Chance at U Chicago

Transfer Students
1

<p>I am a freshman applying to transfer to U. Chicago (top choice) along with Middlebury, Swarthmore, Reed, USC, and McGill. I currently attend SUNY Stony Brook due to financial issues. All of these schools cover 100% of fin aid and are need-blind (besides McGill). Feel free to comment on if you think I can get into these schools or not too, but my biggest concern is Chicago since it's the most difficult and my top choice. </p>

<p>Tests:
ACT: 33, SAT: 2170 (790 W, 720 R, 660 M -_-) </p>

<p>Courses:
Fall: French 311, Latin 111, Linguistics 101, Existentialism, Logic and Reasoning, Freshman Seminar I
Spring: HIS 381 - Latin America and World Commodities, Spanish 312 - Literature, Phi 312 - Modern European Thought, French Humanities class, Writing 102 (lame requirement that I need to complete before transferring to USC), and Freshman Seminar II
Current GPA: 4.0 (unless something goes terribly wrong within the next two weeks, my lowest grade is a 97 and most of my grades are 100)
Why I'm transferring: Not intellectually challenged here
ECs and Volunteer work: Oxfam Club - Events Coordinator, Philosophy Club - Secretary, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy - Founder/President, Internship at Democratic Committee in county, Food Not Bombs weekly, Oxfam Action Corps in Manhattan </p>

<p>HS:
Ranked 10/265 (would've been much higher if I hadn't been hospitalized for 2 months for anorexia which affected 9th and 10th grade)
HS GPA: 93.62 unweighted, >100 weighted
Awards: Ranked at 98th percentile on Spanish National Exam, ranked 3rd in county for French National Exam and 16th nationally, pretty much all the foreign language awards at my school (was first person to take French, Spanish, and German at once), scholarship for recovering from anorexia...
Clubs/ECs: French Club President, French, Spanish, German, and National Honor Societies, a few other less important clubs
Took 10 AP's and 2 college classes </p>

<p>I'm also hoping it'll help that for U. Chicago, I've met the person who decided Long Island admissions at an info session and spoken to her on at least 3 occasions. Good to show interest, right? </p>

<p>Major: Philosophy...interested in eventually getting a Ph.D in philosophy. Also want to explore other majors + minors - international relations, linguistics, and comparative lit, so I'd like a school strong in most or all of these fields...if anyone has any more suggestions/thinks my choices are unreasonable and I'm a moron for thinking I'll get accepted</p>

2

<p>Transfer to UofC is a crap shoot, they only accept a few, especially for a sophomore transer. UofC does not meet 100% needs, so you may not be able to afford the $40K/year COA(assuming with 20K FA)…</p>

3

<p>I honestly think you have an excellent chance. Keep in mind that LACs generally have really low transfer rates, but I’d be surprised if you didn’t get into at least one of these schools. The 4.0 will help tremendously. Add some financial safeties to your list and you’ll be fine.</p>

4

<p>@artloversplus - what source tells you that U Chicago doesn’t cover 100% financial need? I’ve talked to admissions counselors and they’ve said they’re need-blind and cover 100% fin need for transfers too. I’m curious where you’re getting this info. </p>

<p>@francisvdahlmann - Thanks, I think that USC is more target so I’m hoping I get in there too. I know U Chicago is reach for anybody. Do you have any suggestions for financial safeties? I was thinking UBC - Vancouver … Canadian schools are cheaper, right?</p>

5

<p>Actually, now that you put the question to me, it’s really difficult to answer. I’m sorry to say I don’t know much about Canadian schools. I know American gives great aid for transfers, and my friend who goes there loves it, but a) it might not offer the academic challenge you’re looking for and b) I think the scholarships they give out to transfers are only renewable for two years. I feel fairly confident you’d get great aid, though. </p>

<p>Perhaps look at UVa and UNC as well? I think you have the stats to get into either one, but I’m not sure if either fits what you’re looking for in a school.</p>

6

<p>Thanks so much. I have 2 friends who go to american and my best’s friend brother went there - 2 of the 3 were salutatorian and were in the honors program. I’ll look into it…I didn’t know they gave great aid though. </p>

<p>My best friend goes to UVA and I was considering applying there, but I’m not sure if it would be a good fit for me. I’ll keep it in mind though. Thanks so much for your responses!</p>

7

<p>No problem! Thanks for responding to my thread as well.</p>

8

<p>You have great high school grades, and because you’re a sophomore transfer, they will count just as much as your first semester in college. However, I never by students just “guessing” their semester’s outcome. The reality of the situation is much different because finals carry so much weight, and can make or break you. If you do indeed come out of your first semester with a 4.0, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got accepted to a few of the schools you mentioned. Middlebury and Swarthmore are unlikely because they’re such small schools, and with the combination of their retention rates – it makes it hard for transfer students. However, UChicago is a medium sized school, and I could see them accepting you. (I was looking at their supplement, and they’re definitely out there!) </p>

