Getting rejected as a sophomore lessens a chance to get in as a junior--true or false?

Transfer Students
1

<p>What I said in the title is what I've heard around. But if one can build even more solid application over the year, why would it matter? I'm talking about a really competitive schools to get into (I'm currently attending a school that had a 17-18% acceptance rate for the freshman admission last year.). </p>

<p>I really want to try to transfer as a sophomore and have a really good reason why I need to transfer (major and resource related), but my courses for this semester aren't quite rigorous, because I'm only taking two courses that are equivalent to taking three courses (one is a freshman English seminar and the other is an accelerated beginner's language course; This is my fourth language, and I'm very comfortable with two languages). Because I'm still a freshman, there is no other semesters I use to prove the schools that I'm able to take rigorous courses and do well. I'm planning to take five courses for next semester, but they won't be a part of the GPA for this transfer admission cycle. So, I feel like what I take for the second semester will matter a lot less. I still don't know if I gotta try or not. If I can transfer as a sophomore, I'll be able to take courses I need to take as a sophomore on time, and also become a part of the community easier. But since the chance of getting in is very slight, I want to apply when my chances are better. Can I apply the same school I'm applying this year if I don't get in? Will it hurt the chance when I apply as a junior? </p>

<p>Thank you. </p>

2

<p>First, make sure the school you want to go to accepts sophomore transfers. Next, were your grades in high school fairly high? I assume they were to some extent since you sound like you go to a fairly competitive school. For schools that are Ivy level (maybe actually around the top 25 schools), sophomore transfer chances are highly contingent upon how well you did in high school. Just one or two semesters of college work will probably not cut it for a lot of top tier schools.
If you apply as a junior, you will have more college experience and more to show for on your transcript. This isn’t necessarily better or worse, depending on how well you do this year. </p>

<p>My opinion, try to transfer as a sophomore anyway and if you don’t get accepted, try again for junior year (or spring semester sophomore year if that option is available). </p>

3

<p>Depends on the school you are trying to transfer to. Some schools prefer junior-level transfers over sophomore-level transfers.</p>

<p>Also, if your high school record was not that great, it will be to your disadvantage if you apply as a sophomore-level transfer, since you will not have much of a college record. On the other hand, some schools disregard high school records for junior-level transfers, and those that still use high school records reduce their importance for junior-level transfers, since junior-level transfers have more of a college record.</p>

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<p>@camover‌ @ucbalumnus‌ </p>

<p>Thanks for the reply. I got an okay high school gpa overall but not great. I ended up with 3.8 UW, but I had a bit of senioritis in senior spring, so I actually got A A- B. I got one-on-one Spanish tutoring (because I was learning faster than most students) from my teacher and got an A, but was not included in my GPA. (We were allowed to take 4 courses per a semester at most, because we followed a block schedule and spent 5 hours every week for each course) The fact I got B for Shakespeare disturbs me. </p>

<p>When it comse to standardized tests, I got 750+ on two SAT IIs and 32 on ACT+Writing. My Reading and Science were a bit low, though. I got 34 / 34 / 30 / 30 / 10 (Eng / Math / Reading / Science / Writing (out of 12)). I’m planning to take SAT I this January, but I’m not sure how I’ll do, since I haven’t taken one for a while. I’ll work on it over the winter break, but there is no guarantee that I’ll get a super high score. Do you think these stats will work against me? Would it be better to hold it until next academic year?</p>

<p>Also, all schools I’m thinking about applying to accept sophomore-level transfers, but I don’t know if they prefer junior-level to sophomore-level transfer. Is there any way I can find it out? And neither of you guys mentioned the fact I only took two courses (that are equivalent to three courses credit-wise)… Do you think it won’t matter a lot? I heard colleges see course rigors a lot, and my courses aren’t rigorous. </p>

<p>And if I’m planning to go to an intensive language study-abroad (a language related to what I want to study when I transfer a school) so I can take senior level class in my sophomore spring if I don’t get in. But will the school think I’m irresponsible if I’m taking a spot for the program even if I’m applying for transfer, or would they understand that I’m just getting prepared for the worst case scenario?</p>

<p>Lastly, would getting a rejection as a sophomore transfer hurt a chance as a junior transfer? Any idea?</p>

<p>Okay, TL;DR. Let me summarize what I wanted to ask:

  1. Will my stats from high school will hurt my chance (I’m applying for very hard schools to get in, especially as a transfer student (some of them ~2% Many of them ~9%). I’m trying to think it as a crapshoot, but of course, I do want to get in.)?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is there any way I can find out if the school prefers junior-level transfers to sophomore-level? They don’t explicitly mention whom they prefer on websites. (I already know if they accept sophomore transfers or not)</p></li>
<li><p>Will the fact I’m only taking few courses and very easy one will work against me, even if I take rigorous courses in spring semester? (They aren’t gonna be on the official transcript, although they will be a party of application as a mid-year report)</p></li>
<li><p>If I’m taking a spot for the study-abroad program next fall even if I’m applying for transfer, would the school think I’m irresponsible or would they understand that I’m just getting prepared for the worst case scenario?</p></li>
<li><p>Lastly, would getting a rejection as a sophomore transfer hurt a chance as a junior transfer? Any idea or anecdotes?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks a lot for anyone who’s sharing his / her idea. I’m sorry that my questions are this lengthy. </p>

5

<p>The smaller the college record you have, the more important your high school record will be. If you are applying to schools where your high school record would make it difficult to be admitted as a frosh, it is unlikely that you will be admitted as a sophomore level transfer with only a few college courses.</p>

<p>As far as whether the school categorically prefers junior-level transfers, you can ask the school.</p>

6

<p>@ucbalumnus‌ Thanks for the reply. I think I’m gonna spend more time in this school before I apply for transfer. </p>

<p>But is it easy for a junior to feel they belong to the new school and make a new community? I have nobody around who transferred before, so I’m wondering if there’s anybody experienced out there. How’s college life as a junior transfer? Anyone? </p>

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<p>Presumably, the college life varies significantly by college.</p>

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<p>Of course, it doesn’t only vary by college but by a person. But I do think there’s general experience transfers might share while they try to become a part of the community. FYI, I’m specifically speaking about a private research universities that have 5000-7000 undergrad students. </p>