Hi! I’m currently an undergraduate sophomore seeking to transfer to a different university for the Fall 2017 semester as a rising junior. I applied to Wesleyan University and Barnard College; however, lately, I’ve been shaky on whether or not I’ll be able to get in… what are your thoughts based on my current stats?
School type: Small regional campus attached to a public state university
Overall GPA: 3.812 (projected GPA by end of semester: 3.86)
Major GPA: 4.0
Mid-term GPA (thus far): 4.0
Major: English with a Creative Writing concentration. I would love to pursue creative writing as a concentration at whatever school I end up, but I want to double-major with Women and Gender Studies and a minor in Africana Studies (since I have many classes that pertain to the following topics anyways, and I’m passionate about all three of them).
College awards/recognition: recognized for excellence in undergraduate short fiction, received an award for demonstrating excellence in my declared major, longlisted for short fiction anthology
College ECs/activities: writing center tutor, columnist for feminist magazine, volunteer tutor for elementary/middle school students, fiction reader/editor for literary journal, interim managing editor for a literary arts collective blog, former intern for women’s non-profit publisher, selected for competitive fiction tutorials with writer-in-residence, president/co-founder of creative writing club, etc., and I plan to intern for a theater over the summer and work full-time.
I’m not sure how much it matters at this point, but here are my high school stats:
High school GPA: 2.9-3.1 (don’t remember, but I did have a HUGE upward trend by my senior year. I went from having 1.5-2.4 GPAs during my freshman and sophomore year to a 3.8 annual GPA by my senior year.)
SAT: 1520 (This is super embarrassing, I know. I don’t want to make excuses, but my schedule is so tight I didn’t even consider retaking them in college, and by the time I did, the Office of Admissions said they wouldn’t reach their office in time. Whoops. I’m like 100% positive I would’ve cracked the 2000+ mark if I decided to retake the test based on practice scores, but I didn’t have the chance to. I ended up sending these scores to Barnard only.)
High school ECs: Just about nothing except my three years volunteering for GSA and volunteering at a local museum.
IB diploma?: Yes
APs?: Only a couple of 4s received on each. My school didn’t offer that many.
Other notes-
-I sent an extensive writing portfolio featuring my creative writing
-Also: I think my essays and recommendation letters are strong (I sent in four… admittedly, a bit much, but what the hey?); I have all As on my mid-term report with a projected 4.0 GPA for this semester
-African-American, female
-While my reason for transferring is pretty conventional (i.e., my campus is very limited, offers 10 majors, strictly introductory courses, and minimal activities, etc., etc.), I think I explained why I need to go to these schools in a concise manner. Plus, I think I did well at highlighting my passion, interests, and long-term goals.
-Too many introductory courses during my freshman year
I fear my awful track record in high school will make it impossible for me to get in, but I’m genuinely curious what others think of my chances. Thanks!!
