It’s always been a sort of dream of mine to attend a prestigious university, specifically UChicago (great program in what I want to be in the future). Even though I got rejected, I still want to transfer there from a community college and attend. I know what I’ll do to get my GPA, essays, college ECs, etc. The question is, do high school ECs matter in this process? Because if we’re talking about that, my record is absolutely nothing. I had an art internship, but I could only attend once a week for an hour or so, and I have a few hobbies I don’t even attend to properly (procrastination). My question is: would having almost no high school extracurriculars whatsoever hurt my chances of TRANSFERRING into a university like UChicago (there’s no question that my chances from high school are screwed, I’m talking straight from a 2-year college).
By the way, I’m not in USC if it says I am, that is just a mistake that I made.
Finally, just wanted to post my HS stats to see what you guys think:
GPA:
UW: 3.6
W: Not sure, my school doesn’t weigh GPA
UC GPA: 3.5
Tests:
ACT: 32 (36 on English, 34 on science, 29 on reading, 28 on math)
ACT Retest: 31 (35 on English, 31 on science, 30 on reading, 29 on math)
SAT 2 (Math 2, Biology E): 690 on Biology E, 650 on Math 2
APs:
Took APES exam and got 4, going to take Calc AB, APES again, Stats, Biology, Chem, and Physics 1 (geniunely interested in these subjects)
HS ECs:
i. Art: Going to the same studio for 4-5 years for 2 hours a week (except on winter and summer breaks); begun a 1 hour/week internship in the summer, entered a contest (but didn’t do so well)
ii. Taekwondo: done from 9-11, 45 min a week (I know, a bit short), only got up to green (maybe it was green-blue) belt
iii. Gardening: about 1 hour a week, taking care of the backyard of my house
iv. Learning Unity: Learning how to use Unity to make video games (a course), but just begun, so not sure how much time that takes
What can I do to improve my stats for transferring (if there is any hope)? I intend to major in biology.
Your HS EC’s will no longer carry much weight when you want to transfer into UChic or another school. What I suggest you focus on right now is get straight and solid As in all your subjects
It will also help to find a current professor who can write a killer Letter of Recommendation. Preferably one that knows UChicago and can write how you and the institution are a perfect match.
But what do I do about community college extracurriculars. I know those are very important when trying to transfer to good universities.
I agree with @paxfobiscum. Try very hard to pull in A’s, and not much else, from now on including while you are in community college.
In terms of ECs, participate in the ECs that you want to participate in. If you do what you want to do, then you are likely to do it well. However, don’t let ECs cause your grades to slip.
When it comes time to transfer, consider a range of schools to apply to. Apply to Chicago, but focus your attention on finding good match and safety schools.