Brown Transfer Chances?

<p>Hi, guys! I’m a CCC student who wants to attempt transfer this semester even though I know the chances of getting in are incredibly slim. I’m also thinking about applying to Columbia, Cornell, UPenn, Barnard, and Middlebury.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>English major, but interested in getting a double major
Female, half-Asian and half-Caucasian
My biological dad died when I was two, but he had a PhD in finance from Chapel Hill, was a college professor, and was in the navy.
High School: an online private school (will be explained below)
No rank in high school… didn’t offer one
High school GPA: 4.0 unweighted. Some honors classes (about half were honors, but no AP… mom wouldn’t let me)</p>

<p>SAT (November): 1940 (600 math, 640 critical reading, 700 writing… not great, but I’m retaking and my last practice score was 2050)
Stupidly took two SAT subject tests with about two weeks of preparation… 590 in literature and 630 in world history.</p>

<p>Have32 units completed in college. 17.5 of them came from when I was still in high school. 4.0 GPA in college.</p>

<p>Excellent professor recommendations. I’ve already locked one up with a professor who I’ve taken two classes with and worked with for a research conference and I’m still waiting for a response by my other professor who calls me one of her best students (but she’s pregnant so I have been having trouble getting a hold of her).</p>

<p>Other things:
In the college Honors Program and Psi Beta. I also just sent in my application to Phi Theta Kappa</p>

<p>Peer mentor (worked there since last semester for at least 2-3 hours a week). I have volunteered for a few other things, but nothing spectacular. Maybe about 100 hours total.</p>

<p>I was the English Club secretary last semester, but I’m now the Vice President. Also won second in college’s writing contest</p>

<p>Participated in the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (and am now a published author that way). Was accepted to HTCC, another research conference (but this time for only honors students)</p>

<p>Wrote five novels in my spare time (But so far, I’ve only won Editor’s Choice Award and won a top academic essay award on Teenink). Also won Script Frenzy three times and National Novel Writing Month twice. Was top 20% in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Plan to do it again this year. Co-wrote an article in the fall edition of the college’s newsletter</p>

<p>National American Miss state and national finalist (won fourth runner-up in talent in the state competition, won another award in the state level, and first runner-up in academic achievement nationally)</p>

<p>Classes I’ve taken in college:
WR 1
WR 2 (the hardest writing class)
Intro to Psyc
Intro to Humanities
Humanities 3 (this is the class that I repeated with the professor)
Theatre Appreciation
Creative Writing
Brit Lit 1
Sociology for Sex and Gender</p>

<p>I’m taking these classes this semester:
Honors Theatre Appreciation
Honors Women in US History
Brit Lit 2
Psych 10 (a statistics class)
Geology for Natural Disasters
Dance Rehearsal class (I’m auditioning for this)</p>

<p>And here’s the part I wanted to explain earlier: I was a competitive figure skater for 12 years. I lived in Lake Arrowhead to train competively, but when I stopped skating last November, the school I was supposed to go to didn’t accept me because I didn’t have enough classes. So instead I went to a CCC and finished my high school credits there and graduated on time by doing 9 classes in my senior year. However, I passed the highest level of moves in the field, second highest level in free skating, and placed top 15 in my final year in skating at regionals in junior (the second highest level). I’ve also competed at regionals four times and won or placed in many regional competitions (including Golden West, California Championships, Glacier Falls, etc).</p>

<p>What do you guys think? I realize that my low SAT score will drag me down, as will the fact that I need financial aid. But do you think I might stand a chance at <em>any</em> of the schools? And if I keep this up, would it be possible to transfer next year?</p>

<p>If you’re attempting to transfer as a sophomore (which is what it seems…) then your chances even with a 4.0 are slim. One semester of freshmen grades does not mitigate 4 years of high school work. So basically adcoms at all the top schools to which you are applying with still question your high schools grades, ec’s, standardized test scores, etc. </p>

<p>My advice would be to keep working hard as a freshmen fulfilling both EC’s that are related to your major and keeping your GPA higher than a 3.8. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to study for the SAT over your breaks and retake them in the next year or two. As a junior transfer with a higher SAT score and similar GPA, I would say you would be competitive especially with your strong EC’s.</p>