Hi- I posted on here earlier in the school year but would like your feedback given that I have completed my first semester of college. I am currently attending American University (I am undeclared in the College of Arts and Sciences, but am interested in journalism and possibly business). I am starting to begin the process of applying as a transfer student for Fall 2018. Here’s everything that I feel is relevant- I would love to hear your feedback. Thank you in advance!
Why I want to transfer:
I have never had strong feelings about AU and ultimately ended up choosing AU after not gaining admission to most of my top choice schools. On paper AU fits the description of what I was looking for in a school, but it never felt right in person. This initial feeling has been amplified as I have found that what I wanted as a junior/senior in high school isn’t what I want today. To make things short, I have come to the conclusion that I either want to go to an urban school right in the city where the city itself is a huge part of your college experience, or I want to attend a school that has a greater sense of community and school spirit (more of a quintessential college experience). AU has felt like an awkward in-between where there is very little diversity in thought and the only relevant career path is something along the lines of politics or public service (this is of course an exaggeration, but it sums up my experience thus far). Also, I am interested in applying to public schools- while money isn’t an issue for my family, I just don’t feel that AU is worth the $60,000 price tag.
About myself:
I am a white female from Texas. I attended one of the top 5 private high schools in Texas (our school did not compute GPAs/had an alternate grading system, but I struggled in math and science from 9th-11th grade, did well in humanities-based classes, and finished out my senior year with what was the equivalent of all A’s- overall, my grades from the beginning of HS were a major weakness of mine in applying to college). My ACT score was a 33. I dedicated most of my time to volleyball, playing school, club and beach, was a member of the National Charity League, partook in a mentorship program created to help middle school students hoping to become first-generation college students, was a member of my school’s politics club, and created a volleyball-themed Instagram account that currently has over 130,000 followers (this sums up most of my extracurriculars). As a senior I applied to Dickinson College, Connecticut College, Georgetown, Trinity University, Villanova, AU, University of Denver, Fordham, University of Richmond and Boston College. I was accepted by AU, Trinity, Villanova and Dickinson, and I was waitlisted by Fordham and Connecticut College.
Over the summer I began working for an international furniture company, filming, editing and producing videos for them along with contributing for their blog- I still work them. In terms of on-campus involvement, I am a member of Spoon University (making videos/writing for them), I am a social media assistant for one of my school’s publications, and I will be rushing next month.
As stated earlier, I am currently undeclared in the College of Arts and Sciences, but I plan on applying as a journalism major. I took 16 credits in the fall, ultimately ending up 3 A’s, 2 A-'s and a 3.876 GPA (I’m not sure how relevant this is, but I also received an email from the dean of the school of communications indicating that I was a top performer in one of my communications classes and that I should consider an SOC major).
Where I am currently planning on applying:
NYU
University of Texas
Boston University (dad is an alum)
Vanderbilt
Michigan
UNC
Georgetown (this was my dream school- I’m hesitant about applying now considering that it would be a major reach/I’m not sure if it fits what I still want, but I may apply)
I’d love to hear if you have more suggestions on where to apply (especially if you have suggestions for “safety” kind of schools, it’s definitely something the list is lacking). I’d also love to hear what you think my chances are of getting into any of these schools- I know that it varies each year depending on how many open spots there are, but I’d still appreciate your input anyway.
Thank you so much! Apologies for the length haha