<p>Hi - I'm just beginning the transfer process and I'd love some advice.
My high school grades were not great (3.6 gpa/ 1310 SAT) but I attended James Madision U. w/ a 3.98 G.P.A and I'm at community college now w/ an A average. Do they take off points for having attended more than one college? </p>
<p>My background is kind of unusual: I went to JMU one semester, then studied art abroad in Italy and took a year off to work as an illustrator. Now I'm at community college for a year. I'm also a professional artist who shows my paintings in galleries.<br>
I really want to transfer to a great liberal arts school w/ a good art program . NYU? Brown? RICE? UVA? Cornell? Am I being unrealistic?
How much do special talents help?
Thank you!</p>
<p>No, you're not being unrealistic, but you should also have some backup schools. You're in the running for all of the schools you've listed, but all of them are extremely competitive to transfer into. No one seems to know how much "special talents help," but it seems clear enough that they do, if you have the numbers. How much these factors are weighed undoubtedly varies significantly from one school to the next, and probably from one year to the next. You're behooved to cast a wide net and to fill out solid applications with supplements. Good luck.</p>
<p>I know that the University of Chicago really takes into account special talents. You may want to look into them.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I looked into Chicago and I'd love to go there. The only problem (besides it being impossible to get in to) is that I want to apply for the spring 2007 and they don't accept spring applicants...<br>
Spring application is another thing I'm worried will hurt me. Do any colleges have decent spring acceptance rates?</p>