Chance me for transfer in fall - GED graduate

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I'm applying to CAS as a transfer student. I'd like to get an idea of what my chances look like.</p>

<p>College:
-GPA: 3.95
-Upward Trend (I ended up retaking several classes in which I scored Bs (2) or Cs (1), and I have one withdraw on my transcript).
-Vice President of Leadership in Phi Theta Kappa
-A constellation of leadership and service projects associated with the position, but no other extra-curricular activities.
-Employed on campus
-Employed by the US Census Bureau during the 2010 census (might help because my major is sociology and my position was heavily research oriented).
-Several (rare) invitations to assist the hiring committee with selecting new professors.
-Excellent recommendations
-Writing is my strongest skill; I'll be attempting to generate some unusually articulate and inspiring essays for the application this week (yes, this is very last-minute).</p>

<p>Pre-college (this part is bad):
-GED graduate.
-Home-schooled
-GPA: 3.3 or 3.4-ish (I just didn't care at the time).
-Competitive Chess player: I was in the school's club and played in tournaments on a regular basis, often doing very well and making the local news).
-Church related service: mission trips, teaching/organizing Vacation Bible School, special events, and other church projects.
-Employment for 1-2 years at several restaurants (I frequently trained new employees; that might help a little bit).
-Local musician: organized and played free shows to promote community events.</p>

<p>Longshot? I've been told to embellish the upward trend I've been able to sustain--from an indifferent GED graduate from a middle-of-nowhere, largely opportunity-deprived small town to an extremely active honors student in college. I've heard it can be something of a backdoor into elitist universities that want to look like they're friendly to students with less-than-stellar backgrounds. I've also heard the opposite. I've really like to hear your opinions!</p>

2

<p>Forgot to mention, midterm report will list straight As along with a few kind words from my professors.</p>

3

<p>What were your SAT scores? CAS looks at that. What college are you transferring from? What is your intended major? Are you applying as a transfer for sophomore year or junior year? These all matter.</p>

<p>"-Employed by the US Census Bureau during the 2010 census (might help because my major is sociology and my position was heavily research oriented)"
“-Employed on campus”
Elaborate more on this please.</p>

<p>"-Writing is my strongest skill; I’ll be attempting to generate some unusually articulate and inspiring essays for the application this week (yes, this is very last-minute)."
Probably not a very good choice.</p>

<p>“I’ve heard it can be something of a backdoor into elitist universities that want to look like they’re friendly to students with less-than-stellar backgrounds.”
… don’t think of it as a backdoor. Being elite does not imply being elitist either (also don’t think this is related).</p>

4

<p>Damn it. My original post got deleted, so I had to quickly re-type all this. I apologize for omitting important details. I didn’t take SAT or ACTs or any other standardized test. I don’t think they require those for GED students, though. I’m transferring from a small community college in AZ. Majoring in sociology. I work at a customer service desk on campus. While participating in the census, I was an Enumerator, which entailed visiting people’s homes or contacting them by phone and getting them to fill out their forms. Similar methods are utilized in sociological research.</p>

5

<p>It will be a longshot, but it’s always worth it to try. A&S takes about 7% of external transfers applicants btw.</p>