Getting out of business school (& chance me)

Transfer Students
1

<p>I'm sorry this is lengthy. I tried to keep it succinct, but I wanted to make sure I got everything down that was of some importance. Here we go...</p>

<p>I told myself not to think about transferring until the first semester was over in order to make sure that I didn't get distracted from studying and get bummed out at the school I go to. I actually managed to stick to my goal for the most part, so now I'm starting the college search over again.</p>

<p>I go to a business school in MA, and it's really only a business school. I knew this when I decided to matriculate, but I now realize that business really isn't my thing. I mean, I'm still interested in pursuing something related to economics, but I need to do more than learn how to fill out income statements and balance sheets. My school is very good at what it does, but I really don't think that this has turned out to be a good fit for me. Academically I wouldn't be able to take advantage of my potential within the curriculum (not that it isn't difficult, but there is little that truly interests me) and the campus isn't as culturally active as I was hoping. A performing arts program doesn't exist. I figured I'd be able to go elsewhere in Boston to satisfy the musician and actor in me, but it's far more difficult than I was expecting (and also gets pricey as the quality of instruction increases) and I think I'd much rather be at a school where people have similar extracurricular interests as me.</p>

<p>In a perfect world, I'd be able to transfer to a research university with an undergrad program of about 4,000-6,000 students where I could major in economics or a business program but also double major or double minor in fields unrelated to business (music is a possibility, but I've considered things like History and French a little more seriously). School spirit and a generally active campus is a pretty big deal. I keep myself really busy, which is something that has made me stick out at the school I'm at now. (I think its fair that I've learned the difference between someone who is laid back and someone who is just lazy this past semester.)</p>

<p>I'm not entirely sure what my options are in terms of where I can get in. My stats, posted below, aren't fantastic but are improving. I've been told to consider waiting until I can transfer as a junior so that less weight is put on my HS record, but doing this would shorten the time for me to enjoy the college experience that I want to enjoy, and it would also probably mean spending more money in the long run. I'm set to finish most of my GenEd requirements by the end of this year meaning that most of the coursework I complete if I stay will not be transferable to another school unless I stay in a business program (which may not be the case).</p>

<p>Schools I've been considering are Yale, BC, Wesleyan, Northwestern, NYU (which doesn't match up size-wise), and UPenn. My chances of getting in to especially the first and last schools on that list are slim so I may not actually follow through with the application. Those schools aren't very easy to get into and my HS stats don't match up with them, but each school offers me the ability to major in econ (or in a business program) while being able to take classes elsewhere so that I'm fulfilling more than just my business interests. I've considered smaller LACs, but most are in a rural setting that is absolutely not where I am happy, and no quality of education could probably change my opinion. I love my proximity to Boston now (about 20 minutes), so I'm definitely more of an urban/suburban kind of guy.</p>

<p>So in terms of stats...
1st Semester GPA: 3.7-3.8 (will stay the same or improve next semester)
1st Semester Courses: World of Business, Legal Environment, Social Behavior in Organization, Expository Writing 1, Calculus I, and Information Tech (advanced section).
2nd Semester Courses: Calc II, French for Business, History of China, Sociology, Philosophy, and Comparative Gov't (if a section opens up)
Extracurricular Stuff: VP of RHA for my hall and Co Music Director of A Capella. I also work in Web Services as a Student Producer and I'm the project manager for the business plan my team created in World of Business (unique because we have the first plan in the program's history to continue development after the plan was due. We plan to have our service, a online health network for college students, public by mid Spring.)</p>

<p>HS GPA: ~3.3 (3.0 freshman year but improved to a 3.6 senior year)
Coursework: Generally pretty challenging. AP/Honors curriculum 11th and 12th grade. I went to a small private school and had a very good relationship with most of the faculty and administration.
ACT: 28 (E-33, M-27, R-29, S-23... ew. I got a 25 in science the first time I sat the exam. I plan to retake the ACT on the Feb. 09 test date. I know I can get into the 30s.)
I won't be submitting anything from the College Board. I'm bad at standardized testing to begin with, and those exams pretty much exploited that fact.
I did a lot of extracurricular stuff in high school: student government, rowing, tennis, skiing, musical theatre, straight plays. I also worked as a self employed web developer (a legit one, not a rinky-dink HTML kid) throughout high school and have some interesting projects that have lead to some unique experiences. The diversity of my interests in high school was something that I was hoping I'd be able to carry on into college, but the school I'm at now hasn't been conducive to pursuing most of the things I am interested in.</p>

