Chance for a transfer?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi guys, so I'm just curious as to what my chances are for transferring what would be my Junior year. I would like to transfer into Cornell's ILR program or USC, but I am thinking about maybe also applying to Harvard, Standford, Yale, Georgetown, and Princeton as reaches, just in case. </p>

<p>So a bit about me:
In High School I was a decent student, I had a 3.8 unweighted and 4.2 weighted GPA,
Captain of our High School Mock Trial Team, SGA, won leadership awards, and the presidential service award, I was in two programs: The HOBY Leadership Seminar, and The Junior Statesmen Program at Yale University. I played 4 Varsity sports, took independent study logic, law, and speech classes, I had an 1890 SAT (I know not great) with a
590 Math (was in calc though...)
630 reading
670 Writing (with 12 Essay)
I was in AP US History, and AP biology my junior year (Small School with limited AP's)
AP Calc, AP GOV, AP Lit, and advanced Spanish 3</p>

<p>Needless to say I didn't get into USC or Cornell, but with Cornell I received a
"general letter of recommendation" is what I believe it is called, basically from what I got from the counselor when I called was it was better than a denial, but not a transfer or an acceptance, (I also received general mail and pamphlets from them in high school before applying telling me I was the type of student the ILR program is looking for) </p>

<p>Anyway, now I just finished my Freshman year at Pepperdine University, I am a Political Science and Philosophy double major, I have a 3.95 GPA
(4.0 first semester and 2 A-'s the second semester, but still a 4.0 in major classes), I took 18 Credits each semester (full load), I did at least 20 hours of community service each semester, ranging from building houses with Habitat for Humanity, teaching 5th graders about the negative consequences of pollution, etc. Also I worked with a Juvenile Detention Center as a teacher's aid for one semester for about 3 hours a week, teaching them things like math, science, reading, preparing for GED testing, etc. I also am on the Academic Dean's list (meaning I am in the top 10% of my class, both Fall and Spring Semesters), I am on the National Honor's Society Sigma Phi Eta, I am on Pepperdine's Policy Debate team (on scholarship based on performance) - which may help with Cornell if I talk to their team because it is tied with their ILR program, and also Pepperdine has pretty good ties with USC's debate team- (may help with other schools as well?). Lastly, I am currently interning for a therapeutic speciality court (with a focus in Juvenile recovery court) in Washington state, and will be interning in Washington DC (hopefully in the Senate Judiciary Committee) through a program at Pepperdine where I am going to intern and take classes while living in DC. I could see my essays relating to my passion and interest in the area of Juvenile justice, and the ongoing cycle of poverty, crime and punishment, something that I have seen first hand while working at a Juvenile Detention Center in Los Angeles, but also something I am currently seeing being fixed through the Juvenile Recovery Court I am working with which takes a proactive approach to crime. </p>

<p>Sophomore year I plan to have a 4.0 both semesters because the DC program is known to be a little more lenient with grades so I shouldn't have too much to worry about if that helps at all.</p>

<p>That's about it, please chance me, I know some of the other schools may be reaches, but I'd really appreciate any feedback!!!</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!!!</p>

2

<p>Also, because I am Caucasian, born in Romania and came as an Immigrant though, would it or could it be to my benefit when choosing a Race/ethnicity in an application to select “prefer not to answer” does that ever do any good?</p>

3

<p>Your chances are better than some, but equally good than those less than you.</p>

4

<p>BUMP :slight_smile: thanks drballsworth</p>

5

<p>It doesn’t matter what you mark for race & ethnicity either way. I advise you read the websites for the college you’re interested in, P does not take transfers.</p>

6

<p>hmm I feel like it does matter though, primarily because when I received my letter from Cornell it said something on the bottom that Cornell University’s admission is equal opportunity and affirmative action. If that’s the case, I feel like limiting myself to “Caucasian” and conflating myself to the majority, when my life experiences as an immigrant mean much more than simply a typical caucasoid.</p>

7

<p>I doubt that it will matter too. I know that you are not the first to choose Other or I Prefer Not to Answer on your application because you feel it will hurt your chances. I am sure that most groups that don’t recieve a “supposed” (I don’t know for sure the extent) admissions boost such as Caucasians and Asians, would choose not to list it in the chance that it could work against you. Your full name or those of your parents will surely give away your ethnicity, and colleges can probably find out your ethnicity if they wanted. Since you describe how your “life experiences as an immigrant mean much more than simply a typical caucasoid” mean alot to you, perhaps there is a place on the application, maybe even in your essays, where you descibe your status as an immigrant and what it means to you. That will most likely give you the uniqueness in the process that you want better than listing yourself as Caucasian, Other, or I Prefer Not to Answer.</p>

8

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<p>I’ll never understand why people ask a question when they’ve already made up their mind :rolleyes:.</p>

9

<p>Haha, I haven’t necessarily made up my mind on the matter, but I’m definitely leaning one way. I’m a little skeptical of the fairness of the question so I’d like any insight on how it may/may not affect an applicant like myself. Thanks for all the posts so far, but what do you guys think my chances for transferring are? Is it worth a shot for Cornell and USC? What about my “reaches”?</p>

10

<p>Princeton doesn’t take transfer students.</p>

11

<p>Yeah I saw that, I forgot to take it out, but thanks meShannon!</p>

12

<p>Why transfer? I know that you said juvenile justice, but most people who apply to transfer at the schools that you are aiming for have the general: your school is better in my major. But what specifically can those schools offer you that pepperdine cannot? Why are you choosing to transfer from your current institution? What specific things at the schools will you take advantage of if you are accepted? These why questions are very important in the application, and without strong enough reasons it is hard to convince the institution to take you over another candidate with more compelling reasons.</p>

13

<p>I completely understand and agree, my main reason for wanting to leave Pepperdine is twofold but serves one purpose. The first, is I simply don’t feel academically challenged, I feel that expectations in many cases are far too low for what I am accustomed to, and in many cases I try to take on more work for the sheer pleasure of learning, something one of my philosophy professors could hardly fathom, I was taking a full load 18 semester units, traveling with the debate team almost every weekend, and volunteering tens of hours throughout the week. I simply feel like the expectation is too low and I have an academic desire which is not being met. Secondly, although Pepperdine is a great school and students are such nice and genuine kids, I feel there is a general sense of complacency, people are completely happy with getting a B in a course if it means they didn’t do any reading, and there really isn’t any of the competition I had been accustomed to coming from a private college-prep high school. It really makes it difficult for myself, an individual who’s set on going to an ivy-league law school, to pursue my academics with a constant drive when everyone else seems numb. It’s my dream to be in a program where learning is encouraged and is done both in and out of the classroom, where I can be confident everyone else is putting in a similar effort and has a similar drive, because they have similar goals. Something like that is probably what I’d explain what do you think?</p>

14

<p>Bump :wink: chances would be greatly appreciated ;)</p>

15

<p>Bump :slight_smile: :)</p>

16

<p>In short, the schools you’re applying to are tough to chance for, particularly because (I haven’t done the research for the other two, but I know this is the case for Yale and Harvard, at least) transfer rates are particularly low - about .8% for Harvard last year, and I could tell you the number for Yale, too, if I went to go check my rejection letter. Either way, it’s sort of a crap shoot for the top schools. You’ve got a good GPA, good ECs, and sound like you have a pretty nice essay idea (your reason for transferring is even strongly reminiscent of my own). The one thing I might recommend is taking the SAT again, since your scores are a little low, especially for the schools you’re targeting.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

17

<p>I think ur Cornell application will succeed because ur competitive GPA.</p>