College transfer urgent advice needed!!!

I have an urgent problem so if anyone can help that would be great. I am a first semester freshman (basically second semester now) at Seton Hall in the Physical Therapy program. I have come to realize that this isn’t for me, and I want to change my college and major (I want to change the college because SHU is waaayy too expensive for any other program). I want to apply to transfer to either Columbia, NYU, or Cornell since they are both in the area and I will be able to commute there. However, I did not do well at all with a freshman gpa of 2.6 and a horrible D+ in biology. In high school I was pretty decent but nothing crazy, I went to a competitive school and got a 3.5 core gpa (3.7 or something overall) but I only took 2 AP classes and a couple honors classes. My SAT was around 1910. Is there any possible way that I can turn things around to be able to have a chance into being admitted into my top schools? I will try to get a 4.0 next semester, and I am open to transferring to community college and doing exceptionally well there too if that is going to help me. For extracurriculars, I am an Eagle Scout and I have volunteered at several PT places and taught classes at a tutoring center. I am also thinking about doing Marine Reserves while in college or after. Please anyone with any info let me know because I need to start applying and I want to know where to apply. Thank you very much!!!

Thank you very much to anyone who can help!!

Honestly, it is unlikely you’d be able to transfer to NYU or Columbia with a 2.6, or even if you get a 4.0 next semester and end up with a freshman gpa of ~3.2 or so. (Not sure where Cornell fits into your plans, but not likely to get in there either.

If Seton Hall is too expensive, why are NYU and Columbia not too expensive?

Your school GPA and past SAT scores wouldn’t have initially admitted you to those schools originally; why would you think they would now be acceptable?

Use your instate public universities; they will save you money and admit you with your current stats.
NYU is $72K per year. They give horrible financial aid to their incoming freshman and you wouldn’t get any funding as a transfer.
Transfers don’t need to be recruited so there is low to no financial aid for transfers, other than loans. Cornell and Columbia are just as expensive.
Sounds like you are looking for prestige more than anything.

You are in an undergrad direct entry PT program? What degree are you actually doing now? Why do you think you are a candidate for such selective schools now? I think transferring to your local U is much more sensible. You are lacking a plan. What do the people who pay for you say? Lots of kids have a hard first semester.

thank you for the help, and I can pay for it, it’s not a problem, it’s just not worth it since it’s a mediocre education for what it’s worth, and Nyu is much better for around the same price even if it is slightly more expensive. Also, if I apply for Fall 2017 they would still look at both semesters even though the deadline is April 1st or something like that? And so I don’t have a good chance if I get my grades up?

What if I go to community college for the next year/ two years and get a 4.0 and try to transfer from there?

Also doesn’t my gpa technically get bumped up a bit since I have the rank of Eagle Scout? I’m also probably going ot do Marine Corps reserves

My son also has the rank of Eagle Scout, it means he completed a program in Boy Scouts… Are you manipulating your own GPA? That’s called cheating.

Boy Scouts has NOTHING to do with adding a grade to a HS transcript.

You won’t get in if you don’t have the right stats, and it sounds like you have an unethical streak in your overall thought process.

No I just meant it as a positive reinforcement along with my grades. No disrespect to college or the scout program.