Community College to prestigious privates

Transfer Students
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<p>I am currently in my second semester at a California Community College(CCC) and by the end of this semester, I hope to have a 3.9 GPA through 28 units. I am a liberal arts major(currently debating between philosophy and history) and if I maintain this GPA through next year, I have great chances at instate publics like UCLA and Berkeley, as well as USC(an excellent private), which I plan on applying to. </p>

<p>Now, to the gist of my story. I like California, and certainly would not dread staying here, but I'm dreaming of schools back east. Specifically, Cornell is catching most of my attention. Now, this is probably a pipe dream, but I was wondering what a person in my situation could do to improve their chances for schools such as Cornell(and others like NU, Chicago, etc.):</p>

<p>1) My HS record is an average(~3.1) GPA with no APs. I did not take the SATs or ACT as I planned on entering the CC from the beginning. This is a severe disadvantage, correct?</p>

<p>2) When these schools judge the rigor of an applicants' courses, what are they looking for? Would they look favorably upon a liberal arts major who excelled in calculus, chemistry, biology, etc. or is that unnecessary? Is excellence in every academic discipline a prerequisite, or can students who fare better with the arts focus their energies mostly on that? </p>

<p>3) As a CC applicant, what lengths must I go through to prove my merit? Is it even possible? Do ECs weigh heavily? </p>

<p>4) Are letters of recommendation from Master's-level professors viewed as inferior? Would it be better to obtain letters from professors with PhD's? </p>

<p>5) Is personal achievement, perseverance, and academic excellence in spite of hardships worth noting?</p>

<p>Again, I've read through many threads regarding CC transfers and know the odds. The CAS at Cornell is the hardest college to enter at the university, and for a CC student, it's that much tougher. But I would still like the try. Cornell seems like a dream school to me with its rural population, gorgeous architecture and location, smaller undergrad student body relative to the UCs, and top-notch academics. I may even make a point to visit Ithaca later this year to get a feel for it, despite the odds. Any replies would be appreciated.</p>

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<p>I wouldnt count on U of C coming from a community college, I heard that Cornell accepts a lot of cc students in NY but I don't know about CA. Northwestern on the other hand is very generous, I was accepted out of a ccc and I know another guy from the 07 transfer class that came from a cc in IL. As for coursework as long as you've taken a wide variety of classes including math and some hard sciences you should be fine, most of the classes I took were in the 100/200 level. I barely had any ECs so I don't think that matters too much, although it obviously would only benefit you if you have good ones (ones that display leadership or individuality). I'd say that you are an average/slightly above average applicant if you have a 3.9 and show an attempt at taking some hard classes, write decent essays, and have decent recs. I'm not trying to bring you down at all, but all of the kids I know who transfered successfully from my cc had at least a 3.8 and finished the honors program (which means they took some hard classes), so a high GPA by itself won't help you that much. Try to differentiate yourself from the other applicants through your essays or ECs.</p>

<p>I wouldn't worry about your HS record at all if you're planning on applying as a junior, but if not, you're definitely going to want to take the SAT/ACT. I wouldn't recommend this because a 3.1 is quite low, and they do take into account HS performance if you're a sophmore transfer.</p>

<p>This isn't part of your question but from what I've seen, you're pretty much in at UCLA and USC as a junior if you've completed IGETC and major reqs with a 3.9, and you also are a strong applicant (but definitely not a sure shot) at CAL.</p>

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<p>I know how you feel. I'm in a similar position. I have a 3.9 after one semester with 3 As and 1 A- and am on track to all As in second semester. I'm in the honor scoiety, honor program and am currently running for student government. Your HS record puts mine to shame, though. Actually any high school record puts mine to shame, I was a D & F student with B's in maths and sciences. I'm hoping to transfer into the Human Ecology department at Cornell.</p>

<p>Fortunately HE has a higher transfer rate, though.</p>

<p>I spoke with a transfer admissions advisor at the HE school and mentioned that I thought being a CC student would put me at a disadvantage. The advisor insisted that it wouldn't. He said they were looking for students with a broad range of knowledge and a clear reason for wanting to study there. I imagine it is similar in the CAS department.</p>

<p>One thing I know is, if you don't apply you won't get accepted. We may be long shots, but I know for a fact that cc students do get accepted into ivies and I think we have just as good a shot as anyone else applying from a cc.</p>

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<p>With a 3.9 gpa and above 30 credits you definitely have a shot at all of the colleges you listed!!! Don't listen to those other people. CC's aren't really looked down upon, once you get above 30 credits your high school grades are not taken into consideration (this i know for sure with USC and the UC's)</p>

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<p>you cant apply to Cornell CAS and U Chicago without SAT scores</p>