Chance a transfer with poor grades from McGill? (will chance back!)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>@Zilch3: Thank you for the reply. Please don’t feel too badly about not understanding the trauma that follows sexual assault - I didn’t either until I lived it myself, and even then my experience doesn’t define those of the many other men and women who have been through something similar. </p>

<p>I agree that it might be best for me to actually dedicate a significant amount of essay space to my experience. It was the hardest part of the application, to be honest. I wound up writing about my passion in East Asian studies, and how determined I am to continue studying China and Japan, and only spent one paragraph talking about my rape. I’m caught between not wanting my application to appear like a cheap plea for sympathy, and needing adcoms to get a clear picture of exactly what I was going through when I was at McGill. I think you’re absolutely right that, unless I am very clear in the way I talk about my experience, some adcoms will not understand my situation. This is why I chose to apply to so many women’s colleges, as they tend to have a better understanding of rape as a feminist issue.</p>

<p>As for returning to McGill, my parents - who are the primary funding source for my university education - will not hear of it. I have tried on numerous occasions to convince them I would be more than happy to attend, they are very firm on this issue. Furthermore, although I absolutely love McGill and Montreal (god, do I ever miss Montreal and its poutine, great coffee shops, and awesome lifestyle), the colleges I have selected all have an East Asian studies program that focuses on politics, economy, history, and culture, whereas the EAS department at McGill focuses on religion and literature, and continues to be significantly underfunded every year. I used to have long conversations with Prof Furuhata, who is pretty much a rockstar at the McGill EAS dept alongside Adrienne Hurley, about how much she hated the bureaucracy and funding for EAS at McGill. I just wish I were a Poli Sci major! :)</p>

<p>As for the potential for further rejection this coming fall, thank you so much for the concern. I’m absolutely prepared, and even expect, that I will be facing a great deal more rejection. But you know what, life is filled with rejections. I’d better put on my ovaries of steel and just deal with it. :)</p>

<p>Thank you, again, for your input. I really value your comments. If anyone else would care to chance me, or offer their advice (e.g. suggest some match or safety schools, how I should approach my essay, etc.), I would greatly appreciate it! I would be more than happy to chance back in return!</p>

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<p>Bump! Any other chances will be met with a chance back! Please and thank you!</p>

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<p>Had read this a while back. Hope it helps to know that you’re not alone.</p>

<p>[An</a> Account of Sexual Assault at Amherst College | The Amherst Student](<a href=“http://amherststudent.amherst.edu/?q=article/2012/10/17/account-sexual-assault-amherst-college]An”>http://amherststudent.amherst.edu/?q=article/2012/10/17/account-sexual-assault-amherst-college)</p>

<p>If you could explain your story like her, I think adcoms would be able to relate better.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the link! I remember having read about Ms. Epifano’s experience at Amherst a while back. I think you’re right that she truly gets across her story in a relatable way that helps you empathize with her situation. I remember crying the first time I read her essay because it really hit home for me. I’ll be sure to keep her essay in mind when rewriting mine! Thank you again for the suggestion!</p>

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<p>Smith, Mt Holyoke, Vassar, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, GWU, Tufts, BU, UMass Amherst: Match
Wesleyan: High Match/Low Reach
Columbia GS: Mid Reach</p>

<p>I believe that you can use your unique situation to your advantage (provided you can CLEARLY SHOW IT IN AN ESSAY!!!). The GPA would have been a concern to me had it been any other situation (and in fact may have totally ruined your academic career), but your circumstances will easily be able to account for this (once more, provided you can GET IT INTO WORDS!).</p>

<p>Your SAT/ACT score, in this sense, will MAKE or BREAK you. It’s the only “standardized” scale that allows the Unis to know just how well you improved. If you can get a 33/2200+, your chances will be STRONGLY improved into attending all of those schools. Likewise, if you get an 29/1800-, things will be MUCH harder for you to get in. Please, do as much studying as you can for the SAT/ACT as it is very very important for you!</p>

<p>Additionally, good one on you for the language skills! That’s a great way to show that you’re passionate about international relations (which helps you get into the Uni as well as the specific major of your choice). </p>

<p>I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, just leave a post and I’ll do my best to get to it.</p>

<p>Hope I helped!</p>

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<p>@GenApo: Thank you for your input! I agree that my essay needs to be carefully, thoughtfully, and personally crafted in order to be seriously considered for any of these schools. I’ll be spending a great deal of my time from now until the time at which I apply drafting and redrafting my essay to make sure it hits the right notes. The more I reread my current essay, the more I realize that I spent too little space explaining myself, and too much time talking about my passion for East Asia. In the end, the comparative importance and weight of my experience is undervalued.</p>

<p>If it’s possible, I would greatly appreciate if anyone would like to read my current essay, and give me their feedback as to how you think it reads. Any constructive criticism about it would be very much appreciated! Simply PM me or ask me for an email address, and I would be more than happy to send it.</p>

<p>As for SAT/ACT, I would be more than happy to retake them in order to demonstrate my improvement since high school. In fact, though I never took them, I have been told that I would score better on the ACTs than on the SATs - it would be well worth a shot, in my opinion!</p>

<p>Thank you very much, again, for your help! If anyone would be willing to read my transfer essay, suggest safety schools, and chance me to these schools, I would be very grateful! Again, I will chance back!</p>

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<p>Self bump - any other opinions would be very much appreciated, and gladly met with a chance back!</p>

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<p>Not sure if taking the SAT/ACT is a good idea given that your 22 ish now. If you do score well, it wont prove much since you’re older then the average group the test is ment for and you’ve had experience at university. If you score bad since its been so long, that’s even worse. Kind of a lose-lose situation.</p>