<p>Return the favor please? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/1252109-transferring-out-nyu-help-me-fellow-ccers.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/1252109-transferring-out-nyu-help-me-fellow-ccers.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>@artloversplus - what source tells you that U Chicago doesn’t cover 100% financial need? I’ve talked to admissions counselors and they’ve said they’re need-blind and cover 100% fin need for transfers too.</p>

<p>be very careful. “covering 100% of need” can mean they will offer you a lot of loans, not grants. UC has had a very well established reputation for being especially stingy with FA.</p>

10

<p><a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/pdfs/financial-aid-sheet.pdf[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/pdfs/financial-aid-sheet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p><a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/applicants/transfer/[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/applicants/transfer/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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11

<p>UofC uses CSS profile and FAFSA for determination of “demonstration of needs”, be very careful and don’t assume they will fulfill ALL “your needs” you think you should receive vs. what they determind your needs are. </p>

<p>You don’t have to argue here as when its time you will know and have time to compare FA packages. I know, because my DD is a sophomore there.</p>

12

<p>Well my EFC is only $8,000…if I don’t get a good aid package, I cannot go.</p>

13

<p>@portmanteau - I feel like I’m a pretty decent fit for Middlebury and Swarthmore and was planning on visiting the schols and learning more about them Do you think I have any chance at all. I know most of these schools are reaches…and that’s not necessarily a good thing, but I still think I look like a really competitive applicant. I’m thinking of adding UVA - more target? And I’m also applying to Barnard…</p>

14

<p>I think you should look into some cheaper schools for financial safety. You have the stats but financially you may not get the FA pacakge you want from all the colleges you are applying to. UVA maybe good so is UNC both gives FA to oos, not sure to the transfers. I won’t be suprised that you ended up back in SUNY with the current list, because of financial reasons again.</p>

15

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<p>This is true for ANY school, my point in posting the UChicago FA policies was to establish that they do provide 100% of need for all but Intl. students. How much need they determine you need and how they give it to you (loans, WS, grants) is another issue.</p>

16

<p>I really can’t take another year at Stony Brook. I can’t even explain how much I despise it. I chose these schools thinking that they’d be affordable considering their large endowments…so… Is NO school affordable (besides Ivy Leagues, basically?) … Wouldn’t most of these schools gives mostly grants? That’s what they say on their websites.</p>

17

<p>I just looked up every college that I’m applying to, once again, on college board.
Chicago:
Average percent of need met: 100%
Average financial aid package: $38,991
Average need-based loan: $4,483
Average need-based scholarship or grant award: $35,540
Average non-need based aid: $7,772
Average indebtedness at graduation: $22,359
EFC Calculator
Compare Your Aid Awards
Financial Aid Distribution
Percent of total undergraduate aid awarded as:
Scholarships / grants: 88%
Loans / jobs: 12%</p>

<p>So based on what they’re telling me, I’m expecting to be able to afford the school if I get accepted. The worst school I’m applying to, in terms of financial aid, is USC, which distributes scholarships and loans 75/25. Most of the other schools, though, give around $30-35,000 in grant awards. I checked the schools I was accepted to last year to see what they were saying, and the information seems pretty accurate. Also U Chicago has the Odyssey Scholarships for families that make <75,000, and my family fits that unless I’m not eligible for it as a transfer. So…I’m really trying to prepare myself. I understand that I may be heartbroken again and may have to stay at SB…in that case I can graduate in just 2 more year because I’ll have 70 credits at the end of this year. But I really want to avoid it and am preparing myself and researching as much as I can. I ordered a financial aid book that was recommended on this site and am constantly applying for scholarships…</p>

18

<p>I’m sorry you’re in this situation, danielise. It’s really unfortunate that you don’t have access to a quality state school. However, what you should take away from this is that you’re a very strong applicant, and you won’t really know what kind of financial aid package they’ll give you unless you apply. If you don’t have any loans yet, it might not be the worst thing to take some out for a school like UChicago, assuming you’re accepted. A great high school guidance counselor (not mine, unfortunately) once told me that the most she feels comfortable advising her students to take out for undergrad is 25,000. I’m going to end up with more than that regardless of whether I transfer or not, which is scary, but the point is that if your overall happiness is going to be completely compromised by staying at Stony Brook, it’s definitely worth the risk.</p>

19

<p>Yeah - you’re right. I’ll prepare for the “worst” - staying at Stony Brook - and realize that it’s not too bad. i know I can make the most of it and do study abroad. I saved A LOT of money staying home this year, so it wouldn’t be too bad to take out moderately reasonable loans if I get accepted to such an amazing institution. Avoiding disillusionment but also pessimism, I’ll apply to the schools, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Thanks for all your responses.</p>

20

<p>No problem. I envy your mature attitude. I’m definitely still too fixated on my dream school. But I guess that’s the point of dreams, right? Good luck to you.</p>