<p>Stats: M/college soph/permanent resident
Will NOT apply for fin. aid. </p>
<p>QPA: 3.4
Estimate it to be around 3.5 or possibly 3.6after this semester.</p>
<p>Recs:
1. Excellent rec from prof
2. Rec from other prof, haven't received it yet.
3. Rec from adviser</p>
<p>Currently attend a top 50 school. (ugrad b-school/honors school)</p>
<p>SAT (roughly 3 years old): 1920 (1280)</p>
<p>EC's: Exceptional (prefer to keep private for the time being).
Hook: my EC is my hook,and I assure you it definitely sets me apart from the rest.</p>
<p>Reason for transferring: Profs have told m it is very solid and justifiable. </p>
<p>Schools:
All ivies aside from Dartmouth(and pton of course)
Stanford
UVA
CMU
Some top LAC's (unsure of which yet)
UCberkely</p>
<p>I will not be applying to any "slightly" better schools because my current school would be sort of my safety.</p>
<p>Princeton does not take transfers. Your GPA is to low for consideration at most colleges you are considering. Rule of thumb-if you didn't have the stats - GPA, SAT's- to be accepted as a freshman, your chances are even less as a transfer. Transfer acceptance rates are lower in most cases than freshman acceptance rates, especially at the most selective colleges.</p>
<p>I posted that I wasn't applying to princeton (said pton) and I realize that my GPA is lower than the average. But you're telling me excellent recs/hooks don't make up for any of it?</p>
<p>I don't think anyone is saying that some really exceptional factor (other than GPA/SAT) CAN'T make up for other factors...its just a lot more rare in transfer admissions. Transfer admissions are a lot more about college GPA and recs than anything else. It isn't like freshman admissions in that a lot of little factors (work experience, ECs, legacy) don't have the same weight.</p>
<p>College GPA is the single most important criteria for determining whether a student can "cut it" at a more rigorous institution, especially if the applicant did not have the stats to be considered in the running as a freshman. EC's have much less weight and will not make up for less than top grades. When you are trying to transfer "up", selective colleges look for "proof" that you can perform at the same level as it's current students, who, in the case of HYPS, etc, all had to have tip top GPA's., SAT's, AND EC's in order to be admitted as Freshman . The statistics show that it is much harder to be accepted at a very selective college as a transfer student than as a freshman. Why would the criteria for freshman applicants be loiwered for transfer students?</p>
<p>It's going to be very, very, very tough. The 3.5 is usually a cut off for transfers at certain schools. You're not even certain if you're there yet, since your 3.5-3.6 GPA is only an est. And keeping your ECs private won't help us in helping you. You need to give us that information...since "EC's: Exceptional (prefer to keep private for the time being)" doesn't give us an idea of WHY it's exceptional other than you describing it as such.</p>
<p>Oh and one other thing: You state that your professors agree that you have a very solid and good reason for transferring, but I see your list of schools
"All ivies aside from Dartmouth(and pton of course)
Stanford
UVA
CMU
Some top LAC's (unsure of which yet)
UCberkely"</p>
<p>run the gamut. They are all different on many levels. Remember, in the "Why do you want to transfer essay" schools ask you to write, they want to know why THEIR school fits your needs. If your reason is somewhere along the lines "my current school sucks," please reconsider and know that the reason "why your current school is not the best fit for me" is less important than "How their school can better serve your academic needs."</p>
<p>Your chances for transfer admission to any Ivy League, Stanford, Northwestern & Rice are not good. Possible at CMU. Maybe a slight chance at one of your listed state schools if you are "in-state". If you have a compelling reason to attend one of your selected schools, and a strong reason for leaving your current school, you may have a moderate chance since you are not seeking financial aid. But your secrecy regarding your EC and the name of your current school relegate any positive response re: your chances to the level of pure speculation at best. But a 1280/1600 will not get you into the Ivies, Stanford or Northwestern with only a 3.5 GPA; this is especially true since the 3.4 or 3.5GPA only confirms the 1280/1600 SAT I score.</p>
<p>The GPA issue is basically that my GPA has been steadily declining since I entered college. It's because I became less happy/less motivated as the time went on. The longer I'm here, the less I'm motivated, the less appealing the classes, basically everything about it just really brings my morale down.</p>
<p>My "hook" is that I'm in the amateur division(there's amateur and pro, and you basically become "pro" once you reach a certain age) of an Olympic sport and one of the top for my weight class. </p>
<p>My EC is the "hook" plus running a legit small business, taxed and all. </p>
<p>The SATs scores are old and I've come a long way since HS, when I wasn't motivated or guided in the right direction.</p>
<p>I don't really understand your hook...unless you're nationally recognized or going to the Olympics, then it isn't really a hook. Its a great EC, but it isn't enough to compensate for a GPA and SATs that aren't there.</p>
<p>The Olympic hook might have helped you as a freshman applicant but it is much less valuable as a transfer student. What counts most, especially as you are trying to transfer "up" ,is your overall GPA in college and the quality of the classes you have taken. If you really want to leave your current school you need to look at colleges that have accepted students with grades and SAT scores closer to you own.</p>
<p>I appreciate the reply, but I'm not just trying to transfer "up". If I wanted to, I'd apply to transfer friendly colleges such as Emory. But I'm not sure those appeal to me, so that's basically my reason.</p>
<p>Your GPA is low compared to others. Most of IVy schools get students who are 4.0 GPA and 2300 to 2400 SATs so you don't have any chances.The same with Stanford. You may have a chance at UCBerkley and UVA but It really depends on your major.For exmaple , biochem or electrical computer engineering is really hard at Berkley.</p>