Hey guys
So I’m currently a rising freshman at a t30 but I can’t shake the feeling of wanting to shoot my shot at my dream school Columbia.
I’m thinking of sending a transfer app to some ivies( Dartmouth, brown, Cornell) and mit but I wanted to know what people think of my chances and if it is worth my time.
I have a 1580 sat w an 800 in math and a 800 sat math 2 subject test.
My hs gpa is. 3.76 uw w 9 aps and. 1 college class. I don’t have amazing ap scores but I have some strong stem scores like. 5 on bc 4 in stats and cs. I’m assuming 3.8 plus gpa for first semester of college
My ecs are pretty typical just some school clubs and sports along with a job and a couple other things. I plan on doing research my freshman year of college and joining some Econ clubs as well.
I plan on transferring to all these schools as an Econ major. Please let me know what you think!
Did you apply to these schools as a high school senior?
If you want to transfer to Columbia, why would you be applying to Dartmouth, Brown, and Cornell? The schools are all very different.
If you applied out of high school and didn’t get in, it’s unlikely you would be admitted as a transfer.
You are barely starting your freshman year at probably a fine university. Give this place a fair chance before you jump into the transfer mode.
And I totally agree. Columbia is very different than Brown, Cornell and Dartmouth.
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The schools that you have mentioned do not have much in common other than prestige, and perhaps a good economics program. Columbia has 33,000 students and is in the middle of a big city. Dartmouth has 4,000 undergraduate students (6,000 total) and is in the middle of nowhere with real winters.
I think that you are chasing prestige. I do not think that you are likely to succeed. If the schools get the sense that you are chasing prestige, they are very likely to reject your application rather quickly.
Any “top 30” university is exceptional for economics (or math, or a long list of other subjects). If you do VERY well where you are, then you will have a realistic chance for any university for graduate school.
I got my masters at a very highly ranked university, and my impression is that at least half (probably more) of the other students in the same program did not graduate from a “top 30” university. I can only recall one single university which had sent more than 2 students to the program, and it was not “top 30”. I have two close family members who got their bachelor’s at schools that are not in the top 100 in the US. One got their master’s at Columbia, the other is currently enrolled in one of the top 5 DVM programs in the world.
You do not need to attend a “top 30” bachelor’s degree program to get into a top 5 graduate program. However, since you are already at a “top 30” program my suggestion is that you work very hard to do well there. Doing well there includes looking for good internship or coop or research opportunities (which might be available for freshmen, or perhaps for upper class students). Some work experience after getting a bachelor’s might, depending upon the job, also help you get into a top graduate program.
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OP: Why do you want to transfer ?
Is it for better job / career opportunities ?
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First, it is “I don’t want to…” not “I can’t”.
Second, if you applied to your “dream” school and were rejected then you have shot your shot. The answer was no. Time to move on. Same as there is no ONE magic person for you there is no ONE magic school for you.
Third, I agree with all the other posters who pointed out how very different the schools you say you want are. If this was more than a fixation on a handful of famous names you would be talking about schools that are more similar to Columbia.
Finally, unless you are determined not to like it, you may be pleasantly surprised by how much you like the college you are about to attend. Every spring and fall we see posts from students who were determined to transfer, applied & were successful and then had regrets. What is important to you right now (as somebody still in thrall to a HS mindset) may well shift a lot when you get into a college reality.
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