Canadian girl wanting to transfer into the NYU or BU~ CDN % VS US GPA

Transfer Students
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<p>I'm a canadian sophomore (from UBC) trying to transfer into a US private university (NYU or BU) for spring/fall 2010. On the websites, it says that most successful applicants achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher.. my school works on percentage.. and an 80 is an A-.. what is a 3.5? </p>

<p>Do admissions officers translate my percentage into a GPA? or do they just look at the letter grade? </p>

<p>I currently have a B- Average~ took really hard courses and the class average was around a C/C-. Do admissions officers look at the class average compared to your own? Because just looking at the numbers on my report card, the marks seems to be quite low. However, when u compare it to other people in my grade, it is considered above average and high. </p>

<p>Should i give up wanting to transfer to NYU/BU for spring 2010 and apply for fall? Can you send interim marks to the admissions office? (since NOV 1 is the deadline for spring 2010, the marks for 1st semester won't be in) </p>

<p>Would strong recommendations and ECs and personal essays help my seemingly poor grades? (prof recommendations, work recommendations (worked at a law office, investment banking office), taught english in china) </p>

<p>i also have a cousin studying in BU, and a brother that graduated fro Stern (NYU).. does that count as legacy? haha</p>

<p>I'm a commuter, and i really want to live the "university experience" </p>

<p>please help =)</p>

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<p>If you don’t mind me asking: why would you want to transfer from a school in Canada to the U.S. where tuition prices are sky-high? I have quite a few friends who turned down schools such as NYU to go to school in Canada where tuition is lower.</p>

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<p>I’d say at NYU a 3.5 is roughly an A-/B+ average. They count +/- marks into their GPA, so that’s annoying. If you think your marks look low, maybe you can write about how challenging your classes were in your application. When I applied to NYU as a freshman, I felt like the recommendations were kind of useless, but it makes sense that they would value recs more highly for transfers. They would definitely want to see what you’ve done since you’ve been in college, and how well you’re surviving at school. </p>

<p>And… if you’re looking for the “university experience” as a transfer student, I wouldn’t really look at NYU. Especially if you’re looking to be a commuter. Most upperclassmen live in apartment-style housing or off campus, so it takes some effort to meet people. The fraternities and sororities also have a very minor presence on campus, so if you’re looking for the type of “university experience” that puts you at frat parties every weekend, that’s not really the NYU scene. </p>

<p>Keep in mind everything I just said pertains only to NYU. I know absolutely nothing about BU. Good luck!</p>