? Again, for your type of application, it seems to me that the recommendations are part of the admissions committee really seeing what you have to offer.</p>

<p>With you, I think it may be all about fit. Let's hear your thoughts on what schools will fit you - your interests, your stats, your potential. Naybe it's not the schools you've listed and maybe that's the problem. Tell us how you chose them, what you want to major in (if you're decided), whether the music scene is what you are all about and whether that came through in your previous apps, and why you think the listed schools have the atmosphere you want. If we hear more thoughts on all of this, we might help you improve your apps, your targeted list of schools or both.</p>

<p>You should succeed, no doubt about it. It comes through here, so you can make it come through on your apps.</p>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

9

<p>Thank you so much for all your support!
I will respond to all of the great questions I was asked.
First of all, I started applying to colleges when I was so young because I was so awfully obsessed with the idea of higher education. I never sent in the applications, of course, but even back then my education was important to me (I think the first school I was gung-ho about was Juilliard.)</p>

<p>I'm currently trying to pursue my degree in International Business, which I am very passionate about. I've looked at Business Week's undergrad rankings millions of times, and that's what has got me down. All of the schools listed are very elite, which is wonderful, but my statistics simply don't match up against the other applicants. Though it may help that I was an entrepreneur by middle school.</p>

<p>I'm a sophomore now, and if I don't find a school soon I don't know what I'm going to do. I want to apply to good schools: Fordham, University of Chicago (total, total reach, but they do interviews and that's what is giving me hope), UW-Madison, U of Minnesota, and I would say Columbia, UPenn, NYU, UC-Berkeley, but that's where I lose my hope. I want to be a part of a big school, in a big city, where I can accomplish big things with the education I receive. It's simple, you know? You'd think more universities would be able to understand.</p>

<p>I am working 100 times harder than I ever thought I could at this community college (and probably 200 times harder than everyone else at that place.) I just can't accept that I'm not good enough. I'm sure everyone else can empathize. What do these hottie tottie schools need that I can't provide? Statistics, I guess.</p>

<p>Thank you again! Your help means so much!</p>

10

<p>so do you think you can get an impressive gpa at the cc?</p>

11

<p>most definitely, and i won't settle for anything less than a 4.0.</p>

12

<p>nika</p>

<p>it is incredibly tough to constantly be told "you're not good enough" when you know you are. first off remember that grades, SATs, GRAs measure little of what is important: there is no academic test in the world that meausres resilience, honesty, competence, leadership, creativity, humor and a million other things you need to succeed in life. do not be bound by other people's narrow meausres. the more you succumb to other people's measures the smaller your own sense of self-worth will be. yes, you must be realistic about your grades and such, but never be bound by them as a final measure of who you are and especially, of what you can achieve. </p>

<p>you can help yourself a lot, i think, by establishing yourself within a community of like-minded folks WITHOUT the school. find the people who you want to be with. those smart, industrious, creative, intellecutaly curious and creative types are as common outside schools as they are within them--maybe even more so. when i was in college i remeber that there was a guy who was a hanger-on nearby. he never enrolled in the U, but hung out with its students as well as various community groups that appealed to him. he had his s**t together, however, and is now a leader in his field, and nationally recognized. he was not bound by the school's opinion of him. something similar can happen to you as well. </p>

<p>maybe you can move to a different community to achieve this. people like you end up in new york, boston, chicago, san francisco all the time because they are smart, adventursome, ambitious, and want to make thier mark in the wider world, depsite what some school says. </p>

<p>so please, keep your eye on the prize--what YOU want to achieve. college is only a means to an end, not an end in itself. your life is not college. concentrate on what you want from life and find the people who will help you do that. if a top college turns out to be part of that, fine. but it may be a job, a music gig, travel, or something you cannot yet imagine happening. you sound like person who makes things happen. so keep going, don't look back, and wait for the world to catch up with you.</p>

13

<p>I'm sorry to hear that Nika. The college I attend is filled with some of the most immature people ever...and since it's a community college, nearly everyone there knows eachother, so the social cliques have been developed long before college.</p>

<p>It's weird, because I'm the only person who worries about NOT getting an A. Most people just want to pass and get there degree. I'm actually trying to get into the best undergrad/grad schools I can get myself into. </p>

<p>And it's not even that. The problem is, it's VERY, VERY, VERY hard to find someone who can hold a decent, intellectual conversation! Most people just worry about partying, and their Hollister psuado prep look. </p>

<p>The funny thing is, sometimes I feel awkward/insecure about asking questions because it makes me feel like I'll get made fun of. IDK, it's just not the place for me. And when my psychology professor got to know me she stressed me applying to Brown. I told her that it's impossible, and she told me that her sister and her sister's son both went there (her brother went to U-Penn, and she went to another big name university so she knows what it takes to get in). She told me that I am one of the brightest and most interesting students she's ever met. So, though I'll apply there, I'm not exactly holding any high hopes on getting in. So, yea...</p>

<p>Thanks though!</p>

14

<p>Hang in there, Nika! I'm in the exact situation that you're in-- in a community college and wanting ever so badly to get out. I, too, had a 3.5 in high school, and worked my butt off. I ended up attending the University of Mary Washington, but I didn't like it there, plus my GPA was suffering tremendously (I ended up with a 2.13 after a year), so I transferred to my local cc for the time being. I am slowly working my way back to a 3.5 (I have a 4.0 so far at the cc), and I want to go a few of the schools that you're thinking of, namely UC Berkeley or NYU, and I know that I have to bring up my GPA a lot in order to have a shot of getting in. UC Berkeley's average transfer GPA is about a 3.7, NYU 3.6, and UCLA 3.55 (for English majors, which is the category that I belong in.) </p>

<p>The people here at sort of cliquish too, although they are more likely to be independent; there are a lot of working class people at our cc. All I can say to you is not to let anyone bring you down. You should really consider Fordham; I've heard great things about it. I'm not too much into its religious affiliation, but nevertheless, it's supposed to foster a great learning environment. Also, consider BU. I'm not certain, but I think their average transfer GPA is pretty reasonable for people who are in the same situation as you are.</p>

<p>If you can emphasize your intellectual capacity in your essay, go for it by all means. NYU has a section on its admission form that relates to personal character, so that would probably help you immensely. Another way you can emphasize your intellectual strengths is by joining a few clubs at your cc,--phi beta kappa always helps--even though there is likely to be not too many. I got a job working as a copy editor/reporter for the school paper, for instance. I get a few bucks on the side, it's great for resumes, and college admissions people look favorably upon it. Try finding an organization where you can take any sort of position, even if it's small. Since you're into music, see if there's a choir or orchestra that you can join. If you're worried about your grades though, then try something lighter, like joining a political club/organization or an academic interest club if available.</p>

<p>Whatever it is that sells you as a person who is committed to wanting a quality education, do it. If your cc offers honors classes, take a few of those. Not too many people take those, at least at my cc, so I think taking them is going to give me an advantage in the transfer pool, and that would probably apply to you as well. Fostering a relationship with a teacher always helps, and of course, if you really want to prove your worth, talk to the dean, and establish something with him/her. With that, may hope spring eternal for you, and best of luck.</p>