Hello,
I transferred from one private university to another mid year as a freshman with a 3.5 GPA. I transferred to a public university and chose my major there. I transferred the first time due to financial reasons. I want to transfer again in the fall of 2020 my sophomore year because the public university I transferred to was ONLY for financial reasons. I want to be at either Barnard, Cornell, Brown, Hamilton, or Boston or NYU. I am aware that my high school stats may be highly relied on due to my current status at my public university because my courses are still in progress. My high school GPA is 3.8 and my scores are average. I have done a LOT of EC’s in high school but none in college because I have been transferring not for reasons of choice. I am unsure if I should transfer from my public university right now. But I know I need to because I will ultimately transfer to a different university due to my dislike of the community here. Also I am afraid that I won’t graduate in time at the university I transfer to in the future, so as they say the sooner the better to fulfill the requirements of the university I will transfer to.
Also do EC’s in high school still count?
Overview
3.7 -High School GPA
- average scores
- 3.5 -mid year-freshman college GPA
Questionable Aspects of my future transfer application
- EC’s in college
- average scores 1000
- no potent rec’s due to involuntary upheaval from previous universities
Thoughts, I appreciate ANY feedback!
What is your major?
What university are you at? Are you in-state?
What is your budget?
Did you just start at your current school about a month ago?
What is " average scores 1000"?
Do you mean you have an SAT score of 1000 and want to transfer to “Barnard, Cornell, Brown, Hamilton, or Boston or NYU.”?
My major is Philosophy, I won’t disclose which university I am at but I am in-state. I don’t have a budget but I am certainly looking for a budget that does not include loans. And yes I started at my current school about a month ago. And let’s just say my score was average, the 1000 was an error sorry about that.
Do you think I have enough experiential information to be able to transfer? Suggestions? BTW, Cornell and Brown don’t require you to submit your scores. So I plan not to. Thanks !
With a major of Philosophy, are you thinking of law school sometime in the future?
I would be very surprised if you were accepted to Cornell, but I don’t see any harm in applying. You also have listed some schools that can be expensive (including one that was way over budget for us, we did not apply to others on your list).
I think that your primary focus should be on trying to do well where you are. This includes getting great grades, and trying to find “your people”. Any large public university will have a wide range of students, and will have some very smart and very thoughtful students. It is often easier to find the loud students who drink to excess, but there are lots of other students there.
Yes, I will be attending law school in the very future. Why would you be surprised if I were accepted to Cornell? And if the universities that I listed are expensive what schools assemble packages with no loans ?
Do you think applying to transfer with 60+ is a good idea, because most colleges don’t list the limit that kids should have if transferring soph to junior yr?
“I don’t have a budget” but you “transferred for financial reasons” and you want a “budget that doesn’t include loans” and “schools that assemble packages with no loans”.
People here can give you lots of suggestions, but they start with finances.
Barnard, Cornell, Brown and Hamilton give pretty much only need based aid. NYU famously does not give great financial aid. Have you done an NPC for the schools on your list? Can you afford them?
The only colleges that I know of that have a ‘no-loan’ financial aid policy are:
Amherst
Bowdoin
Brown
Colby
College of the Ozarks
Columbia
Davidson
Harvard
Haverford
Pomona
Princeton
Stanford
Swarthmore
U Penn
Vanderbilt
W&L
Yale
But we put that list together a couple of years ago, so things may have changed.
Also, if your goal is to transfer no matter what, then you need to expand your list, as the acceptance rates for transfers aren’t high at any of them (Cornell’s looks higher, but that includes students coming in through community college articulation programs and deferred first year admits). I am also curious about your list, as they are really different college experiences. Barnard or Hamilton? Cornell or Boston (BC OR BU). You have already transferred once. You want to be very sure before you transfer again that you are choosing the right environment.
Financials: Budget
Also is the no loan policy for the schools that you listed able to be applied to transfers?
The fact that I transferred already has only made me more certain of the environments that I am comfortable being in. Also money wasn’t my main topic of discussion, I need more suggestions for how I look on paper such as stats.
How you look on paper and how much money you need colleges to give you are inextricably linked.
Of the colleges on the ‘no loan’ list, Amherst, Bowdoin, Columbia, Davidson, Hamilton, Harvard, Pomona, Princeton, Stanford, Swarthmore, UPenn, Vandy & Yale are “need blind” for admissions (Brown is for 1st years but not transfers).
So, of the colleges on your wish list, only Hamilton is need-blind for admissions, promises to meet full need and has (or had) a ‘no-loans’ policy. All I know about Hamilton transfers is the raw stat- about 22% of transfer applicants are accepted.
All the others will consider how much money you need when deciding whether or not to admit you. Imo, a 3.5 GPA + ‘average’ SATs + what appears to be a reasonable amount of need + being a transfer makes you a tough admit for Barnard, Cornell & Brown; I don’t know enough about Hamilton, BC/BU to have even a superficial opinion, and imo NYU is unlikely to be affordable in any scenario.
At least you let me down easy. Thank you for the feedback!