<p>I apologize again for how long this got and thanks for reading if you've made it this far. If you guys have any suggestions for where I can look it would be very much appreciated. I figure this is probably the best place to get multiple, varying opinions on my situation so hopefully I'll be able to get a better idea of where to look and what I can expect in terms of what applicant pools I'd be competitive in. Thank you!!</p>

2

<p>I understand where you’re coming from as far as wanting to be in a more well rounded academic environment, and doing it sooner rather than later due to your change in interest and the fact that 2nd year coursework would not be transferable.</p>

<p>That said, I have to be honest in saying that your list is extremely unrealistic. Given your HS record and test scores, which will be given more weight than your college gpa, I’m not sure you have a viable chance at any of those schools. While your stats are improving, they are not doing so fast enough for a soph transfer.</p>

<p>You should take a look at last year’s results threads and see what type of stats people had who successfully transferred to these schools:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/503123-2008-official-transfer-results.html?highlight=2008+transfer+results[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/503123-2008-official-transfer-results.html?highlight=2008+transfer+results&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m afraid you are going have to do more compromising as far as your criteria for a college (size, location, selectivity, etc.) in exchange for a more conducive academic situation. I’m afraid that sticking with this list will end in major disappointment.</p>

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<p>You mentioned you didn’t want a pricy school, but all the schools on your list are pricy!
To be blunt, Yale is out of reach. Please don’t be offended - Yale’s transfer acceptance rate is SO low, they’ve outrighted rejected 4.0 Valedictorians who do tons of research, are president of like 5 clubs, and have 2300+ SAT’s. I’m not telling you not to apply cause it’s your dream, but the acceptance rate is around 1-2% and people a lot more qualified than you have been outright rejected. </p>

<p>Your chances at BC, NYU, and Wesleyan are much better than Yale, if I were you I would really focus on those schools. NYU doesn’t really have “school spirit” but we do have a very active campus and tons of cultural stuff, as it’s NYC. Stern will be really tough for you, but I’m assuming you’re going to apply to CAS-Economics and pick a minor in the Arts? CAS is still tough but you still have a chance. Since it’s a reach and you really don’t like where you are currently, maybe a safety or 2? Have you thought about Northeastern? Fordham?</p>

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<p>Thanks for the quick feedback. I went through the thread you recommended and while Penn and Yale (as I was expecting) are obviously not really practical, are my chances at Wesleyan and BC truly that slim? While I get that my HS transcript isn’t going to be pretty, junior and senior year were both considerable improvements, my college GPA is going to be very good (especially for the school I’m at) and I will have (assuming I don’t have the flu on test date) a 31/32 ACT. I’ve been hoping that the fact that I’ve made the improvement to the A-/A range while in college would be something that I could have going for me.</p>

<p>Additionally, does it help at all that my essays will be pretty good (covering all the bases of my situation and presenting it in a manner that is truly me)? I’m pretty confident that my college professors’ recs will be pretty impressive, too, as will my high school’s report. And lastly, is submitting the arts supplement for classical piano (I do meet the “talent standard”) going to help at all?</p>

<p>From the start I’ve been planning to bank on the 3.7+ GPA I now have, my essays, and my recs. If anyone can give me some recommendations as to where else I can look it’d be awesome (especially if someone can come up with a plan as to how I wouldn’t end up kicking myself if I stayed at the school I’m at now until my GPA buried my HS record).</p>

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<p>(I started my last reply before yours, stargazer, so…)</p>

<p>I love Yale, but I try to keep things in my head as practical as possible. It can be tough to do because of how optimistic I can get, but there’s an actual application fee to be paid which has kept me in check this time around. And thank you for being bluntly honest :). Being told the truth in this situation is far better then spending the money and emotional distress to get rejected.</p>

<p>I spend a lot of time in NYC (I’ve interned at a brokerage house for 3 summers) and to be honest this puts NYC lowest on my list. I’m very, very lucky to find myself not relying on college to get a job (even though iBanking’s a nightmare right now), and while NYC/NYU fosters an incredible cultural atmosphere and would give me tons of opportunities to pursue what I’m interested in, it’s lacking of a true campus with that traditional college feel make me a little concerned as to how much I’d like it. I love living there, but I think when it boils down to it, I’d rather take a few years to experience something a bit more traditional and then go back to the city to become a slave to the market.</p>

