Chances: Transferring Tufts --> Georgetown

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I'm verbose. Unfortunately it's always hard for me to be anything but unless I'm doing something academic. I tried, really I did. So I apologize now for how long it is. Just skim :]</p>

<p>So, all thinking about it does is make me stressed and prone to lots of sighing, but I suppose feedback would be nice. :]</p>

<p>Alrighty then. I'm at Tufts, and I've been thinking of transferring. The thought first came to mind at the beginning of October. I ignored my discomfort here and brushed the things I didn't like off as my just needing to adjust, but as time has gone on, I've only thought about it more, and I haven't started liking Tufts more, but less.</p>

<p>So, like everyone who wants to transfer, I want to transfer because I don't like my school. I don't hate it, I just think I would be happier someplace else. Even so, as of late I'm thinking I'd rather not be here at all for another 3 years.</p>

<p>As far as good reasons go, those are generally represented by why I'd prefer G-town over Tufts, not just why I don't like Tufts. So as far as essays and things go, I have good reasons and things, and I'm not really pressed about it. I've got good writing skills, and I've had lots of practice with this now, and what have you.</p>

<p>Anyway, my decision is still tentative, but I live pretty close to Georgetown and have friends there, so I'll be visiting more this year and trying to learn more about the departments I'm interested in, etc. I'm also considering Columbia (where I was waitlisted), and Brown (rejected, and I don't expect to get in, but I figured why not, while I'm at it). They're all super reaches, but I haven't been able to think of other places on the same tier as Tufts in the Northeast/north of the Mid-Atlantic that are strong for undergrad IR programs... So I'm open to suggestions :]</p>

<p>So, my stats are on the lowwwww side, but I have some good things going for me. I got in my Tufts by the hairs of my chin (I'm female, and well, there aren't any there).</p>

<p>I went to a very prestigious prep school in Mid-Atlantic region.
3.3 or 3.4 HS GPA (my hs also includes a rubric thing that includes stats for the entire graduating class and the year's previous class, which would be mine, to compare students to each other since our curriculum is more rigorous and it's hard to compare us to all US students... this is also mentioned at the beginning of the rubric, and the rigor of the school is emphasized and they give their spiel, and so on...)
2050 SAT (630 math, 690 CR, 730 writing)
SAT IIs:
600 world hist (taken soph. year)
600 math (yes, I just suck at math. I wouldn't have taken it, but a couple of my schools required it)
740 spanish
780 lit.
APs:
AP Eng. Lit. - 4
AP Span. Lit - 3
AP Span. Lang - 3
: [
I tried, really! I'm not a good test taker. I actually used to have extended time. For whatever reason, I found I had the most trouble finishing my APs. They weren't finished, not a single one, hence the lowness.
I took no honors courses, but my school isn't big on those, and my old hs eval. mentioned that my courseload was one of the heaviest for my school because I took an extra course every year, as well as took two languages (German and Spanish), and extra arts.
I did audit AP Art and AP German because I wasn't allowed to take them as full courses because my schedule load wasn't approved senior year as I'd already manipulated my scheduling so much. I mentioned all this in my freshman apps and also touched on why I opted not to take the AP tests.
Ran clubs, varsity track, good extracurriculars, etc.</p>

<p>College:
Herein lies the rub.
I'm not doing well at all this semester, and my GPA will be anything form a 3.0 to a 3.4.
At first I thought I'd make 3.5, but everything I get back, no matter how I thought I did, seems random when it's an A, and just as random when it isn't. Two of my proffs in particular seem like fairly arbitrary graders.
My course load isn't light. It's on the mid-high avg. for freshmen here, since I'm taking 2 upper level courses. I'm taking 4, which is standard for full-time students here, 5.5 being the max. (The .5 would be something like ballet)
An Exploration of the History of Black Film (upper level seminar; just 2 freshmen)
Spanish 22 (It counts as the 6th semester worth, and after this, my standard lang. requirement is fulfilled, though for IR 8 semesters is needed, so I'll be continuing next semester)
Intro. Psych
Intro. IR (which, though it's an intro course, is notorious here for how hard it is, though I'm not saying Georgetown cares a lick)
I'm hoping in spite of a lower GPA, applying from Tufts would help a little, versus a community college, GW, George Mason, or American, like a lot of the applicants.
I'm also working on a number of different schemes (not subversive ones, though ;]) to bring up my GPA.</p>

<p>I was also thinking I might include an addendum (which I didn't need to the first time around, since my adviser, college counselor, and teachers pretty much did for me), about how my typical pattern is getting acclimated/struggling a bit at first, but then I excel outrageously... my hs transcript shows this too (Cs and Bs and one A freshman year, then a steady increase with a .1 drop to As and a B senior year, which was really good for my school's curriculum...). I've also been debating whether, if I include an addendum, I should mention that I will be presenting a spring mid-term report (yes, unnecessary, I know, but I think it'd help), or whether I shouldn't mention it and just send it when the time comes. I thought maybe I should mention it so my app isn't scrapped and mayyyybe, hopefully, checked later to see if I've improved).</p>

<p>I'll be taking 5.5 creds next semester just because my classes are in fields I'm more accustomed to, and I figured I could handle the load.</p>

<p>Also, yeah, each course here counts as a credit, and we don't really do the 100 200 300 level thing. We have 1 and 2 hundred level courses, but most 200 level courses won't admit students until senior year, and they are simply research and advising programs. 100 level courses are considered to be beyond basic, but there isn't much distinction beyond that.</p>

