Harvard Transfer Advice

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Hey Guys...</p>

<p>I want to transfer to Harvard (obviously name of post) from the University of Rochester.</p>

<p>1860 new SAT score
3.58 High School GPA</p>

<p>I know those suck but I plan to make up for it in college. If i were to get a 4.0 in college taking 18 hours per semester, plus maintaining my extracurricular activities very high, do you think that I have even the slightest chance of getting into Harvard from Rochester? I know realistically that I am below almost all the applicants score/gradewise when it comes to the high school area, but is it possible to make up for this if I did everything right in college? I need to go to Harvard. Please Help.</p>

2

<p>"I need to go to Harvard."</p>

<p>Nobody NEEDS to go to Harvard. You're just being silly, Kid...
I think before thinking about going to Harvard, you NEED to set some priorities straight. By entering college with the mindset that only a certain other school will make you happy, you're in for a tough ride in college. In fact, you're probably in for a tough ride for your adult life.</p>

3

<p>Well actually I was aiming for some college advice, not some psychoanalysis which by the way there is no way you can have an accurate perception of me, since..wait.. you don't know me? Thanks anyway.</p>

4

<p>Well, I just hope you will be ready for disappointment when time comes. Esp. if you do not prepare yourself with other options.</p>

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<p>The statement that "nobody NEEDS to go to Harvard" IS college advice...and sound advice, at that. I second WindCloud's post.</p>

6

<p>What are you planning to take during your first year of college? You should have already had to register for fall semester classes, right?</p>

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<p>I'm taking the following courses</p>

<p>Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
Principles of Economics
Reasoning and Writing in the College (required writing class) probably with an Existentialist Theme or something along those lines.
I will probably switchmeteorites and Impact Craters to Debate
and Neural Foundations of Behavior to something else.</p>

<p>I also plan to do crew. hahah</p>

8

<p>I don't know, your SAT I scores are still low as well as your high school GPA. I might want to retake the SAT I, as 75% of accepted students have 700-800 on the SAT I Verbal and 75% of accepted students have between 690-790 on the SAT I Mathematics for freshmen admission, and for transfer, it only gets tougher.</p>

<p>Your high school GPA is not meaningful; where does a 3.58 place you? Top 10%? Top 25%? </p>

<p>Most newTs (new transfers) come from already highly-regarded schools such as other Ivy League colleges, WUStL, Amherst, Northwestern, UCLA, UC Berkeley, etc. or honors colleges at state schools. There are the occassional few students who are accepted from lower-tier schools. </p>

<p>Hanna, a former transfer herself, has stated that students really want to shoot for minimum 3.8+ GPA as well as a clear reason of why you want to transfer to Harvard. What does Harvard offer that Rochester does not? That is the main question you would want to answer well, as if the admissions committee is not convinced, then you will not be accepted.</p>

9

<p>Before any of us will give you any other decent advise, I'd really like to know why you said "you Have to go to Harvard."</p>

<p>The essay for transfer admissions is probably even more important than for freshman admissions; you need a compelling reason.</p>

10

<p>WindCloudUltra is also a transfer student who will be entering this fall! I wouldn't discount his experiences as hogwash. </p>

<p>WindCloudUltra, have you received a housing assignment yet? :)</p>

11

<p>while you guys are giving advice, could anyone give me some as well...........</p>

<p>I was rejected from harvard along with a few other ivies as a freshman.....
so i am going to attend ucla this fall, i plan on applying to Harvard as a sophomore transfer......</p>

<p>in high school:</p>

<p>my pros: </p>

<p>i had, 3.8 cumulative and 4.2 weighted GPA (ranked 5 out of 500)
I participated in football( CIF finalist team), soccer, and track...
I also volunteered at a junior high school for three years 500+ hours..
was in school asb (student government) and school newspaper.
I am also a Gates Millenium Scholar....</p>

<p>and yeah, i came to US, only three years ago in 2003 and didn't know anything about the system here. Also i am from a low-income family. </p>

<p>cons:
SAT I= 540 critical reading, 570 writing, 660 math (1770)
AP: two 3's, three 2's and two 1's.........
and i am indian..... so the low scores really hurt me...........</p>

<p>i am just not a good test taker.</p>

<p>So far my reason for wanting to transfer is my speculation of how hard it will be to be able to do research etc. at a large public university like UCLA. But its only a speculation, and since i haven't started going there yet it may change, and i might even change my mind about transfering, but its good to prepare, just in case.
Also as much as i hate to admit it, it is also partly the fact that they rejected me.</p>

<p>So yeah that was high school.....</p>

<p>I am going to be a science major, Biology in particularly, and from what i have heard, it is really hard to get a 4.0 as a science major at UCLA....
so if i can accomplish that, along with some decent EC's( i am still looking for some thing that would interest me.........) what kind of chances do have....... and what would make me standout???????? any advice is welcome.</p>

<p>also if somebody can tell me when the application deadline for transfers is, so i can have an idea of how much time i have to do something "distinguishing".</p>

<p>PS: I know....my sat's are low, i will try to take them again, but what else??????????</p>

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<p>You don't apply as a transfer until early second semester/winter term. They need your college grades. So the main thing you need to do is put this aside for at least 5 months and concentrate on becoming the next great freshman at university #1. Only a small number of Harvard transfers arrived at their first school intending to transfer, and I don't think that's a coincidence.</p>

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<p>of course, my main focus is on UCLA for now, my eventual goal is med school, no matter where i finish my undergrad education....... so yeah i will do my best at UCLA and like i said, i might even change my mind, but still just in case i don't and my speculation is correct, it is good to know in advance what i would be getting into.</p>

14

<p>What are my chances for Harvard?
I was valedictorian in HS.
I go to a top 10 university already
I rank in the top 2.5% in my class
My GPA is 3.98 in college.
(I've never had anything lower than an A- since 7th grade)
I take HARD classes - engineering, mathematics, economics
I consider myself to be a good writer
my application essays are honest and tell it like it is
I expect my letters of recommendation to be superb
my weak point - SATs from 3 years ago (below Harvard's 50%-tile)
SAT IIs Math 780, Chem 780</p>

15

<p>What was your score on your SAT I?</p>

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<p>620 Verbal, 740 Math</p>

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<p>OP: there is a 99.9% chance that you will not get into Harvard.</p>

<p>Ivy Transfer: your test scores are low for Harvard but you have everything else going for you, so apply. If you really want to transfer, you should look at other top 10 schools as well.</p>

18

<p>IvyTransfer: Your test scores are well within the range of scores that Harvard accepts. But the Verbal score is definitely a bit on the lower range. Applying as a transfer to Harvard is really hard - in the end, if your reason for transferring to Harvard is compelling enough, then you have a strong chance of being admitted. However, that reason can only come from deep inside you and cannot be "packaged."</p>

19

<p>^^^ excellent point in the last sentence. To all of you wanting to transfer to a school primarily because of prestige, you should think again.</p>

<p>I had 8 schools on my list. As I write the essays, I've realized that I don't/can't package a set of crap reasons to a school I don't really love, so now I'm down to 5. Find a safety and research schools: it is really a great feeling to know you aren't wasting money or bsing your essays.</p>

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<p>What are "compelling" reasons? I'm just curious... (note: I am not a transfer-hopeful :) ).</p>