<p>I'm going to be a sophomore at USC looking to transfer to Columbia and am wondering what my chances are or if you have any advice to improve my chances. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>HS GPA: 3.96
USC GPA: 3.96</p>
<p>SAT Writing: 740
SAT Math: 670
SAT Reading: 790</p>
<p>SAT II Math I: 620
SAT II Literature: 710
SAT II US History: 720</p>
<p>National Hispanic Scholar PSAT/NMSQT</p>
<p>Freshman courses included a 300 level history course and a 400 level senior seminar in history as well as a 300 level orchestral conducting class. (I'm a cello major at USC, hence the conducting.)</p>
<p>your transcript is reputable, academically youve got a shot, but do you participate in extracurriculars at all? or have a job or something, you know what I mean?</p>
<p>Oh, definitely. I'm a cellist and have participated in multiple competitive festivals and been a guest soloist of a professional symphony orchestra. (I've also soloed with my youth orchestra and a community orchestra in Tucson, where I'm from.) I also have won multiple concerto competitions and sat principal with many orchestras. I was principal bass (voice part) in the regional honor choir in Southern AZ and was selected for All State as well. Mostly music, but I did mentor quite a bit in high school.</p>
<p>i think your gpa which is the more important factor is very strong, you interest and ability in music is also strong. I think you have a good shot, although if they have many people with similar musical strengths they might not take you, I would think that they take transfers who add diversity to the class, i.e. possibly done something crazier. this isn't a rule, just a factor that might work against you. if a couple of good musicians dropped out on the other hand, i think you'll be in luck, so it's really impossible to tell who'll get in, sort of like the wait-list, they have their own reasons for taking certain candidates.</p>
<p>sorry i meant in the class already not in the transfer applicant pool. Columbia gets many highly qualified instrumentalists because of their joint program with Julliard, but your comment could still be valid even for the class, and it's probably right about cellists in the current class.</p>
<p>It is a fact that Columbia like most schools tends to take more sophomores than juniors, however you do satisfy the GPA, your scores are above par, and you do show interest, skill, and involvement in your area of study. So if it were me I would never give up.</p>
<p>Really? I always was confused by that given how early freshmen would have to decide to transfer and the weakness of their letters or recommendation with only one semester to work with professors.</p>
<p>i transferred to CU (from not a great school) and my numbers were as strong as everyone else's. it seems like the biggest factor beyond the numbers is specifically why you want columbia and why you think columbia will do for you whatever usc is not doing. so think about that and start jotting stuff down.</p>