I am going to be at IU- Bloomington this Fall and I don’t think I will fit in there very well. I was looking at colleges to transfer to and was wondering if anyone could chance me based on my high school stats or potential 1st semester college GPA.
Colleges I am looking to transfer to in preferential order:
- Trinity College (dream school, but was unsure about it not having a finance major so I didn’t apply. I was rather uninformed a year ago.)
- Boston College (I read they don’t do mid-year freshman transfers, but I could potentially wait a year)
- NYU (Very costly school, but it is highly respected on the Street)
- Northeastern (Applied out of HS and didn’t get accepted)
High school credentials:
- Junior/Senior year GPA: 3.7 (weighted)
- 2 APs: Chem and English (Still waiting on scored, expecting a 3 and 4 respectively)
- ACT comp: 26 writing: 9 (I could easily retake this)
- Ex-curriculars: Band for 5 years (marching for 2), golf team, started club with peers
- Class rank: top 30-25% (not an extremely competitive school, but most of my friends all had the same GPA so they made up most of the 25% and above)
College credentials:
- Financial aid: My parents are paying the loan off for school, but I’m not sure how this affects my chances of getting in.
- Need based aid: I currently do not qualify for any need based grant or scholarship, but my parents did have to take out a loan.
- Major: Finance (currently, but econ if I go to Trinity)
- Ideal/realistic(?) college GPA: 3.4-3.7 (this is completely based on how well I did in high school and AP classes and could be completely skewed from reality)
Besides the credentials, I have a solid story and a drive to do well in a place that I will be happy (Trinity) and I would appreciate any helpful advice given on this board.
(Please do not tell me to “Give IU a shot.” or “Not judge a school before you are there.” because I’ve already heard that. Helpful advice only, please.)
You’re planning to transfer before you even get there. Why are you even going? Why not take a gap year?
There are a couple things that give me pause on responding to your questions. For one, your parents are taking out loans for IU. The loans would be MUCH greater at NYU. Is that fair to them? Second, your HS record isn’t very impressive. A 26 ACT and 3.7 WGPA is just not all that great. Also, I wonder what your full HS UWGPA is. Trying to transfer during freshman year will mean they will mostly use your HS record.
If you really do want to work “on the Street” then I think IU may be your best bet.
Agree with Erin’s Dad. To arrive at a place hoping to transfer is a bad idea. Take the gap year and reapply. If I were your folks, I’d refuse to even consider providing financial support for the plan you are proposing.
Although colleges will ask for your SAT/ACT scores if you are transferring before junior year, they will NOT be impressed by new, higher scores from a college student. You are expected to do better on the tests. I do not see NYU/Stern (presuming that’s what you are interested in) happening at all, either academically or financially. It is even more selective for transfers than it is for freshman admissions. There is no reason to presume that you will be more attractive as a mid-year freshman transfer. They might be more accommodating if you applied as a junior, but that involves thriving at Bloomington for the next two years. Once you’ve done that, you might decide to stay.
Yes, I am fully aware that a 26 on the ACT and 3.7 weighted (I don’t know my UW because it doesn’t say on PowerSchool) is neither impressive nor good enough (I’ve made some mistakes). I’m also aware that I am not a match for any of the schools I am looking to transfer to (Especially NYU, don’t even know why I bothered to throw that in there), I was just looking for some insight on how I will look to these stretch colleges as a transfer.
Money keeps being brought up, but that is really not the issue at hand, my parents just want to send me somewhere that I will be content. (NYU would put a large dent in the band account, though, no argument there. Considering I was even granted admission in the first place.)
As for the SAT/ACT score, retaking it and moving up two points wouldn’t help me? Would it be that insignificant of a change for colleges to see?
AFAIK colleges will not consider updated SAT/ACT scores from college. The tests were made for HSers.