<p>Hi! I’m currently a high school junior so I know It’s SUPER early to start worrying about this, but anyhow:</p>
<p>At the risk of sounding vain, I’m actually bright. I’ve been a MENSA member since I was a child, mature beyond my years, and a very strong writer. With that said, I’m a huge underachiever. I didn’t even plan on going to college my freshman and sophomore year, and I didn’t study at all. Junior year is going better, but my ADD is still getting the better of be at times. </p>
<p>So, I just started looking into college and realized how fabulous Brown sounds. It’s not the prestige that I care about so much, but more the fact that it has a really cool, liberal environment with intelligent, driven students. </p>
<p>I did well on my PSATs and plan to get within the 2000+ range on the real thing.
My final GPA will be around a 3.1-3.2 at a rigorous public school (one of the top in the state.)
I have taken 3 honors classes and 4 APs.
My Ecs are really impressive- some good leadership and activities that highlight my interests. </p>
<p>I’m planning on applying to Lewis and Clark College and some other higher up LACs. Let’s say, theoretically, I get a great GPA.</p>
<p>What is the chance I could transfer into any of these schools for my sophomore year:
1.) Brown (slim chance, I know. But a girl has to dream, right?)
2.) Northwestern
3.) U Chicago
4.) Amherst
5.) Cornell
6.) Columbia
7.) Vassar
8.) Barnard
9.) UPenn
10.) Rice</p>
<p>Please omit any preachy or critical messages. Thank you kindly.</p>
<p>Okay so I’m gonna try to not sound “preachy” or “critical” but as a high school junior you have 4 years (if you’re gonna apply as a junior transfer) until you have to start worrying about transferring. Honestly, I remember I was once a high school junior and I knew by my downward trend in grades and relatively poor ACT score (32) that my chances at a top school were very low. </p>
<p>Now my “dream” school was Brown when I was 13, and now as a sophomore at NYU I’m applying there, but the transfer rates for all the schools you mentioned are so low that it would be both petulant and naive to think about transferring “up” as a sophomore in college let alone a high school junior. </p>
<p>I think you need to relax and try your best to get good grades this semester and next semester so that you can put your best foot forward for freshmen admissions. And who knows, maybe you will like the college you’ll eventually matriculate into and won’t worry about transferring! What I do know is that if you matriculate into a college knowing that you want to transfer, you’re destined to have a bad time both socially and (probably) academically. </p>
<p>I wanted to go to Brown really badly, and it hurt a lot that as a junior in high school I knew Brown was a far reach, but keep your chin up! I have a 3.9 at NYU and I’ve made lifelong friends here. While it would be great to follow my past dreams and transfer into Brown as a junior, I wouldn’t be heartbroken if I had to spend two more years in NYC. (But don’t tell Brown’s admission committee!)</p>
<p>I have no idea about transfers, and I understand that you have a dream and don’t want people to criticize it.</p>
<p>However, I’d encourage you to think more about places you’d be excited to attend for college, rather than places you’ll spend a few years at before applying for transfer. There are a lot of schools that are similar to Brown in many ways, especially since you’re looking for a “cool, liberal environment with intelligent, driven students.”</p>
<p>Just be sure to think more about where you begin college, especially at this time in your life. If Brown’s a place you want to be, consider applying now, even if you don’t think you’ll get in. I know some students who got in with averages similar to yours. Just make sure you’ll be happy where you end up.</p>