<p>Also, on the pricey school topic, money is something I’m considering but after it is all said and done. I know I just mentioned I’m not relying on college for my career after it (I’m lucky because of the network I’ve built with people in good places who like me, i guess), but in the event that a piece of my network fails or I just want to try something else, companies like Goldman Sachs or Google have never set foot on the campus of my state school (and won’t for awhile). While it might be cheaper to attend a state school, the (unfortunate) name recognition the companies like these look for would essentially pay it of if things went to plan. Name recognition is what has delayed the application process for an internship I’m trying to get at a pretty important social networking site because I continually have to prove myself through puzzles instead of getting straight to the interview like the students at the recruited school were able to do.</p>

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<p>I do not know where people are getting their info from, but I think you have a fair chance at some of these schools. If you look at the transfer acceptance rates</p>

<p>Yale - accepts less than 5%; probably out of reach, sorry.
BC - exceptionally hard to transfer into compared to regular admission, but still possible.
Wesleyan - ???
Northwestern - very high transfer rate, transfer friendly.<br>
NYU - high transfer rate, transfer friendly.
UPenn - probably one of the easier schools in the ivy league to transfer into minus cornell.</p>

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<p>You could argue that these schools are self selective, but I think, with work on your standardized test scores, that some of the schools on your list are well within reach with some good recommendations, essays, and some hard work.</p>

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<p>Coming from Babson?</p>

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<p>If you read the 2007 Transfer Stats sticky post a little further, you’ll see that some of these stats are not accurate or date back to 2006.</p>

<p>Honestly, Yale is probably out of reach and U Penn is a high reach as well. Northwestern is known for being transfer friendly, so you’ve got a shot there, but be aware that they aren’t known for having the best financial aid. Wesleyan has a transfer rate of a little over 20% and BC’s is like 16%, so you have a chance but it’s going to be difficult to get in. I think you might have to sacrifice a little in what you want if you’re going to come up with safer options. U Wisconsin-Madison would put you in a small city, and they’re much more transfer friendly, though it’s a lot bigger than what you want. U Michigan would be about the same. Macalester is smallish and has similar rates to Wesleyan and BC but would put you in St. Paul. There’s also Rice if you didn’t mind heading South, which would put you in Houston with a school your ideal size. Their rate is around 26%. Georgetown is the right size and in DC with a transfer rate of 23%.</p>

<p>I know you want to get a really good undergrad education in econ/business and have all the other undergrad opportunities in the big city. But what you might want to consider doing is trying for a less respected program that’s still pretty decent where you could prepare for an awesome grad school program and still have the opportunities you want in other areas. Alternately, you could wait it out till next year and keep your GPA up and have a teensy bit better chance at top schools. It all depends on what you want the most. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, everyone. Would any of the southern NESCAC schools in addition to Wesleyan be a possibility for me? Going further south, do my stats line up with a school like Emory (I’ve been told its similar to Rice)? While these schools wouldn’t be easy for me to get into, they seem to be the few that have the most characteristics of what I’m looking to get out of the next three years.</p>

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<p>I was sure I mentioned Emory in my other post…Guess not. Emory is nice for a Southern school, within your size range, and more liberal than most schools around here, IMO. Atlanta’s a pretty cool city too. They always have awesome concerts there, compared to Columbia, SC, where I live, so I’m always jealous, haha. Their acceptance rate is right about the same as Rice’s. One thing about them that I think is better than Rice is that Emory has many more OOS kids–Rice is like half Texans. You could also try Washington University in St. Louis. I don’t know much about them though. Don’t know how either of them are for econ/business either.</p>

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<p>Keep yourr eye on the education ball as Wall Street is changing, and unless your dad runs a PE firm, the connected are having a muchh harder time breaking in if they are not top students at target schools.</p>

<p>I’d have to agree Yale is out of reach, and so is Penn if you’re talking Wharton. Given your high school stats, transferring as a junior will help you get into better schools. Many schools will ot take an SAT/ACT score from a exam taken after you begin college, so check with your schools.</p>

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<p>it sounds like you’re from Babson or Bentley.</p>