<p>It would help if you could get a letter from a prof at mcgill who could mention how passionate you are about East Asian studies. Hard to get I know, but it would go a long long way in helping you. Most of your current choices would turn to admits if you had this since mcgill is quite respected in the States.</p>

<p>Enroll in A CC this Fall and take a full course load. Get a 4.0 or near one before you apply again, that should make your case more then any high school standardized test</p>

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<p>@Zilch3: You bring up an excellent point - the SAT was definitely developed for a younger age group. I’ll need to hope that adcoms will place less emphasis on my SAT and quantitative testing scores, and instead focus on my performance at HES. On that topic, I will definitely be returning to Harvard Extension School this fall with a full course load. As the HES is still relatively unknown as a program except to other Harvard students, I am as of yet unsure of how it is viewed by adcoms. Not a community college, and yet not a traditional four-year college, it seems to inhabit a bizarre limbo.</p>

<p>As for asking a professor from McGill for a recommendation, I had considered it, but ultimately decided to ask two professors from HES who knew me better. Unfortunately, the highest grade I achieved at McGill was an A- with Prof Furuhata, who I had again the next semester and scored a B. While she knows I am very passionate about East Asian Studies, it has been two years since I last held any sort of meaningful contact with her, and I am hesitant to ask her to write something so personal after so long… Is it better to have a lukewarm recommendation from a McGill professor, or have a very strong recommendation from a TA from HES? My other recommendation was from a Duke/Harvard professor who taught a course at HES, so hopefully that will also carry some weight. </p>

<p>It deserves to be explained that the Harvard Extension School is a very non-traditional sort of school. All courses are taught in the evening, and are usually geared towards adult learners looking to add depth to their professional knowledge, or seeking to change career tracks. In recent years, a growing percentage of students have enrolled out of high school, and the HES has begun to offer more traditional courses in the humanities and social sciences. Every course is taught by a local professor - I have taken courses taught by professors from Harvard College, MIT, Tufts, Wellesley, UMass Lowell, Pine Manor College, and others.</p>

<p>If anyone has any knowledge of how the HES is viewed by adcoms, please let me know!</p>

<p>Thank you for all of the input you have offered thus far! It has been tremendously helpful, and I look forward to fixing my application with your suggestions.</p>

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<p>Whether you’re a transfer applicant or a regular applicant, it seems like women’s colleges are a good bet if you have a low GPA but a record that displays motivation, talent, and/or potential in other ways. It worked for me! Of course, now I’ve discovered that I hate women’s college and am transferring out :stuck_out_tongue: but a lot of people like them and they tend to be more sympathetic towards low GPAs or test scores.</p>

<p>Also good about women’s colleges is that, to be totally honest, they will probably give more weight to your explanation than another college might. Maybe not! (Plus, they tend to have significantly better resources in place for those who have been victims of sexual assault. Always good). But I think you’re on the right track with casting a wide net and including some same-sex institutions – that’s a good call and who knows? Maybe something will bite! Best of luck!</p>

<p>Incidentally I am hoping to transfer FROM Bryn Mawr TO Vassar or McGill :wink: but I live next to UMass Amherst, Smith, and Mount Holyoke and am very familiar with them. You can private message me if you want any non-transfer-related information!</p>

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<p>And Simmons is a fantastic option if you’re looking for one school that’s a bit likelier than the others.</p>

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<p>@jerevedereussir: Thank you very much for your input! If you don’t mind me asking, what are the academics and social life like at BMC? I’ve only ever attended absurdly small schools before (my graduating class had 12 students), so the size won’t matter much to me, but I am hoping for a rigorous and intellectual atmosphere of discussion and political activity. How socially aware is Bryn Mawr? I visited Smith and fell head over heels in love because everyone seems so engaged and in love with the school and what they’re studying. I’m wondering if BMC has a similar atmosphere? Furthermore, may I ask what you feel is lacking at Bryn Mawr? Thank you for all your help! </p>

<p>As for Simmons, I’m definitely in the process of researching the school as a potential option. My cousin currently attends graduate school there, and he really likes it!</p>

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<p>Smith: Good match
Mt Holyoke: Good match
Vassar: High match/safety
Barnard: A bit of a reach
Bryn Mawr: High match
GWU: High Match/Low Reach
Tufts: Reach
BU: Low Reach/Safety
Wesleyan: High Match
UMass Amherst: A bit of a reach
Columbia GS: High Reach</p>

<p>If you can, it would definitely help you to get your SAT score up, especially for a school like Columbia, whose average SAT scores range above a 2300. However, a lot of the schools you mentioned are very good matches. Good luck!</p>

<p>Chance me back!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1513494-will-chance-back-please-chance-me.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1513494-will-chance-back-please-chance-me.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Thank you for your input! Unfortunately, I think the train has already left for increasing my SAT score - as Zilch pointed out, I’m past the age that the SAT was meant to test. Hopefully I’ll be able to assuage any fears of being able to complete rigorous college level coursework by other means. As for your assessment, I am slightly confused by Vassar and BU - did you mean that they are both in the high match/low reach range? They’re far from being safeties for sure. :slight_smile: Thank you again for your help, and I’ll be sure to chance you back!</p>

<p>If anyone else would care to chance, give suggestions, read my common app essay, or anything else, I would be very grateful! Will chance back as soon as I can!</p>

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<p>If anyone else has any feedback, I would be greatly appreciative! Will gladly chance back! :)</p>

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<p>I think you’re in good shape for all those schools, even though you believe that your grades are below par (while they are definitely not lol). As long as you focus you ECs on your application, like you told me, along with the essays, you will have very good chances at all these schools becuase your ECs are great.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your input! If anyone else has any suggestions to make, I would be grateful! Will chance back as soon as possible!</p>