Chances for a socioeconomically-disadvantaged transfer?

<p>I graduated high school with a 1.8 GPA, and got a 17 on the ACT - I applied to Fordham University for the Fall semester, but of course I was rejected.</p>

<p>Some of the main reasons my grades were so low are because 1.) I moved a lot and was in and out of homeless shelters, 2.) My father died during my freshman year, 3.) My mother remarried my sophomore year, 4.) I've had ADD and Dyslexia all of my life, and I just found out about a month ago (I know that sounds crazy, but my family and I basically never went to the doctor for stuff until this past year because my mother is psychotic, and distrustful of doctors. Plus with our moving a lot and such, my teachers never got familiar enough with me to spot it.) 5.) I was in a deep depression for all of my Jr. and Senior year, 6.) blah blah blah.. The list goes on and on about my sad, pathetic life. Of course I'm not making excuses, but I really do believe it's a shame that only rich kids get fair shots at life in our society.</p>

<p>Right now I'm at a community college and I want to transfer to Fordham for the Spring semester. Currently I have all A's in my classes with a 3.9 GPA (Adderall is amazing), which I'm pretty excited about. I'm also involved in some campus activities, and I volunteer at the soup kitchen every Saturday.</p>

<p>If I maintain my GPA throughout the rest of the semester, write a good essay and get good "letters of good standing" do you think I'll have a shot at being accepted to Fordham?
Also, will I have to take the ACT again?</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and if this helps or matters:
Ethio-American Female
Mid-West</p>

<p>questions: how long have you been attending community college for? community college transfers usually at least take two years, and i’d say this especially applies to you because of your low high school GPA. if you’ve been there for at least a year and are applying this year then as long as you keep your grades up, you’ll probably get yourself in.</p>

<p>Community college gives people a chance to redeem themselves. my high school gpa was like a 1.2 or something, and i just dropped out, got my equivalency, started CC, and now i’m going to UCLA. With hard work, anything’s possible.</p>

<p>Well, congratulations on going from a 1.2 to UCLA! That’s amazing.
This is my first semester at community college, and I want to go to Fordham next semester. I know it’s really early, but if I apply do you think I’ll have any chance of being accepted?</p>

<p>If you were to apply as a transfer for next semester, colleges would see maybe your first semester midterm grades. It’s great that things are finally working out for you now, but it’s probably going to take more than half a semester’s worth of grades to “balance” out your high school record. </p>

<p>Even if you got in, there is a very good chance that you couldn’t afford to go. Fordham meets on average 75% of need. I would imagine that the average percentage of need met for transfers is lower. </p>

<p>Why not keep up the great work and apply to Fordham and other colleges for your junior year? Join the Phi Theta Kappa honor society if it is available at your school, because some colleges offer PHK scholarships ([Phi</a> Theta Kappa - Scholarship Listing](<a href=“http://www.ptk.org/schol/newscholdir/list.php]Phi”>http://www.ptk.org/schol/newscholdir/list.php)). </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Another reason to stay in CC for your sophomore year is that you won’t have to retake the ACT.
In general, less financial aid is available for transfers than for incoming freshmen. Plan accordingly. A 3.9 GPA is awesome and will get you accepted to lots of good schools. You just need to be able to pay.</p>

<p>i’ve only applied to UCs and Calstates, but in my experience, it takes one full year to transfer: one semester to apply, and one semester to get approved/denied. i don’t think you could be there as early as next semester, next fall maybe. </p>

<p>Forgot to mention that i’m was a “socioeconomically-disadvanted transfer” too. Most of my need was met but since i decided to leave home i had to take out a few loans (which at the end of the day isn’t the end of the world.) As my brother, who’s a yale grad student put it, “it’s debt, but it’s good debt.” in the sense that it’s an investment in your education.</p>