Can't believe I'm actually doing this...

Transfer Students
1

<p>I looked over this site a bit while going through the application process my first time (last year as I was applying to be a freshman). I find myself in a situation now in which I don't know what to do: I need to transfer away from this school (GW), but to where? I want to stay in an urban area (not so much DC's), but I want a good school that is going to have good departments in the humanities.</p>

<p>Even though I am reluctant to post my details, I need help with brainstorming some colleges that would be good for transferring. I am especially interested in a Comparative Literature major (which isn't offered at very many colleges), but I have interests in general Literature (English), foreign languages, Theatre, Anthropology, and Film. After looking at statistics, I'm very worried about the less than 1% acceptance rates at places I'm looking at!</p>

<p>My statistics:
COLLEGE
--Freshman at GW, first semester GPA 3.9 (took 15 credits in a variety of classes to fulfill early distribution requirements), intended major in Dramatic Literature
--Heavily involved in a student theatre group on campus (five productions in just the first semester, in artistic, acting, and production roles), also the Theatre critic for the student newspaper (a sharp drop in the number of activities I did in high school--I don't know how that will look)
--No strong relationship with any professors or TAs, although one professor said he would be happy to write a reccommendation (not sure if it would be an enlightening reccommendation, but I have expressed an interest in his classes--basically I was bored to tears with most of my classes and never felt very engaged academically, which is why I'm transferring)
--I will be taking an upper-level course next semester in Dramatic Literature and plan to develop a relationship with this professor</p>

<p>HIGH SCHOOL:
--3.8 final UW GPA (demanding course load in the humanities, but general courses in science and mathematics)
--Very strong relationships with teachers and coaches
--Heavily involved in extracurriculars (Theatre, Speech captain, started a literary magazine and creative writing group, more and more...)
--NOT in the top ten percent of my class (my school was crazy)
--TESTS: APs (4s and 5s on a everything--even though I'm pretty sure this means little to transferring), SAT I (1200 overall, 610v 590m; undocumented testing disorder, so I feel like I can't really use this as an excuse--even though it's fairly obvious that my tests are outlying statistics), ACT (29 overall)</p>

<p>FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS (it's kind of a lot...):
--George Washington University (accepted, attending)
--University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Honors (accepted)
--Boston University (accepted, but to the General College, not where I applied)
--American University (accepted)
--Sarah Lawrence College (accepted)
--Macalester College (waitlisted, later accepted)
--Reed College (waitlisted, took myself off of waitlist once I decided on GW)
--NYU (denied)
--Columbia University, Columbia College (denied)</p>

<p>CURRENTLY LOOKING AT (RE-)APPLYING TO:
--Macalester College
--Carleton College
--University of Minnesota TC, Honors
(I'm from MN originally, if you couldn't tell)
--Reed College
--Brown? University of Chicago? Where else? Somewhere more in-between?</p>

<p>Sorry about the length of this (I'm fairly verbose, and very in-depth in anything I do). Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance.</p>

2

<p>GW seems to have good connections with other schools; I am not sure if this will help your case specifically, but I know a student from GW who was admitted as a sophomore transfer into both Rice and that school up the street you all love to hate.</p>

3

<p>i'm applying to GW, not my top choice but applying...was the only reason you werent happy there that you found the academics too easy? could you explain a little bit more about why you're interested in transferring?</p>

4

<p>It took me a good three minutes to figure out what you meant by "that school up the street." I was like, What school is up the street from Rice? I guess that's why I'm at GW rather than Georgetown...</p>

<p>Kidding, I didn't apply, and I have no desire to go there.</p>

<p>What do you mean by "good connections"? Just that historically people transfer well out of GW and into other schools? Any familiar paths I should be taking advantage of?</p>

5

<p>I personally don't like Macalester.</p>

6

<p>with a 3.9 GPA you have a good shot at top 30 universities across the board.</p>

<p>you'll see even more success if you wait to accumulate at least 30 credits before applying as a transfer student.</p>

7

<p>When did you attend? What didn't you like? I have a friend who transferred out of there this year, but I don't know if I can trust her opinion. If it's something scathing, I would suggest private messaging or emailing me (you never know who's watching), if personal preference, let me know why.</p>

<p>Do you have other suggestions for someplace I should be looking at? I'm not really looking for Ivies (it's unrealistic, I think, and I don't really have interest in that), but somewhere else you know of (that is the point of my post, anyway...)?</p>

8

<p>A friend of mine is a senior there. Both him and his gf, who already graduated have a problem landing job interviews and complain about the name recognition. They said that outside MN people ask them if the school is in Canada. Also, it is ridiculously small- like a 1000 people. I personally got the impression that it is all a joke. However, it could be that I am biassed and try to stay away from the liberal arts colleges.
I don't know which schools would be good for you, but just look at the schools between 10 and 30 on USNews. You can also try Wisconsin, I am positive that they will accept you. NYU will take you too, I think. It is easier as a transfer.</p>

9

<p>Why dont you apply to UW-Madison? You'd have reciprocity, you could do honors in whatever major "dramatic lit" falls under, and it'd be a different atmosphere from GW</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
What do you mean by "good connections"? Just that historically people transfer well out of GW and into other schools? Any familiar paths I should be taking advantage of?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I am not sure that there is any specific methodology. Just work hard, get good recs, submit good applications, and you have a good chance nearly anywhere.</p>

11

<p>Sorry, I need to "bump" this post because I didn't exactly get enough answers related to my actual question.</p>

<p>Again, I'm asking for ideas of places to apply to, and projected chances at the places I listed. </p>

<p>I'm adding UMich to the list, but I'm a bit worried about the social climate there.</p>

