Someone recently told me, “You know the school has an acceptance rate of 11%, but you don’t realize 89% of students get rejected.”
This really gave me some perspective.
As an URM, low-income, 19 year old prospective double transfer student -this really struck my confidence. I have a GPA of 3.51, I transferred out of my school freshman year (I’m about to be a sophomore next month). Now, I already know I want to
transfer to a prestigious university for my junior year. I didn’t study in highschool because I had a rough life at home, so my secondary school grades are poor.
HS GPA. 2.7
ACT:23
Extracurriculars: research intern, debate, puppy rescue, and office of financial aid student counselor.
I’m studying to re-take the ACT (target score: 31). I want to transfer to Emory, Vanderbilt, Cornell’s IRL, UPenn, or Columbia.
Hey man saw your comment about me on the other post just wanted to let you know that he edited the post to be more concise and now it makes me look jealous but at the time it was valid.
As for your chances I would stick around at what ever school you are at now until you are applying for law school (assuming this based on username). While you are there focus on being the best student you can. You can always try but double transfers never look very good at admissions officers.
I don’t think your high school GPA matters at this point, but I could be wrong. Agree with @DadTwoGirls. If you think those schools are selective when it comes to freshmen, they’re even more so when it comes to transfers. Stay where you are and work on your grades.
I think this is very unrealistic for UPenn, Cornell, and Columbia with that GPA, especially if you go to a community college. The other two are a stretch but possible. Also, You don’t have to submit ACT scores as a junior transfer (at least as far as I am aware).
Why don’t you apply to some colleges with higher transfer acceptance rates? How are you going to get into Harvard law with a 3.5 GPA? I probably would have got rejected with my close-to-4.0 gpa at UNC. You have to manage your expectations and goals.
Wow. @ceilingroofgoat I’m not going to apply with 3.5 gpa. I’ll raise my gpa to 3.8+ by the time I graduate -which means straight A’s from now on- and coupled with an excellent LSAT Score, Recs, ECs, and Essay. I’d say I have a decent chance at top 5 law schools. So don’t tell me to manage my goals you pessimist.
I’d love to message you in a few years. I go to a nationally recognized university in Boulder, CO.
Yeah!! You best believe I’ll have a 3.7 gpa by the time transfer applications are due!! Cornell’s ILR School doesn’t require ACT (and even if it did I’m re-taking for 30+), most colleges emphasizes college grades. As I previously stated, my ECs, Essays, and other aspects of my application will be stellar.
With that perspective, I do stand a chance. I will not be discouraged no matter the situation I’m in, and that’s what will make me ultimately succeed !
Maybe I shouldn’t of introduced myself as a low-income URM, I know that description is packed with negative connotations to it, and most people are prone to their implicit bias. But I hope that’s not the reason why I received mostly negative comments that don’t believe in my unrealized potential.
People don’t realize your potential because you have not proved anything. Right now you have a 3.5 GPA at a top 100 university and a 23 ACT score. The rest is talk, and talk is cheap. Put the work in and prove everyone wrong.
Well, the schools you named are selective, your grades are not eye-popping, and you’re planning to attend your third school in three years, which will be held against you. It’s pretty honest to say you might have problems with your plan.
Why did you transfer to school 2 if you’re looking for an exit before you’ve even started?
Right? What’s wrong with UC Boulder and how would he know before even spending a day there. If he’s truly talented enough to get into Harvard law school, it’s not like UC Boulder is gonna hold him back.
First, realize that no one here knows you. No one is talking about your potential, or trying to discourage you-- they don’t know you. They’re reacting to the numbers you’ve presented, and the numbers at the schools you’re hoping to apply to.
You have a plan of attack: you’re going to really concentrate on your schoolwork and pull those numbers up. And you want to know whether that will be enough.
I’m no expert-- it seems to me that what you want is the Common Data Set from each of the schools you’re hoping to apply to.
And you mention that you’re “low income” so apply to places you have a shot at being able to afford. There’s no point in mortgaging your entire future with loans if that’s avoidable.
But the line from your OP really resonated with me: that a school with an 11% acceptance rate has an 89% rejection rate. So don’t apply to just schools with those sort of numbers, make sure there are some “matches” in the schools to which you apply.
And this isn’t about being an URM or hoping for Harvard Law or anything else, this is simply probability.
I transferred from a state school because the opportunities there were limited (academic/EC). Although I knew I eventually wanted to transfer to one of the schools I posted earlier, I didn’t want to waste another year at my previous school. And I knew I needed to prove myself with additional good grades before I could make my (big) transfer. @AroundHere