<p>I am a freshman at Columbia College, Columbia University. While happy with the academics, I am looking for a more typical college experience and a more normal student body. I finished my first semester with a 3.79, taking 5 classes and writing for the school newspaper. In HS, I had a 3.9 and a 1450 SAT. My SAT 2 writing was an 800. I am looking to transfer to the following schools and was wondering about my chances?</p>
<p>-UPENN
-Brown
-Dartmouth
-Harvard</p>
<p>Thank you all.</p>
<p>if you got into columbia i'd say you would be in at upenn, brown and dartmouth.</p>
<p>harvard... you have a better shot than most but still a lottery ticket for everyone</p>
<p>How do you mean a "more normal student body". Seems to me all those schools have student bodies that wouldn't be too radically different from Columbia's.</p>
<p>cozey, i would grab your spot at Columbia in a millllllasecond</p>
<p>hey, i go to barnard, and i was just wondering about your decision to transfer.. do you think penn would really be that different from columbia? i think it'd be a bit more focused on campus, but even more of the "frat boy let's get drunk every night of the week" that i was shocked to find in such abundance at columbia. is that what you want? won't you miss new york?</p>
<p>just stay there.. sheesh.</p>
<p>Y17k- I would first like to thank you for your helpful response, since that is what I came to this board looking for.
2331clk- Have you ever been to these schools? Each has a very distinct student body, and while each has its flaws, I am looking for a school where people walk with their heads up and smile at you when you look at them.<br>
bball87- i wish you the best of luck
scarfmadness- yea, i just visited penn and the student body is radically different...while the frat culture is there, a) they are real frats not pretend ones like they are at cu b) you can take it or leave it and there are no pretentious "hipsters" who are so insecure, that they hate anything that reminds them of the people that beat them up in high school. In conclusion, I fear many of you are looking to transfer for prestige reasons and thus may have a hard time understanding my wish to explore the option of transferring. Any helpful advice would be appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>Brown took a bunch of Tulane students who are now going back - doesn't that mean that they have transfer spots open?</p>
<p>Most schools took Tulane students (I had a guy from Tulane in one of my classes last quarter at NU.) That means there will be no transfer spots opening because of them.</p>
<p>I don't see Harvard in your future, but the others on your list look possible. Given that you want to go somewhere that has "real" frats and a "normal" student body, I'd guess Harvard isn't for you, anyway. Not sure Brown is the place to avoid "hipsters".</p>
<p>If you're looking for some place friendlier, I could see Dartmouth (and it definitely has frats), but I wonder why you have limited yourself to Ivy League schools. How about LACs: Williams? I'd suggest you really try to pin down what is making you unhappy and then compile a list based on what you're seeking (smaller? less urban? preppier? different part of the country? residential colleges?) instead of just picking some Ivies that don't have a lot in common.</p>
<p>3.9 and a 1450 SAT</p>
<p>i had right around there, and got rejected</p>
<p>feel blessed u got in.....</p>
<p>i think that you'd like duke a lot- academically, and socially as it definitely has a better frat scene, better weather as well (:</p>
<p>Hey Cozey!!!</p>
<p>You are me 5 years later!! I had a 3.9 in HS, a 1470, went to Columbia College and got into Dartmouth, Brown, Duke, and Harvard as a transfer!! I only had a 3.45 GPA first semester, but I had very strong ECs (I co-founded Columbia Community Outreach, etc). I bet you will get into Brown, have an excellent shot at Penn and Dartmouth, and might get into Harvard (I was shocked I got in). </p>
<p>BTW- I think transferring for social reasons is absolutely worth it. I transferred to Dartmouth and I also wanted to leave Columbia because of the social scene and honestly the people. I felt like people at Columbia looked at you funny because you smiled or happened to wear Cargo pants one day. When I originally went to Columbia I thought there would be countless opportunities to do things, but I found that all people did was drink too - except at Columbia they didn't drink with each other. Even the frats locked their doors and outside of rush week were cliquey. There just wasn't the school spirit (and I don't mean sports teams) I was looking for. I remember sitting at 1020 one night and thinking "is this really what I want from College?" I hate angst lol!</p>
