Chance a semi-desperate international student stuck in Texas

<p>I am an international student at a school in the states right now and I've just gotten done with my first semester and am strongly considering transferring since I am having trouble living in the middle of nowhere even though it is a quite nice small liberal arts college.
I am a com/theater major but would be willing to drop theater if I could transfer to a larger city, preferably northeast or California.</p>

<p>I am a non native english speaker, and completed a dual language program in my native tongue and German (I speak three languages fluently), so the transition into English has been a challenge, and my grades have suffered a bit in the States (as did my SAT's way back when), but I have always been very strong academically and I expect to improve my GPA radically next semester.</p>

<p>HS
SAT 1150
Native GPA is stellar compared to national average. Finishing top 3 in class and receiving highest grades given graduating year in many classes. High school was ranked top 5 in Nation.
Went to nationals with football and basketball team in High School and raised more than 6000 dollars to fight illiteracy in Russia as charity chair.</p>

<p>College, I overdid it a little on the EC's first semester
GPA 3.26 (Two A's, B, and a C)
EC's at current school
Fraternity
Environmental group (we are marching on Capitol Hill in Feb.)
Tutor middle school kids a couple of hours a week.
Student Congress
Academic Affairs Council</p>

<p>My main problem at my current school is that the student body is not intellectually engaged enough outside of class (possibly because of our geographic location being located in the South) and I miss theater, museums and cultural activity in general.</p>

<p>I really wanted to go Columbia or NYU but am afraid that my the C in my GPA has screwed me over (along with my SAT scores). Boston, Chicago, LA, San Francisco are also attractive to me but what schools would I have a realistic shot at getting in at?</p>

<p>What school do you go to presently? How many credits did you take in the fall semester? Can you produce a letter of recommendation from one of your professors at the current school? Your ECs look pretty good at the moment. Does you school have Global Awareness program or the Global Partners program? If it has one i suggest you enroll in it for the spring semester. These are some of the strongest ECs you can obtain on campus being an international student. Did you obtain any major related experience while at the school? Trust me, it matters a lot in case of transfers, especially if you are considering good transfer schools.</p>

<p>I am at Southwestern University a little outside Austin Welcome to Southwestern University and should be able to produce two excellent letters of recommendation.
The school does not have a global awareness program (that I know of), we are only two international students (and I am sure that is the largest amount the school has had in a while).
I have not obtained any major related experiences for communications studies (there is not a lot going on in Georgetown,TX) really, other than for theatre, where I have been with able to follow the rehearsals of a production while being home in Denmark.
Also I am not in need of financial aid, which is another fact that I have been told is important since I won a big scholarship from Europe.</p>

<p>I am trying to start a socially conscious film festival on campus, but whether it will happen or not is a good question, because students do not seem to be supportive of each other's projects. I have already persuaded one of the philosophy professors to give a lecture along with one of the films that he has a book coming out about.
Well I as a communications major I also started a blog, which has been doing decently, and has had about 4000 views in a little more than a month.
There I have been working a lot on marketing it etc. trying to make something that people would actually read. I guess that counts as communications-related in a way?</p>

<p>Get out of TX, ASAP! Los Angeles would be ideal, in addition to New York. To be honest, Columbia is definately out of the question, and possibly NYU. In California, you might find luck at LMU, it is a relatively small school, but it is located in Los Angeles. The school is close to other major universities and you will have the opportunity to meet other students from all over the world. I would offer USC, but is will be difficult to gain admission. I'll look up some other options and get back with you later. Good luck, it is not going to get any better in TX.</p>

<p>Is money an issue? Schools to look at: USF, Manhattanville, some of the CA CSU schools like SDSU.</p>

<p>I'm wondering if the problem is related to location or just you being moved to a different environment from what you are used to?</p>

<p>Georgetown, Texas may seem like a long ways from anywhere, but in reality you are only 25 miles from Austin--a city well-known for having an active college environment and thriving industrial base (home to the University of Texas at Austin). My guess is you come from a really large city and you don't have any way to get to Austin easily--which is what is causing your discomfiture. </p>

<p>It sounds like you are doing what you can to be active with the theatre group at Southwestern and with other activities at the school--so it doesn't sound like you are just lonely--but rather just out of your "element".</p>

<p>There are lots of colleges in other cities that you can transfer to (although improving your GPA up to 3.4 or more would really make this easier). Neither Columbia or NYU will take you with a SAT of 1150, however--or with a college GPA of only 3.26, so plan on applying to different schools--or be willing to wait awhile while the grades improve (and you retake and improve the SAT score also--which you should probably do no matter where you apply).</p>

<p>As already mentioned, LMU (Loyola Marymount) is an option in Los Angeles--as is Chapman, Occidental, or possibly even Pepperdine. In Boston, consider Northeastern, Boston University (not to be confused with Boston College), Babson, or the University of Massachusetts--Boston. In the San Francisco Bay Area, consider the University of San Francisco, San Francisco State, San Jose State, or Santa Clara University. In San Diego, consider San Diego State or the University of San Diego. In Santa Cruz, California, consider the University of California at Santa Cruz, which has a great Shakespeare Festival every year in the summertime. </p>

<p>In other parts of the Northeast (besides Boston), consider American University in Washington, D.C. or the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Providence University in Rhode Island or Hunter College in New York City.</p>

<p>Good luck wherever you end up--and I hope you enjoy yourself wherever you go.</p>