Hooks: First Generation, Minority, Consecutive Dean’s List, not much else.
US/Intl: US
ECs: -Currently own and run a federally recognized nonprofit.
-Work with local underserved population with citizenship paperwork; lead and advised newly arrived youth.
-Have a simulated portfolio where I do amateur investment (surprisingly) making profit.
-Do free chemistry tutoring.
@AwakenMyLove : Challenge yourself a little. It is pretty early in the semester. Maybe the courses are too far below you if you easily can project a 4.0 this early. Regardless of how hard you are working, they should be challenging enough so that there is a class or two that brings some uncertainty (You don’t need a skyhigh GPA to transfer hardly anywhere that takes transfers. If you simply kept above 3.7, especially with STEM/pre-med courses, you will remain a shoe in for essentially all transfer options minus very low-transfer in rate places) and that you may have to kind of fight for some. The only way one can easily project a 4.0 is if they specifically planned their course schedule so that it works out that way. As a pre-health, avoid. You have an MCAT to take so the STEM classes need to be good and have components to them that likely make them a bit less predictable. It would be okay if you were coming for the business school or something, but with pre-med you will be held accountable at some point and it ain’t the SAT or ACT. The more skills you can pick up from actual coursework, it seems the easier preparing will be. My only guess is that you are on a trimester or quarter system if you have a GPA.
In addition, in the case that you plan to take or just end up with some of the more challenging courses at whatever school you transfer to, it will make the transition less drastic (unfortunately, for many it is like being a freshman again. You are adjusting to a new environment AND, if you are actually looking for a stronger education at a selective or elite public/private, you are adjusting to more serious competition in curved courses or a much higher workload when there was a 1:1 ratio of grade vs. work output or raw talent at the previous school. Even some students from good honors programs comment on how much they were surprised by how much of the student body studies extremely frequently and how they were not used to it). Some of the best courses will have you working your behind off, and you may have no idea what you will make and you certainly don’t know if you will get an A.
And generally, avoid posting a projected GPA or just say you are on a trimester or quarter. It is confusing to readers and will make us wonder if you are already a sophomore.
Hey, thanks for starting this thread! I am a little worried my HS stats were too low. I was recently rejected from UofM hoping for better results at Emory.
@littlebig98 : Okay, I was just making sure it wasn’t business as they are very wary about some of those transfers. Also, you need to be careful with credit transfer. I imagine you are coming from a 4 year college, but even then they can be stingy.
i recently applied as a business major (transfer). im scared now that i saw ur post… what are they so stingy about and why specifically to business majors?
@basjhb : The issue is the economics credits. I have seen the economics department screw people from certain schools on the economics credits for some reason. While I would argue that intro. economics is NOW more rigorous than it would be at say…a much less competitive state school or perhaps a flagship or competitive with very large section sizes, I saw them being stingy all the way back when Emory Econ. was not under scrutiny by ECAS’s dean. The intro. econ. courses were simpler than they should have been and thus you had grade inflation down there (now, the instructors they select to teach those courses write harder exams and there is a b-school grading distribution. Interestingly before leaving Emory, I was hearing increasing grumbles about 101 and 112 classes having a challenge to it when that was non-existent before. I suspect that the grumbles reflect real changes because the first class to graduate that was effected by econ’s grading curve in core courses actually had a lower average graduating GPA than the previous classes 3.39 vs. 3.34 in a single year which is substantial. I largely attribute it to said changes as economics is the 2nd largest major at Emory after business). I just figure that if they had that policy then, then they may definitely have it now. This can set you back as you have to retake 1 or 2 econ. courses and then take the b-school pre-reqs (DSci and financial accounting) before applying. Technically a way that could help is by taking business economics which will count for both 101 and 112.
ohh i see… thank you!
does @bernie12 OR anybody have any advice for transfer students? I feel like fitting in and getting used to the environment would be pretty tough?
LOR’s: Research professor, psychology professor, and Dean from my college of Science.
Essays: Focused mostly on why I wanted to attend a school with more opportunities especially with neuroscience and a more challenging curriculum.
ECs:
-Medical Scribe at Trauma I Emergency Department (~1 year)
-volunteer for a children’s transitional care, working with special needs kids
write for school newspaper and a political non-profit online newspaper
Model UN delegate and attending international conference in New York
-American Medical Student Association (AMSA) member
-Peer note-taker for special accommodations students
-1.5 years of research and poster presentation at a national conference
-peer math tutor (1 year)
-volunteer baker and on administrative team for a national baking non-profit
-competitions chair (volunteer) for a local non-profit providing a creative outlet and safe space tournament for high school kids in the region
@futur3clssof2o2o : I think you have a solid short and Emory’s neuroscience undergraduate program is one of the best I believe (and that is even if you are considering “more prestigious” or higher ranked schools). However, I will PM because I want to know more of want you are looking for in a biology or neuroscience program because there may be some caveats coming in as a junior transfer to Emory’s NBB programs for reasons I will explain in the PM but spare others from unless someone really wants to know.
College: Top-35 liberal arts college in the northeast
Applying as a: rising sophomore
Major: currently undeclared, applied to the Human Health major in the Common App
High school GPA: 3.95 (my high school did not rank nor give unweighted v. weighted GPAs)
ACT score: 29
College GPA: 3.91 unweighted
Extracurriculars in college:
-Copy editor for college newspaper (paid job)
-member of College Democrats
-Member of a club that pairs students with physically or mentally disabled town citizens to engage in relationship building activities (similar to a ‘Best Buddies’ club)
-Member of Alpha Lambda Delta (first year honor society for top 20% of class)
Extracurriculars in high school:
-four year varsity athlete
-100+ hours of direct community service including Habitat for Humanity
-National Honors Society member
Hooks: mother attended Emory
Really hoping to get in, I applied to 9 other schools but Emory definitely makes it to my top three. Best of luck to all of us!
does anybody know if our gpa from our previous college transfers to emory? I have a pretty nice gpa and it would suck to have to restart on a clean plate…
@basjhb : Of course it resets…it is a completely different institution. However, employers and other opportunities you may be interested in will look at transcripts from all institution.