<p>As of now I am a freshman at a small liberal arts state school, not a disastrous place but certainly not where I thought I'd end up. I am unhappy here and I want to know how I stand in transferring to a top tier school (namely UPenn). I cannot stress enough my unhappiness in the environment that I'm in now, one where the atmosphere repels me away from academic success (or pursuing academic success to my potential). I find myself not working as hard to receive top grades, and I hate it. Here we go...</p>
<p>The bare facts:</p>
<p>SATs --> 2030 (1360)
High school GPA --> 4.0
Top 10% of high school class (didn't offer exact ranking)
Estimated first year college GPA --> 3.7+
Good College Recs
(Do hs recs even matter at this point?)
Have international service exp.
Abundant hs ECs (Student Body President, Soccer Captain)
I'm mostly focusing on maintaining a high college GPA so ECs will not be as big of a showcase.</p>
<p>Is UPenn beyond my reach? Is another school more applicable?
Any advice would be extremely beneficial!</p>
<p>I’m in, if not the same boat, a similar one. I don’t hate my current college but I didn’t find most of my classes challenging at first, didn’t work as hard as I should have, and now it’s catching up to me. I’d say you have a fair-middling chance. Not good, not bad. Try and get a 4.0 next semester, that can’t hurt. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>I mean, true, but it’s within the range of possibility. I’d rather be in the OP’s situation than mine (higher composite but freakishly unbalanced scores).</p>
<p>EDIT: Actually, we have the same CR+M. I just tend to assume nobody could possibly bomb the math section as badly as me.</p>
<p>Make that three of us in the same metaphorical boat. I actually didn’t apply to many Ivies last year due to financial issues, and now as a freshman I regret my choice (a public state school) as the environment and community fails to interest me enough intellectually. I actually have the OK now from my family to apply to private schools, but I’m probably looking at a similar GPA of 3.6-7… It’s sad because I could easily ace my classes but simply lack the motivation to do so and now that’s going to hurt my chances at transferring, paradoxically.</p>
<p>So personally, I’m planning on waiting one more year to try my chances at UPenn (since they only take fall transfers) and trying for a spot as a junior. Hopefully by then I will be able to bring my GPA higher and perhaps get involved in a couple more ECs or work experience at my current school, and also meet more professors who could write me better recs. Also, HS scores and SATs matter less I think once you have three semesters of college to speak for you. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>overachiever–we are in exactly the same scenario in regards to original college choice, however I’d much rather try now because I think I have ECs I would want considered in a transfer app which would also be devalued like you say with my SATs. </p>
<p>I really dont want to take my SATs again, but I wouldnt be against it if it means my chances would be greater by a substantial margin. Do you all think that is the most important factor b/c I think, as freshman transferring as sophomores, the most important factors are the college grades and GPA with the ECs from HS, which would be ideal for me, but that’s probably just me wishing everything will go right for me.</p>
<p>Take the SATs again if you think you could improve by 100 points or more. If you took them twice the first time, though, your scores probably won’t change. I know it says that on all the college websites, but it’s true, and I wasted money figuring that out. College and high school grades are definitely the most important factors in the sophomore transfer process, but SATs still count, unfortunately.</p>
<p>I will probably take my SATs again and attempt a sophomore transfer because my high school career outshines my college career in terms of ECs and special honors that I do not want to dwindle in the minds of the adcoms. Although UPenn is the one, I am not naive enough to know the chances are against me, and that other choices should be included in my transfer list. I want to leave; if I get accepted to UPenn, I’ll live happily ever after, but the first step is a must-have. Are there any top-tier schools, perhaps not Ivies, that have decent transfer records in the College of Arts and Sciences where I would be applying? I was looking into Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and excellent state schools like UVA, UNC-CH, and UMich…ideas?</p>
<p>If you couldn’t have gotten in as a freshman, you probably won’t get in as a transfer without both great college grades and ECs. </p>
<p>As a transfer they get to see what impact you make on a college campus. That’s the key at top school. They could get all the 4.0s they want. For transfers they get to cherry pick the proven on campus stars. So don’t drop the ECs!</p>
<p>Very true Waverly, but I cannot accomplish the same sorts of things I had with 4 years of high school in just 1 in college. I cannot be Student Body President and Soccer Captain as just a freshman, and I do participate in ECs at my college, but I do not hold any powerful positions because I am just a freshman. Also, I don’t participate in as many ECs here at college personally I don’t like it here and really don’t enjoy them…but I’ll try haha.</p>
<p>MCYfan, if you are set on Penn, wait a year. I don’t think you can get in right now since your SAT scores will still matter tremendously. And, it won’t help that your college GPA is lower than your hs GPA. (Obviously college is more “difficult”, but as a hs senior, I think you would have been a more “desirable” applicant). </p>
<p>Schools you could consider are Emory, Rice, Vandy, ND, USC. Just below the Ivies and top, top tier schools. </p>
<p>I think you’d have a very good shot at those schools.</p>
<p>thanks itransferred! its a 2 part dilemma since i want out of my current college very badly, and I want to transfer to Penn which I know there is a good chance is on a shelf beyond my reach. So I appreciate your list of schools that still are fantastic even if they aren’t in the top 5. I think my desire to leave trumps waiting around another year to potentially not get into a certain school.</p>
<p>I am leaning towards either Political Science or Economics as a major, so can anyone shed some light on top schools with exemplary programs in those fields?</p>
<p>MCYfan–I agree with itransferred in that I personally think college GPA and rec letters matter the most for transfer apps, whether sophomore or junior. Colleges such as UPenn want a good predictor of how you would fare academically at their school–and now that you’ve actually spent time at college they’re probably going to base a lot of their decision upon your performance in college (as opposed to freshman applicants who don’t yet have college experience). </p>
<p>And for Political Science and Economics I strongly recommend also shooting an app to UC Berkeley… it’s still a state school but it’s a semi-prestigious state school known to be pretty generous toward transfers. And their Poli Sci and Economics departments really aren’t that bad, either.</p>
<p>Money would be not a deciding factor in where I apply so I am open to any suggestions!</p>
<p>Overachiever-- I have to agree with itransferred on this one, Berkeley is a top tier school in my book, and the experts’ books haha but I believe their transfer rate is so high is because they accept a lot of California CC students, which I clearly am not living in the Northeast. </p>
<p>itransferred–“any of the ivies”? Did you mean those are also prestigious schools or ones I should apply to? I haven’t visited most of those schools so I need to make arrangements for that over the winter break, but I have visited GTown and it was absolutely beautiful, I really do not know why I didn’t apply there in the first place…</p>
<p>Ohhh thank you for your optimism itransferred haha today i just applied to be an ambassador at my current college to give tours and talk to alumni and such…would that be something positive to have a resume or something negative because it shows a lot of dedication to my current school that I want to leave?</p>
<p>No. That shows that you’re involved in your current college community. I applied for the same kind of thing, but unfortunately it looks like it’s not going to work out :/</p>