<p>Any more help anyone could provide would be appreciated!</p>

12

<p>well it really depends on what you like, WHY didn't you like GW. What is it missing. If you can give us that than we can try giving you schools that might have what GW lacks.</p>

<p>NYU? University of Chicago? De Paul?</p>

13

<p>For me, GW lacks an academic atmosphere that is engaging, encouraging, and challenging. I want to work hard, but not to the point that I will shut down (if that makes sense).</p>

<p>Urban LACs would be preferable, but I also would like the broad offerings of a larger university. I'm willing to spend money on my education, but only if the academic atmosphere is worthwhile. Prestige is a factor (as I want to enter academia after I graduate), but it's not the most important thing. I sound sort of wishy-washy, but I need to keep an open mind.</p>

14

<p>Umich seems like a good solid match for you. It is also very strong in the humanities. What worries you about the social climate in ann arbor? I'd be happy to respond to any questions or concerns you have (I transferred there this fall).</p>

15

<p>Wow, I’m in a remarkably similar situation. I’m also a GW freshman who wants to transfer. More and more I feel as though I settled on GW, I only applied to 3 schools , partially because I wasn’t comfortable finding another teacher to ask for a recommendation. I’m kind of that quiet kid, and I never really had much interaction outside of class with most teachers in the past. After my first semester of classes, I’m fairly disappointed overall with GW, nothing I hated, but nothing amazing either. I really didn’t connect with any TA or teachers, which makes finding a recommendation quite hard. I managed to get a 4.0 my first semester, however I’m unsure whether I want to go through the trouble of transferring. If I did, I would want it to be somewhere closer to home, (Iowa), and possibly a little more prestigious, currently I’m looking into business as my major, but that is also subject to change. Do anyone have any ideas that would, be a little more challenging, with a more college-esque atmosphere? Here’s some other stats:
High School: GPA= 4.2ish
Rank= 31/352 (really competitive public school)
Sat= 1430 (710V 720M)
Sat 2= 620 Writing
730 Math 1C
Took almost all higher level classes, in high school we didn’t really have honors classes, (just a couple advanced level) but took around 10 AP’s did well on the tests (3+).</p>

<p>E.C. Various music stuff, in both college and high school, some volunteer service, ect..., overall average nothing special.</p>

16

<p>I have decided to apply to UMichigan, Macalester, and the University of Minnesota (Honors). I will post my acceptances and rejections when I get them, as I think it really helps when everyone does this (setting up a kind of informal database that does more than just state GPAs and SAT scores).</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone else, and thanks for the advice.</p>

17

<p>"martinibluex wrote: A friend of mine is a senior there. Both him and his gf, who already graduated have a problem landing job interviews and complain about the name recognition. They said that outside MN people ask them if the school is in Canada. Also, it is ridiculously small- like a 1000 people. I personally got the impression that it is all a joke. However, it could be that I am biassed and try to stay away from the liberal arts colleges.
I don't know which schools would be good for you, but just look at the schools between 10 and 30 on USNews. You can also try Wisconsin, I am positive that they will accept you. NYU will take you too, I think. It is easier as a transfer."</p>

<p>Wow, you apparently don't have your info straight, and your friend hasn't been doing the things he should have to get a job. No one that I graduated with had trouble getting jobs/into med/law/grad school that tried. Mac is an excellent urban LAC with a lot of character. Perhaps before you slam a school, you should perhaps have something to back it up. </p>

<p>FYI:
From the school's website:</p>

<p>Awards and Honors</p>

<pre><code>* In the past 10 years, Macalester students have received: 4 Rhodes Scholarships, 27 Fulbrights, 1 Foreign Government Grant, 25 National Science Foundation Fellowships, 9 Truman Scholarships, 8 Watson Fellowships, 2 Mellon Fellowships and 2 Goldwater Scholarships.
* Macalester ranks 15th among liberal arts colleges for Fulbright scholars in 2005-2006.
* In 2005, 26 Macalester faculty were awarded federal and foundation grants totaling $1.2 million. In that year, the National Science Foundation funded 5 of 7 proposals Macalester faculty submitted.
</code></pre>

<p>90 percent of Macalester alumni who apply to medical school (with a 3.6 GPA) are admitted.</p>

<p>About 60 percent earn advanced degrees within 5 years of graduation.
Macalester ranks 23rd among all liberal arts colleges in number of alumni who earned a doctorate between 1990 and 1999. </p>

<h1>First-year student applications:</h1>

<p>4,317 applied; 44% admitted; 491 enrolled</p>

<h1>The middle 50% of SAT scores for entering students: 640 to 750 verbal and 630 to 710 math; ACT scores: 28 to 32</h1>

<h1>High-school class rank for entering students: 65% in top 10% of class; 94% in top quarter</h1>

<h1>National Merit Scholars in entering class: 47</h1>

<h1>Average class size: 17</h1>

<h1>Courses offered: over 700</h1>

<h1>Number of faculty: 151 full-time, 72 part-time</h1>

<h1>U.S. and international faculty of color: 18%</h1>

<h1>Women faculty members: 48%</h1>

<h1>Full-time faculty with doctorate or highest degree in field: 92%</h1>

<h1>Student-faculty ratio: 11 to 1</h1>

18

<p>I highly recommend adding UNC-CH. They look very kindly upon high-gpa transfers and you will get in. They eliminate their out of state quota for transfers, so its much easier than first year admissions. Its a great school that is strong in all the areas you like, with an incredible social scene to boot.</p>

<p>Also, tuition is aout $10-15K cheaper when compared to out of state at other schools and at privates.</p>

19

<p>MACman, I had a disclaimer. Read at "However, ...".</p>