<p>I am a senior in high school with a 3.75 weighted GPA, and I have a 1790 on the SAT. Here's a look at some other scores:</p>
<p>710 on English Literature SAT Subject test
740 on US History test
4's on AP English and AP US History tests.</p>
<p>I've done pretty well, yet I feel that my record is pretty dicey. I have quite a few B's on my record because I didn't take school quite as seriously as I should have, but now I am making straight A's as a senior. Assuming that I continue that level of work in college (Howard University is my top choice), how difficult will it be to transfer into the colleges I'd like to apply to in 2011 (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Dartmouth, Williams, Columbia, Georgetown, Rice, Notre Dame, Duke, and George Washington University)? </p>
<p>Also, why does it seem like it was much easier for people (for example Thomas Sowell and Barack Obama) to transfer into top schools until, say, the late 1990s?</p>
<p>Does anyone have any transfer stories? Success? Failure? On the way to succeeding?</p>
<p>How difficult? Yale's overall freshman acceptance was 8.3% last year. For transfer applicants it was about 2%. Universally, these transfer admits would have been competitive (i.e. probably admitted) as freshman applicants.</p>
<p>With that grim fact out of the way, know that fantastic experiences await you at most any US college if you're willing to apply yourself -- whether or not the college is on anyone's "elite" list. Basically my advice is to not focus on the "brand name" of a college whatsoever (having graduated from an HYP, I can attest truthfully to that).</p>
<p>Best of luck to you the remainder of this year and hopefully at Howard -- lots of good stuff there.</p>
<p>Your HS stats wont matter much because you're waiting two years; so any speculation about your chances now would be futile because admissions would focus primarily on college grades/ECs and so forth.</p>
<p>Obama and Sowell were special cases. Look at the President-elect's background; his father is from Kenya; he lived in Indonesia and was schooled there; and he was ridiculously intelligent.
Sowell (I think) had an interesting background because didn't he get discharged from Stuy? If anything, the fact that he worked quite hard worked to have a compounding effect with the negatives on his app to make him a unique applicant.
Also, in recent years, the number of students applying to college overall has dramatically increased. Colleges choose their pick of the cream of the crop and the retention rates for many institutions are higher. So yes, it was easier for the statistically; but why care about that? We have to do what we have to do; let's focus on ourselves for now :).</p>
<p>Oh also, I agree with T26E4 in that you shouldn't decide that you want to transfer without even starting your freshman year. Many people graduate from colleges that are not brand named and lead successful lives.</p>
<p>Yes, ccTransfer 10, you have valid points and I'm pretty mindful of all of them. I'm already pretty motivated, so I don't doubt that I would be able to bloom where I'm planted if I don't get into those dream schools. But I do think if you asked, most people would admit that it would be pretty amazing to go to a school with brilliant faculty, highly intelligent classmates everywhere, and a beautiful campus plus all of the other resources that can be found at a "brand name" institution.</p>
<p>Sure, you can find any or all of those qualities at almost any college. I know why I want to go to schools like that but I can never quite articulate that reason in a way that' tangible for others. I guess I'm just a romantic when it comes to knowledge and education.</p>
<p>Nah it isn't just you. We all go through those phases :) ( and some never come out of them! lol). I understand what you are saying but go in with an attitude that says "Hey I know I'm good; so what if I dont go to X University? I know I can kick but from wherever I graduate." You seem like you may already be here.
Use the rest of your senior year to research some of those colleges you fantasize about right now. Visit them as well. It can help you make decisions between which ones you legitimately like and which ones you like perhaps solely for the name.</p>
<p>Ha I may just get a job and save some cash next fall so I can make those trips ;)</p>
<p>I'm pretty excited about moving to Washington, DC and I know that Howard University has many great qualities. Obviously, I set high goals for myself and am pretty ambitious which is why I get strange looks when I tell people I'm already thinking about transferring. It's also obvious that I'm looking for heaps of intellectual stimulation, diversity (of race, socioeconomic status, thought, and the like), and I want as many resources and opportunities as I can have at my disposal.</p>
<p>I have to admit that most of what I know about these schools is through college guides, their websites, and forums like this one. But, yes I will do my reasearch, work hard wherever I end up this fall, and see where that hard work leads me.</p>
<p>And I hope I never get out of this phase! lol</p>
<p>dreamer2013: I think transfer students need to be able to show good reasons for wanting to transfer from where they are to where they want to be. Aside from prestige, what are the compelling reasons you can think of that you will use to persuade your prospective transfer colleges that they are much better fits than Howard?</p>
<p>Well, Swedefish, for the moment my reasons for wanting to transfer are pretty abstract such as a desire for more intellectual stimulation. But, I will do the research and I will visit these schools, and I think by the time I am ready to apply I will have found the specific programs and professors and resources that would compel me to attend another school. I do understand that it is important to have concrete reasons for transferring.</p>
<p>And actually TheBlackLantern, that's not necessarily true. It might be true that elite schools are looking to increase their diversity, but they are recruiting that diversity from other countries where students know the value of education. In fact, it's probably harder for minorities to get into elite schools because most minorities come from low-income families, and students who are minority/low-income tend to do poorly in school compared to their wealthy, white counterparts. I don't think anyone should be under the pretense that our Ivy League and elite schools are diverse, because they are not. Of course, I know the value of my education , and I intend to do very well in whichever school I attend this fall.</p>
<p>Well, yes, as an African-American I would be an underrepresented minority at most schools. Even so, I still have to perform at the same level that is required of everyone else, and that's what I intend to do.</p>
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But I do think if you asked, most people would admit that it would be pretty amazing to go to a school with brilliant faculty, highly intelligent classmates everywhere, and a beautiful campus plus all of the other resources that can be found at a "brand name" institution.
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<p>It's all in your head. Trust me - I'm a Dartmouth student.</p>