Chances for Transfer from Cornell to HYP or Columbia. Will chance back.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I applied to HYP through RD (big mistake, I know), and it didn't work out. However, I believe I have the credentials to attend them. I believe I'd like to attend Cornell next year and apply for transfer to HYP or Columbia. Please help evaluate my chances based on the following:</p>

<p>STANDARDIZED TESTS:
ACT: 35 (single sitting)
SAT II: 790 Lit, 770 Math</p>

<p>HIGH SCHOOL (from first two years):
Unweighted GPA: 4.00
Weighted GPA: 4.50
Rank: 1/230</p>

<p>AP SCORES: 4 Stats—taken sophomore year
IB SCORES (predicted): 7 Bio HL, 7 Psych HL, 7 English A Lit HL, 6 Chem HL, 7 Spanish B SL, 6 Math SL, A EE, A TOK. Total: 43</p>

<p>NOTABLE WORK/ECs: School newspaper editor/writer, creator/player on a public soccer team, performing guitar player, self-taught piano player (1-2 hrs/day of practice for each instrument), elite math team, selective choir member, worked for a lawn care company, and worked as an unpaid tutor for a summer, teaching a student (who was skipping a grade) a year's worth of Spanish in two months by designing my own curriculum (he went on to receive an A in the next level). Volunteer at Red Cross and Amnesty International Youth Organization.</p>

<p>OTHER: I spent the last two years abroad to complete the IB program and to look for a challenge. I lived alone for most of that time, and the language is quite rare and challenging.</p>

<p>I know that Cornell is one of the hardest schools in the nation, but I'd like you to make the assumption that I would do well there. That is what I will strive for, and I will be fiercely persistent in that pursuit. Thanks for any insight you guys can provide. </p>

<p>As I mentioned earlier, I will chance back.</p>

2

<p>Wow, sorry! I think if you applied early you would have been in. Anyways, now I think you have a good chance still, maybe one standout EC wouldn’t hurt. </p>

<p>Chance back: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1637481-african-american-s-chances-at-top-colleges.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1637481-african-american-s-chances-at-top-colleges.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>If you had a compelling reason why <em>one</em> of those schools would be so much better for you than Cornell, I could imagine them taking you. But you haven’t mentioned any such thing and you clearly haven’t even bothered to research this or you would be aware that Princeton doesn’t take transfer students. You look like someone who is just chasing prestige, any prestige. They’ve already give you an answer and based on the info you provided, your rejections weren’t for academic reasons. Why do you think that doing well at Cornell will change anything? I wouldn’t bother applying.</p>

4

<p>tbh your ECs arent too great. although your academics are on par; nothing stands out. </p>

5

<p>@mathyone My apologies, I was not aware of Princeton’s policy. You’ll have to understand that that’s quite unconventional, so it’s not something that I had expected. Furthermore, I am just beginning to look into transferring, as I just got my decisions from regular applications a few weeks ago. Therefore, I haven’t gotten into the details for each school yet (though I have looked at Harvard’s), and I regret posting so prematurely. I think that doing well at Cornell would definitely change something because I am sure that American universities are not familiar with the grading system in the country in which I currently reside. As a result, they very likely were not aware that there is absolutely no grade inflation here (not to mention extra credit or any other flexibility, so to speak), and even though I put in much more work here, my regular semester grades were not as high. Granted, my predicted IB grades are still there, but my other grades may have suggested a lack of effort. Of course, I don’t actually know. I think that Cornell is a much more “credible source”—doing well there is held in such high regard because people are very aware of just how difficult it is.
If my rejections were not for academic reasons, then I have trouble identifying what didn’t get me into these schools. My essays were reviewed by English majors and experienced counselors alike, and I was told objectively that they were very, very good. I have a passion for writing, and I fine-tuned some of these essays for many months, carefully choosing a sonorous blend of words that painted the exact portrait I wanted my reader to see. Additionally, I quite enjoyed writing all of them. According to the letters I received and some recent NYT articles, my rejection may simply have been due to an overwhelming number of qualified applicants.
I haven’t mentioned why I would prefer to go to these other schools, but that is only because this is not an application, and I thought I’d simply provide my information. I understand that my chances partially rely on good reasons for transfer. For one, Harvard has stronger programs in the fields I intend to study. Columbia has an excellent reputation from its Core, and the city would offer me a multitude of internships for the fields I am interested in. The same is true for the Boston area, but to a slightly lesser extent. The isolation of Cornell is not in my favor. I have also heard from many students that Cornell’s size is somewhat of a disadvantage, but that is something that is difficult for students to say without having attended two different schools, so I can’t let that influence my decision too much yet (or at all if I do end up being pleasantly surprised).
I can’t deny that prestige plays a role, neither can virtually anyone who has applied or attended these schools. But I am not a brand-name hunter, nor do I plan to be one. I am simply trying to get the best possible education in an environment that suits me, yet challenges me.
Thank you for your insight, and I apologize once again for my mistake.</p>

<p>Edit: I forgot to add that, after further consideration, the advantages of Yale are not enough for me to consider transferring anymore. Cornell is a better fit for me in a number of ways.</p>