<p>I'm a minority (hispanic) and I come from a surbabia town that's in the transition of becoming ghetto urban in about ten years. My high school is ranked 300 in New Jersey out of 3-- schools. In eigth and ninth grade I was in all honor classes and playing two instruments while achieving straight A's with minimal effort until my illness attacked me in tenth grade. I was diagnosed with bipolar and had to be hospitalized for about a month. When I came back to class the work load was so much that I flunked out of all my classes. I'm in acadamic now and I've been earning A's B's for the last two years, but still it's not enough to be even considered eligible for an ivy league or top thirty school. My class rank is actually not too low. I checked today and it was top quarter. My GPA is 3.0 and My Sats are a low 1650.</p>
<p>If I had not gotten sick would I have been eligible?</p>
<p>princeton doesn't take transfer, and MIT takes like 6 a year. Do you think you are competitive enough? what aspects of the school appeal to you the most?
I had the same plan, and in my freshman app, i just applied to random schools, now i realize that there's no point, what makes you think you'll like MIT? or Pton? I am just applying to 1 school now, and i think you should narrow down your choices so you can focus and work toward 1 goal :D
best of luck
"Jack"</p>
<p>also, bipolar is over diagnosed and im gonna be insensitive and say that it's not a good excuse...ivies aren't looking bright if you flunked out, there are many better hispanic candidates, so shoot lower. sorry to be blunt.</p>
<p>Anyways. I'm not going to approach the race issue.</p>
<p>If you explain your circumstances very well in your essay(s) and demonstrate that you do indeed have ability and can thrive at the respective schools, then I think they may overlook the year that you had the bipolar attack. However, that you had a 1620 (assuming out of the 2400 scale, obviously) is very low, and can't be simply excused. If you had a 2000+ and said that this score was earned IN SPITE of your illness, they would be much more impressed and more likely to consider you.</p>
<p>And anyways. Why so eager towards Ivy league schools? There are many many many more schools just as good or better (perhaps) than ivies that are NOT part of that particular sports circle.
Me thinks you are dazzled by the starlights of the oooh, Ivies, and are chasing their reputation; think more on whether you will perform well there, if you will thrive and grow there, instead of having to struggle hard to follow along with your peers.
Not that I'm saying you will struggle. But just make sure you are looking at schools that fit you as a person.</p>
<p>If I can get a fresh start in a good college such as Rutgers or NJIT which I 've already been accepted to, I don't see why I won't be accepted for graduate school wherever I want if I perform exceptionally well.</p>
<p>Aah, graduate school. That's a whole another issue. So what exactly are you considering? Transfering right after you get accepted where ever, or just sticking to a good college you get accepted into by your own current right until graduate school?
That makes a whole of a difference.</p>
<p>In terms of getting into graduate school, you could have gone to UCI for all that the Ivies care about (*disclaimer: but not always). They look at how well you performed, what activities you accomplished, etc. It's the admissions process started all over, with a fresh-er start, but you're in college now, and are expected more of.</p>
<p>syneria hit it right on. What do you want to study, mountclimber? maybe that will help you narrow your choices better than simply throwing out the names of random elite schools. Apply to a variety, go a head and apply for a few reach schools, some state schools, some less competitive private schools if that's your bag and you've got the cash. </p>
<p>But why focus on transfering? is a name so important to you that you're willing to completely interrupt your college career and start over again at a new campus as a junior where you don't know anyone?</p>