Getting right to it,
I have worked hard my entire life. Heavily involved within my community (girl scouts, red cross, national honors society, health professions org, african student association). I also played varsity sports through out highschool, graduated ranked 4/638 students, award-winning sculptor, and award winning in speech and debate (NFL and TFA). I am currently a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin. UT was not my first choice school. I applied to 8 big schools, which were Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Dartmouth, Duke, Brown, and PENN. I did not gain admission anywhere my senior year in highschool. This literally devastated me.
Now, I am considering testing my (very bad luck) again. I am pretty sure that I did not get into a competitive school because my test scores were not competitive. (1920 SAT). I had hope that my EC’s, GPA, awards, and essay would make up for my score, but they did not. I currently have a 3.87 GPA at UT austin. I am a member of Black Health Professions organization, African student association, and Texas Nutrition. I have secured a worthy letter of rec from one of my professors who is an M.D/PHD and very active and well-connected. I aspire to be a medical doctor and am currently doing undergraduate research in my freshman spring semester.
My biggest concern is that while I consider myself a Nutrition-major, I am still classified ‘undeclared’ because I applied to UT without the intent of actually going. I fear that colleges may consider me confused of my future plans. Other things: is my GPA competitive enough? Am I simply wasting my time? Do I focus on highschool or college experience? What am I missing/lacking?
Literally any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I am also going to test my luck with Harvard (i know), Columbia, Rice, and Cornell. My sister is a Cornell graduate and practicing medicine (dermatology) in a prestigious program. Do I use her some how?
Ir is nor bad luck that kept you out of Ivy schools, more than likely it was your SAT. And as a sophomore transfer the SAT would likely still be a factor in admission. The fact that you were so geared into Ivy schools, many of which are different from one another, makes me wonder if you are more concerned with prestige than anything else. You are currently at one of the best schools in the country and you have not cited one thing you don’t like about the school other than it is not Ivy League. And as an aside, I don’t think being a Nutrition major would matter at all since at most schools majors are not formally declared until second semester sophomore year.
“UT was not my first choice school. I applied to 8 big schools, which were Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Dartmouth, Duke, Brown, and PENN. I did not gain admission anywhere my senior year in highschool. This literally devastated me.”
You applied to eight brutally competitive schools. Moreover, there seems to be little reason––other than prestige––that you applied to these institutions. But @happy1 is right: your SAT held you back. Those schools just won’t accept a 1920. I think you learned the sad lesson that quantitative factors > qualitative factors for MOST applicants.
But…why exactly do you want to transfer? Is there something that Austin isn’t offering? What does an Ivy League education, besides prestige, offer you? If you decide to reapply, you must increase your SAT score if considered.
Your GPA is great and since you’ve achieved it at UT, which is widely known as an excellent school, it should help alleviate the concerns that your weak SAT scores certainly created. A few things: (1) if you’re focused on transferring, don’t set your heart on Stanford–cast your net wider, and keep an open mind. (2) Your major won’t be a problem; in fact, use it to your advantage in your transfer application–you can write that you entered UT with one major in mind, but you’ve changed your interest (you’ll need to support this by identifying courses or professors that your target schools offer but UT doesn’t, or doesn’t excel in at least). Good luck, @longhorn4589 !
@happy1@golfcashoahu
I should have been a little more specific.
To say the least I am unhappy here at UT. Most of this unhappiness was honestly probably triggered by the rejection I had to go through after having worked so hard through out high school. Moreover, I simply do not think UT is the school for me.
I want to increase my opportunities in life. Many may say that the opportunities one receives is solely dependent on how hard that individual works, but I have witnessed otherwise. Competing for internships, research, and shadowing opportunities has already been very difficult, And I am pretty sure it is because I am competing with students at IVYs and Top ten schools. I have experience a series of failure, and I truly believe its because I keep missing a standard that is commonly accepted. Also, I am working extremely hard at a school that I feel is probably just as rigorous as an IVY or top ten. I’ve talked to friends at Stanford and PENN who’ve confirmed that I am probably working just as hard if not harder here at UT than they have to. Why not work just as hard at a school like Stanford that renders ample medical opportunities and pretty much opens many more doors?
