<p>Just a little background first:</p>
<p>I am attending a community college in North Carolina. In high school, I can honestly say I did not live up to my potential because I was lazy and my grades up until the second semester of my junior year show that (2.3 Unweighted GPA, 2.5 Weighted). Thinking of community college as a new beginning, I took the ball and ran with it and currently I have a 3.875 GPA at my community college. </p>
<p>I have been working so hard to make myself a strong candidate for transferring:
-Getting inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
-A member of my community college's honors program that allows students to take classes at an honors level.
-Various volunteer hours</p>
<p>My goal now is to transfer to the best school that I can transfer for to. I'm just worried that I'm not the ideal candidate for transfer to a great school because of my high school grades and because since I was lazy in high school, I feel like I'm not doing enough while attending my community college.</p>
<p>So my question is this: What can I do to make myself a more competitive transfer student if I'm not competitive already? </p>
<p>I'm aspiring to major in Business with a concentration in Finance and/or Accounting and I've been working hard to exceed my potential that I feel like something better than the average state university is something I should be aspiring to attain through my hard work and determination. I don't know if I'm setting my standards too high and/or experiencing delusions of grandeur, but I really have a feeling that I'm destined to be the best "me" I can be. </p>
<p>If anyone has an suggestions, success stories of transferring from a community college to a great university, etc., it would be a pleasure to hear them!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Which schools are you interested in?</p>
<p>As far as in-state (North Carolina universities): The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University are at the forefront of my choices. But I feel like I can do better than North Carolina State University in terms of an undergraduate business school. As far as out of state/private universities, I have not looked into it so much because I never thought of those as a possibility before until I noticed that I was getting invited to Honor Societies and was actually performing at my potential.</p>
<p>It’ll be difficult with your poor HS record unless you stay at a CC for 2 years or retake your ACT/SAT. In terms of schools with top undergrad business schools, take a look at the businessweek rankings to give you a better idea of what schools you should be considering.</p>
<p>Regarding the OP, continue to keep your GPA high (3.7+) and get involved on campus. There’s not much more you can do aside from that.</p>
<p>I appreciate your honesty! My plan is to graduate with my Associate’s degree from my community college which will be completed at the end of Fall 2011 or end of Spring 2012, which I ever I decide so that won’t be a problem staying the 2 years. And yeah for this semester, it will either fall to a 3.81 or up to a 3.9 (which I’m hoping for, had tough classes this semester) so staying above a 3.7 won’t be a problem. I just want to make something of myself and get into colleges I wouldn’t have dreamed of getting a chance to attend out of high school. Again, thank you!</p>
<p>And if anyone else would like to contribute their opinions, they are more then welcome to :).</p>
<p>Try gaining relevant internships or leadership roles. Being a member in a club does not carry as much weight compared to having a leadership role. </p>
<p>If you’re majoring in Business, try to secure summer business/finance related internships. Yes, volunteering is good but how will volunteering 100 hours at a hospital get you closer to your career goals? Instead of volunteering at a local hospital, you can potentially help citizens prepare their taxes, etc. See how this is more relevant?</p>
<p>Also, plan. This is very important. I would narrow the list of schools and see each school’s requirements. Most of them require prerequisites.</p>
<p>@the OP. You should look into IU-Bloomington, Miami Ohio, and other relatively transfer-friendly schools that have top business programs. Definitely give UNC a shot as well as a few others that you may consider reaches. You have nothing to lose!</p>
<p>@MitchAPalooza: Thank you for your advice! I do have a break between when I finish my Associate’s degree to when I can actually start at a University. Graduate at the end of the fall and would not be able to apply at Universities until the following summer or fall because I finish my Calculus class after a certain date, so an internship is definitely feasible. And for family reasons, I was unable to take an leadership roles within the organizations I am apart of but I am an active participant in everything I am a part of. And your ideas definitely make a lot of sense and in the time I have off from school, I will be getting a business internship in January 2012! Again, thank you for the advice.</p>
<p>@ChicagoBears1: Yes, I have looked at those schools and they definitely do spark my interest. My number one goal would be to get into UNC and I know I’m fully capable of being accepted. I’ve just heard UNC has an unpredictable admissions department and that’s the only thing that worries me as far as being a reach is concerned. And I definitely do not have anything to lose! I appreciate your input.</p>
<p>And if anyone else would like to contribute to the discussion, by all means it is appreciated.</p>