<p>Current Stats:
3.5/4.3 (Full IB course, competitive magnet high school, 9 APs so far)
SAT: 2300
SAT II Math Level 2: 800
SAT II Biology: 710
Good, but not great Recs/ECs</p>
<p>I have terrible grades due to both being unmotivated and extenuating circumstances. Although the weighted GPA is high for I took the hardest classes, my actual performance is much lower than the GPA would suggest with a 3.2 in Junior and Senior year. I want to be an engineer. Although I was accepted to Michigan and UIUC, due to being out of state and poor, I can't attend either which disappoints me greatly. I will most likely attend my state school (UMD) hopefully, debt free.</p>
<p>Assuming I change my habits and decide to study seriously for the first time, can a high GPA in my first year of college allow colleges to overlook my high school performance? Or is that unrealistic as a Sophomore transfer? Would a Junior transfer be more likely? Can I attempt both years? Willing it be additionally difficult for I need near full aid? (My efc is <2k)</p>
<p>Schools I really want to attend:
Northwestern
Cornell
USC
Tufts
Duke</p>
<p>At NU at least, you can attempt both years. I wouldn’t give up on freshman admittance, though. You’re not totally out of the range of possibility. Maybe try Rice, which is good for engineering I think, too?</p>
<p>There is not a lot of financial aid available for transfer students, so please don’t count on that at all. UMD is not that bad a place to spend all four years if that is what is most affordable for you. Have you considered spending your first two years at the community college that serves your county? That would be another way to make your education affordable.</p>
<p>When decisions are made, you won’t have finished a year of college, only 1 sem.</p>
<p>Particularly since your HS trend was downward rather than upward, your ability to transfer is going to be much better as a jr.</p>
<p>As far as applying both years and the status of FA for transfers, you need to go to the primary source, the college websites for that kind of information.</p>
<p>“Particularly since your HS trend was downward rather than upward, your ability to transfer is going to be much better as a jr.”</p>
<p>I figured as much. But naturally, I want to get over transferring thing as soon as possible since who wants to be part of a college for only 2 years?</p>
<p>“What’s wrong with UMD for your intended or possible major(s)?”</p>
<p>uh nothing. It’s just I never wanted to go there. I would much prefer to study electric engineering at top ranked schools such UIUC or Michigan. Also, I want to leave this state much like many other kids dreaming about colleges.</p>
<p>On a different note, does my second semester grades suddenly matter now? That blows as well.</p>
<p>Hey, is there really a point to bemoaning your current situation now?</p>
<p>Just about everyone here agrees a high first semester college GPA will be weighed less than four years of high school. Well, I disagree, but follow their advice. There is also little guarantee you can achieve a high college GPA when you have a low high school GPA, regardless of circumstances. College is supposed to be harder than high school, and for most people, college is a step up in academic difficulty. Relying on predicted improved performance is dangerous, as is a complete desire to transfer out of your university before even experiencing anything there. Go in with reasonable standards, and if after one semester you feel out-of-place at UMD, then you may consider transferring.</p>