<p>I'd like to transfer after my freshman year to a very good school, but my high school GPA doesn't really make me look like the ideal applicant on paper. It's basically like this..</p>
<p>9th grade : did terrible
10th grade: did terrible
11th and 12th: had a near 4.0</p>
<p>I had very good reasons for why I did poorly as an underclassmen. so I'll be able to explain to them. I'm certain I'll have a 4.0 after my freshman year while taking a difficult course load. So do you think that's enough time for the schools to realize that I'm the type of student who belongs there although it may look a little different on paper, technically ???</p>
<p>Well, what was your final GPA in high school (overall) and what schools are you looking at. Some won't look at freshman grades, so you're 11th/12th grade GPAs will have more weight, but most look at the entire high school GPA. If you are trying to get into a selective university where they view your high school GPA (all 4 years) then one year at a college probably won't be good enough to offset the high school GPA. Regardless of the fact that you greatly improved during your last two years, for transfers they'll mainly be looking at the overall GPA and your college GPA. But then again, it also depends on your circumstances.</p>
<p>my final GPA I think was like a 2.1. When I say I did terrible as an underclassmen I really mean terrible. UNC and UVA are at the top of my list of schools that I want to go to. The circumstances I went through were quite serious and I think they'd understand that.</p>
<p>Ok well just my advice an upward trend in the last two years will not be enough. If you really like UVA, it would be best to go to a Virginia Community College where it is relatively easy to transfer into UVA. UNC is not too difficult to transfer into, even OOS, from what I hear.</p>
<p>I am almost positive you'll need two years of college work to get accepted to UVA and most likely the same for UNC. Good luck.</p>
<p>brand may be right, but depending on your circumstances and the essays your write and your recommendations, one year of college (it will really only be one semester when you are submitting the apps) <em>might</em> work. I'm not sure if it's worth it to rush the transfer apps.</p>
<p>If you'd like to post more here about what school you will be going to and what courses you will be taking, we might be able to advise further. Or, come back and post more when you have some mid-term results from college.
Or PM me if you'd like someone to comment on your situation in more detail.</p>
<p>Good luck. The kind of upward trend you describe is very important. Whether it will get you into UNC-CH or UVA is hard to tell. But it will get you success in life and at a good college, for sure.</p>
<p>I'll be going to a 3rd tier private school. About half of my first year classes will be pre-med courses and the other half will be some core classes. I realize that it would unrealistic to apply for the fall of my sophmore year because the app deadlines are before midterms of 2nd semester, so I think I'll probably apply for the spring semester. My grades and ec's while in college won't be an issue because transfering to another school isn't my main goal, getting into a good med school is so I'd need to have those grades anyways.</p>
<p>wow...certain you'll have a 4.0 in college?</p>
<p>that's not an easy thing to do especially if you're in premed</p>
<p>just think of all those yucky calculus based physics courses (<em>barf</em>)
i'm not saying that you can't do it but it just MIGHT not be as easy as you think</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
wow...certain you'll have a 4.0 in college?</p>
<p>that's not an easy thing to do especially if you're in premed</p>
<p>just think of all those yucky calculus based physics courses (<em>barf</em>)
i'm not saying that you can't do it but it just MIGHT not be as easy as you think
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Yeah I know it sounds pretty stupid or cocky when I say that, but I pretty much have no choice. I know it's going to be very hard but I have to do it. Btw I only have to take one year of general physics and that's not up until junior year.</p>
<p>I believe there are a much more limited number of schools which accept spring transfers. So, if you do not find that your preferred schools are among them, you may want to wait for Junior transfer in the fall.</p>
<p>first of all, most colleges look at second semester grades before they make a decision, so the fact that the apps are due before second semester finals is not a problem... you just send your grades when they come out</p>
<p>to answer the question, i did badly in high school and i also had a downward sloping grade trend, i went to college and got a very good gpa my freshman year and was accepted to a top 15 school. you might not need two years.</p>
<p>"most colleges look at second semester grades before they make a decision"</p>
<p>I haven't found that to be the case. For fall transfers, most colleges get back to you ~May 15th, which was before my school had grades available.</p>
<p>Also, I had a very, very similar situation to you. I nearly failed out of school 9th and 10th grade and had a nearly 4.0 (4.5 weighted) 11th and 12th grade. I also had a situation that accounted for the horrible two years of grades. For the first semester of college I had a 3.93/16 credits, and for the second semester I had a 3.94/20 credits. Without seeing my 2nd semester grades, I was accepted to the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>thanks again for the replies. I'm already taking 15 credits my first semester, do you think it would be a good idea to try and take a little more than that?</p>
<p>no, don't take more credits than that. in fact, 15 may be too many for a first semester. if you could make it 12, that would be better imo.</p>
<p>for a little inspiration, I know several people who graduated high school with a gpa in the 2.0 to 2.5 range and have gone on to become excellent scholars, it can be done! I would add myself to that list, but I'm not a scholar... yet! ;) 2.3 high school gpa in the house, hollar! proudly, I have always made the dean's list and only have had i think 4 Bs in classes when I felt other things took precedent. you'll find a way to your goals, good luck!</p>
<p>
[quote]
most colleges look at second semester grades before they make a decision
[/quote]
Agree with Chimaera that this is not common. I have experience with about a dozen schools. Most made decisions without seeing second semester grades at all. A few require mid-term grade estimates (some from the student only, some with prof initials). One or two delayed the decision until second term grades were in. Of course, all make their acceptance conditioned upon satisfactory second semester grades.</p>
<p>Re # of credits to take - I would take the normal (not "light normal") load for your school. Not more, not less.</p>