<p>I chose Dartmouth because of the people and because it was so transfer friendly - a small school with sophomore summer (so I could meet my entire class) and a tight community. It fulfilled my ever expectation, and socially was incredibly easy to assimilate into. People are so friendly and happy and there are a few reasons why its especially easy to find a niche (1 - frats rush sophomore year so you rush with your class, 2) Sophomore summer you meet your entire class (BIGGEST Dartmouth advantage), 3) Quarter system so its much easier to do study abroad as a transfer, 4) people are incredibly open to meeting new people, 5) you go on full orientation so you meet all the freshmen AND all the transfers unlike some other schools, 6) some of the best housing on campus. I found a real academic niche and honestly I had a great time even studying (Dartmouth library is very social and I loved the classes). The social scene is amazing, every frat has an open door policy and the entire campus gets an email with the big frat parties. Literally brothers make everyone feel at home, when playing beer pong it isn't "brothers only" like some b.s. frats at Columbia. Basically people make circuits from house to house and head to the big parties at midnight. The coolest thing also is the frats are down to earth, none of this intense elitism nonsense. You get a sense at Dartmouth that everyone likes everyone else, so much less judgemental. </p>
<p>While I felt like a number at Columbia in a big university (CUID, ACIS account, stand in a fast-food like line to talk to the financial aid office), Dartmouth was like home (even the President of the college tries to get to know as many students as he can). Dartmouth gave me a $8K grant to do my thesis research in the Marshall Islands, and when I started a company after graduation the college gave me free office space in Hanover and was very helpful in securing my company a very talented board of directors. Its just a totally different experience. </p>
<p>I go to Columbia for grad school now and every once in a whilewalking down Columbia's steps I smile thinking how glad I am to be here as a grad student - but even happier knowing how lucky I was to transfer. You leave Dartmouth feeling like a member of a family, you just don't get that at Columbia. </p>
<p>Transferring was the best decision I have ever made in my life. God bless Dartmouth College.</p>
<p>I know I plugged Dartmouth hard, but I have also heard amazing things about the other schools on you list. My good friend from Columbia transferred to Brown and loved it. I visited Brown four times during College and I know I would have loved it too, its different than Dartmouth, but a totally cool different. I hate to on rip Columbia - but these other colleges blow it away socially. </p>
<p>Good luck and feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Most people who attended any school from the Hurricane aera did so on a special or visiting student basis, meaning they don't play any role on the number of openings for transfer admission.</p>
<p>I hope that is true, stateandmadison</p>
<p>"Y17k- I would first like to thank you for your helpful response, since that is what I came to this board looking for.
2331clk- Have you ever been to these schools? Each has a very distinct student body, and while each has its flaws, I am looking for a school where people walk with their heads up and smile at you when you look at them.
bball87- i wish you the best of luck
scarfmadness- yea, i just visited penn and the student body is radically different...while the frat culture is there, a) they are real frats not pretend ones like they are at cu b) you can take it or leave it and there are no pretentious "hipsters" who are so insecure, that they hate anything that reminds them of the people that beat them up in high school. In conclusion, I fear many of you are looking to transfer for prestige reasons and thus may have a hard time understanding my wish to explore the option of transferring. Any helpful advice would be appreciated, thanks. "</p>
<p>As a pretentious hipster, and one attempting to leaving Penn, I can assure that you'll like it. Also; everyone else I know who transferred to Penn is less qualified than you. Good luck.</p>
<p>i am not sure if that is true stateandmadison. tulane is offering all sorts of scholarships to get people back.</p>
<p>None of the Ivy league schools allowed students from the Gulf Coast to enter as transfers. Every single one of them allocated some spots for visiting students only. </p>
<p>Those who transferred out of Tulane didn't transfer into any of the Ivy League schools. I also know that Gulf Coast kids who went to Northwestern enrolled in SCS and not in any of the Evanston undergrad schools ala Medill, Weinberg etc. </p>
<p>In reference to the above statement, no one transferred into Brown from the Gulf Coast. Brown only allowed students from the Providence area who were willing to commute to Brown to matriculate as visiting students.</p>