UT is not accommodating. I am immensely dissatisfied with UT’s “system.” As an undeclared student, I have practically had to beg for all the science and nutrition classes that I needed for my intended degree. So far, I have been alone in the process that is college. My advisors are unhelpful, and in fact, discouraging. Many opportunities are closed to me, simply because of my major and class status. And at this point, I feel like I am paying a lot more than the quality of life I am experiencing.
I am not trying to down-play UT Austin. I am very aware that I am at a great school. Still, I am always competing with myself. I believe that there is more for me out there, and that I can push myself harder. I want to be happy where I am. And regardless of anything, I am not happy here. I personally do not think there is anything wrong with seeking prestige. I have always ‘dreamed’ of going to a prestigious school. I am from Texas, and I feel trapped and simply want to leave and explore. However, I will not leave my state for a different state school that is equally as great as UT.
This is ultimately just something that I really want, and have always wanted. I want another shot at attending a great school outside of Texas.
OP, I am sorry you had a rough senior year and started out at UT on the wrong foot. Students at ALL schools (even “Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Dartmouth, Duke, Brown, and PENN”) are rejected for internships, research and shadowing opportunities. It’s part of life. As I tell my HS-age kids, you get knocked down ten times, you get up eleven.
It sounds as if you did not have good guidance when applying to colleges. I suggest you do your best to finish out your freshman year on a strong note, and take a look at a range of universities for transfer opportunities. I don’t think anything in your record would suggest that applying to Stanford and the likes would turn out differently this time around. In the meantime, you may discover that UT has a lot to offer if you set your mind to looking for opportunities.
Correctly or not, I get the sense that your unhappiness at UT is based on the fact you think you deserve to be at a more prestigious university.
–If you want classes you need to have a declared major to get priority for, then declare a major. If you are unhappy you can switch at a later time.
–I would expect you would work as hard at UT as compared to an Ivy or equivalent school Why is that a surprise?
–You say you are not getting opportunities yet you say you are doing research as a first semester freshman. Those two statements are a disconnect.
So anyway…feel free to re-apply and see what happens but it is generally harder to get in as a transfer than as a freshman and there is generally no merit aid available to transfer students… I would suggest that you make the most of your opportunities at UT and lessen your prestige-hunt.
Per Stanford’s website “Transfer admission is considerably more competitive than freshman admission. In recent years the transfer admit rate has ranged from one to four percent. Between 20 and 35 transfer student spaces are typically available each year.”
Standardized tests are required as well which will likely prove to be a problem for your application yet again.
Of the few transfer students who attend Stanford, many are from community colleges and non-traditional backgrounds (e.g. military veterans), based on the yearly “Stanford welcomes Class of ____ and transfer students” articles on http://news.stanford.edu . I.e. it seems especially unlikely that they will admit a traditional applicant seeking a “prestige upgrade”.
You’ve bought into the myth that many CC visitors display. As you can see by the tone of replies, your prestige-chasing is roundly frowned upon.
You SAY you want to be a doctor – then become one. No one cares the name printed on the undergrad diploma of their physician. The fact is you were denied the first time, you’re doing fine where you’re at, but you still want “the label”
From someone who has one of those degrees, I can say “been there done that” and frankly, what you’re doing is rather shallow.
You can stubbornly plod ahead but as others have said, your odds are terrible and you’ll get little to no fin aid – thus inflating your med school financing issues even more than the avg med school student.
Your biggest concern should be that few of the schools you applied to, if any, offer nutrition as a major. I can’t find any mention of the major on Stanford’s website. The usual issue for transfers is that they can’t name a major opportunity the transfer school offers that their current college doesn’t. Your issue will be that Stanford offers less than your current university for a nutrition major.
My understanding from seeing who does get in as a transfer, is that there is some really exceptional story about what did at the previous college and why they were transferring. I remember one example, when an obviously older transfer student was asked why he waited so long to transfer, his answer: took me time to get through community college since I spent so much time fighting in Fallujah. Another had been doing research, then was corresponding with a Stanford prof, then started to work with that prof and explained they wanted to be closer to that lab and prof.