<p>My good friend's sister transferred to UPenn from Dickinson College. She had a 1310 SAT and was involved in a lot of clubs but apparently did some high school studying abroad thing that wrecked her GPA (weird, I know). She applied to, like, 4 or 5 of the Ivies when the time came and got rejected from all of them. Then, after one year at Dickinson, her safety, she got into UPenn as a transfer. </p>
<p>Now I'm wondering how hard it is to transfer to UPenn. Her GPA at Dickinson was high, perhaps. But I've heard it isn't that hard to get into Penn as a transfer. But the thing is...HER DAD IS A PROFESSOR WHO TEACHES AT UPENN!!! So could there be a connection? Please do tell me. </p>
<p>Also, my g-counselor thinks I can get into my top choice, UPenn. But I have no intention of staying in one place. I'd probably spend two years there and transfer to another school (either Yale or Brown). I never stay in one place for long. It's just how I am. Same has gone on with high school... So how hard are Yale and Brown transfer admissions?</p>
<p>If your friend's sister's father can give you a rec, then things would be quite excellent for you. Yale is extremely tough for transfer, so do not bet on it, even if you are the toppest of top notch candidates.</p>
<p>This sounds odd but could I maybe have him write me a rec when I apply to Penn next year during my senior year of hs? I know it only asks for teacher recs but if he knows me and knows what type of person I am, could I have him write me a rec and would admissions consider it when evaluating my app?</p>
<p>ok, so I'm wondering which sibling's friend you are.
Anyway thought you might be interested in knowing my real sats:
my GPA did drop substantially, but were talking 4.25 to a 3.8...not some massive rapage. But it happed in a semester which is pretty dramatic. My SATs were 1390.
My Dickinson gpa was high- 3.5 when I applied and I had some fantastic recommendations (and a damn good essay). I also got waitlisted the first time around. (And did not apply to 4 ivys)
Yes, I did note on my application that my father is a professor, but that's all I did...and, um, you might not want to ask him for a recommendation unless you've done school work for him. I mean, what is he going to say yeah, she bakes cookies with my daughter?
Transferring is the back door into any school. Apparently the average gpa for Penn transfers was a 3.8 (although I think 3.5 is closer to reality), unless you have some niche- ie, my roommate is a fine arts major transfer. The acceptance rates tend to be a bit higher, but then you have to look at the applicant pool which is generally much smaller. I think the official stats I was given for this year was 1600 applicants for 250ish spots.
So, yeah, I did work my ass off to get here, and did not just get in because Im daddys little girl. Also, Haverfords counselors are worthless, fyi.</p>
<p>The girl you are talking about has intangible qualities that make her a far better Quaker than most. She's one of the best transfers I know (and being a transfer myself, I know a lot of transfers). She definitely didn't get in just because her father is a professor. I'm telling you, I know her personally, and she absolutely deserves to be at Penn. Period.</p>
<p>Sorry to sound confrontational, but I feel the need to defend my friends.</p>
<p>I'm kinda unfamiliar w/ the whole college admissions process with different schools and thought maybe being the son/daughter of a teacher helped b/c that's what I've been told. It's probably just a rumor or maybe it depends on the school. </p>
<p>BTW, the stuff I put about your stats was from memory from what your sister told me. Sorry if it's off. I did mention what I thought was close to your stats but I also have friends who happen to be sons/daughters of people who work there...1 friend who goes to Baldwin and a couple more. I don't know your father that well, actually. Though he seems like a nice guy. Others know my personality so they could explain what I'm like in that aspect - that's about it.</p>
<p>Thanks for explaining some of the transferring aspects to me. If you tell me you "worked your ass off," then I 100% believe you, and you were definitely rewarded for it.</p>
<p>I'm Ellen's friend, by the way. Let me know if you want the post off and I'll take it down. I'm really, really sorry.</p>
<p>hey, sorry if I sounded bitchy... a lot of people have a reaction of "oohh, your father works here, THAT'S how you got in". I mean, I don't know if it helped or not, since with all of the study abroad I did (1.5 years) I don't know how to compare myself with others. Mostly I get dumb stuff like "career center workshops" during break. joy.</p>
<p>I do stand by my assertation that transferring is not something to do lightly- the amount of paperwork involved alone is daunting. If you want something different, I know friends at Dickinson who are planning on spending most of their last two years abroad. Also, you can go somewhere (like St Andrews or King's College) that is out of the country- London's got like 15 schools alone.</p>
<p>You didn't sound bitchy - what I did wasn't right and you had EVERY right to be ****ed off.</p>
<p>Anyway, I really hope to get in when I apply my senior year. I'm flawed in a couple of areas but I think for the most part, I'm a competitive applicant. Penn has always been on my list of choices. Now, it's that along with Cornell, W&M, UVA, Bucknell, and some others...but it'll probably change.</p>
<p>Writing is my passion and I'm hoping my essay will help a lot. Is it true they consider the essays to be really, really significant @ Penn?</p>
<p>Other people have told me transferring sucks. Did you not like Dickinson at all?</p>
<p>My H-ford counselor is Ms. Dyal. At times, I do wonder if she only tells me what I want to hear. She's very nice but nice and helpful are two things...</p>