<p>And, since apparently it makes a difference, and I'm fairly certain it did for most of my admissions last year, I am a black female from a single parent household, and I am the first in my immediate family to pursue anything beyond an Associate's at community college. I also get/need a lot of financial aid.</p>

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<p>i know this is irrevelent but i think i know who you are... i go to your old school </p>

<p>but alas that has nothing to do with anything</p>

<p>i say go for it! if you want to transfer fill out the stuff and even though its a pain in the ass it sounds as if you really know what you want this time around. i'm 99.9% sure g-town does interviews, i have a lot of friends applying there this year and i know they've had interviews.... your biggest asset is the fact that you KNOW what you want... this is no small thing. colleges want people who know that their college is for THEM, really stress it, sound genuine, and pretty much write what you wrote here in some essay somewhere</p>

<p>good luck</p>

<p>btw- who was your counselor last year?</p>

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<p>georgetown has a really high acceptance rate so that will help you but your low gpa at tufts will not. it also seems surprising you got in to tufts at all -- probably you had good essays -- so you better work that angle in your transfer apps as well. </p>

<p>might i recommend you PM user "kofi000" who transferred from gtown sfs to tufts? just an opposite perspective.</p>

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<p>Well, from what I know from my friends who go here, Tufts isn't quite as hard to get into as most people think, if you don't throw a load of BS in their faces.</p>

<p>As far as my essays go, yeah they were good, but I think my recs were also what did it too, since my teachers had good backgrounds, and all of them put a lot into it.</p>

<p>I wouldddd have thought it was surprising I got into Tufts, but once I was waitlisted for Columbia I assumed it was less chance, and that I'd actually done something right. Yes, though, I realize I'm an anomaly, but I don't think as much as you'd think. If you put anything into scores and rankings, I got into more selective schools ranked higher than Tufts as well.</p>

<p>I had Mr. Brown. Fab and love. <3
The best, as far as I'm concerned.</p>

<p>Georgetown does do interviews. Supposedly applicants in the Boston area have a better time getting them, because of location.</p>

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<p>i have mr. brown too!!!!!haha this is so funny... i hope everything works out for the best</p>

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<p>just out of curiosity, what did you not like about tufts?</p>

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<p>It's not so much that I really don't like it, it's just that I don't think it's just right for me, as in I think I'd be better off and consequently slightly happier elsewhere.</p>

<p>I think it's a great place, and I wouldn't be miserable if I had to stay. I would just rather transfer. There are nitpicky things, but there would always be that with any school. I won't get into the not as major things. I'm not too keen on how things are socially, and I don't like that as a solution my upperclassmen friends told me they just get off campus and go to Harvard or MIT (nice parties, nonetheless), especially on weekends. Boston's nice, accessible, and so on. My friends and I often go into the city. Weekends are dismal and dead. Academically, I don't like the way the languages departments are set up. I'm taking two languages in two different departments. I also don't like how the intro courses are. I mean, an intro course is what it is, but I don't like the attitude the professors seem to have towards them and the reputation they have amongst the students as a result. I do really like what I've seen of the American Studies and IR departments though.</p>

<p>But really, all that's just me, and there are definitely more pros than cons. I do like it, to a degree; as I said, I just don't think I'll stay.</p>

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<p>I just visited Tufts today... and it felt so nerdy to me I guess, I was surprised. I want a school with a fun party scene on the weekends and Tufts didn't seem like it had it. Miamori, whats your thoughts on that?</p>

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<p>Er, well, as far as the nerdy thing goes, I don't think the student body is nerdy, generally speaking. There's a lot of variety and diversity (it's always said by everyone at every university, but it's true) here. And I don't mean that just in the way of everyone being from different backgrounds, but I also mean that if you were to organize everyone into their respective stereotypical groups, there's a bit of everyone, even hard partiers. What I would say is that everyone, know matter the kinds of people they are, just cares about their schoolwork, but not to the extent that they have no lives. In my opinion it's just enough, and not too much. Now that I think of it, I actually don't know anyone here who studies or works excessively. Everyone I know is balanced.</p>

<p>On the other hand, as far as a fun party scene on weekends goes, it's... okay. Just okay, not great. Maybe on the lower end of okay. As I said, a lot of people I know commute to MIT for parties, especially on weekends. At first I thought maybe it was just underclassmen, or my dorm, or something, so I asked more people, and upperclassmen, and they said they do it too, and it's a good idea. Other older friends I asked said they just don't go out, and hang out with their friends in their rooms. There are still parties and things, most of which are themed for certain reasons, and most often associated with and thrown by social or themed houses. It depends on who you are, but they can be not fun / annoying, hard to get into, etc. There are private parties, which are better, and more fun, but they're private, so... x]</p>

<p>Yeah, so, big weekend party scene? No. In fact, to add to that, it's kind of dead on weekends. My roommate and I often get kind of freaked out by how there will really be no one around, even full-time undergrads it seems, and even at night, so I often go somewhere else or into the city on weekends.</p>

<p>Still, my roommate actually just got back from a party, which I decided not to go to so I could do some paper finessing and play my music without headphones. It was themed - anything but clothes. She said it was okay. I figured I would tell you just for fun. :]</p>

<p>If you were kind of thrown off, identifying other appropriate schools you might like to look at in addition to or instead of Tufts wouldn't be too hard. The choices would just depend on why you are / were attracted to Tufts, but there are definitely other schools that have bigger party scenes that offer what Tufts does and are of the same caliber. As I said, it just depends on the other things you would want in a college.</p>