Hello. I was wondering if anyone could help me answer a question regarding transfers. I know it’s a bit early, but I want to get a head start. (I’m applying to be a part of the class of 2023).
My midterm GPA for this semester was a 4.0 and I’m trying my hardest to maintain it. I’m involved with a lot of ec’s in and out of school but my biggest obstacle I’m facing right now is my HS GPA of a 3.1. To compensate, I’ve been planning on retaking the ACT (my score was a 31).
Do you think this will be beneficial as far as my chances for transfer go? Any advice would truly help thank you!
Congrats on doing so well at college. The SAT and ACT are designed to predict first-year college grades, so I don’t think retaking them will make much of a difference. A year of great grades in challenging college courses is a better measure of your academic potential than your high school GPA or SAT.
Transferring in to Columbia College is tough. It is really no easier than getting in as a first year. Since 2nd semester grades aren’t available for transfer applicants, admissions relies heavily on your high school grades and test scores. A general rule of thumb to consider is whether you would have been a competitive applicant for admission last year, in addition to doing well at your college so far. Also, be prepared to explain why you want to leave your current college and what educational opportunities Columbia offers that you don’t have there.
Hello, I am also hoping to transfer to Columbia Fall 2020. I am currently attending my local community college. I am Biochemistry major and I really want to attend a university that is going to challenge me and prepare me as I continue my journey as a premed student. Before I returned to college, I was a medical assistant for a clinic that had several specialties. I particularly worked in OBGYN.
This is a great part of the reason why I enrolled into community college. Since I have been back in school, I have worked hard to maintain my grades and be a part of my college’s student community. I am currently taking Calculus III, Organic Chemistry II, Physics with Calculus II, and Music appreciation, for a grand total of 18 units. Here are some details involving my school involvement.
-GPA: 3.97 (should be at 3.98 by the end of the semester)
-Chemistry Club (Vice President)
-Females in STEM (secretary)
-Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society (member)
-UCSB Smithsonian Scholar (2018 summer intern)
-Imbedded Tutor for General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry (volunteer)
-Volunteer at the Maker Space at my local library
These are only a couple of extracurricular and activities that I have been involved in. I do have more, but these are definitely the ones that I have been strongly involved with as of recent. I have two strong letters of recommendations, one from my Calculus Professor and another from my Chemistry Club Advisor. The letter of recommendation coming from my Chemistry Club advisor is strong considering the fact that we have had a close student-professor relationship for my whole college career. She has been my chemistry club advisor since I joined chemistry club as well as my General Chemistry II Professor. For the past year I have been volunteering as her imbedded tutor in her General Chemistry courses as well as her Organic Chemistry I course. She is a graduate from MIT and UCSD and has given me great advice. The other letter of recommendation is strong but not as strong as this one. My essays are well written. They also covey the reason why I want to attend Columbia University. Overall I feel well prepared and know that I can succeed at Columbia. Columbia is my dream school, but I have also applied to the following universities: UCLA, UCSB, UC Berkely, UCSD, Stanford, NYU, Cornell, and Harvard.
Anyways I wish you all the best of luck during this stressful process. I hope we all get into our dream schools, whether it be Columbia or any university of your dreams. If you have worked this hard, you definitely deserve it.
I agree with previous statement that it’s pointless to take ACT ro SAT again. It’s much more important to show what have you done to improve during the frshman year at your current college – great grades, meaningfu; academic as well as extracurricular activity, and concentrate on being engaged enough at current school to get good LOR. Good luck.
thank you!