<p>I want to thank everyone for reading this and (hopefully) replying with some advice</p>
<p>I'm currently a high school senior. I got rejected from all my dream/reach schools, got into 2 match schools (Lehigh and BU), almost positively going to BU. The problem is that I really don't envision myself there or prospering there. Truthfully speaking, I only applied bcuz it was in Boston. </p>
<p>It's completely possible that I could like it there and decide to stay there all four years but I'll prolly end up transferring. Now assuming I can get a 3.8-4.0 GPA my year there and given my high school stats: 1420/2120 SAT, 15/751 rank at very large competitive public school, 4.0 UW, 4.74 W GPA, and here's the problem---the reason I didn't get into my dream schools is that becuz I work 35-40 hours a week, I didn't have ec's- only 200 hrs hospital vol, major vol/ involvement at my temple, and some linguistics research at Lehigh---the essays were pretty good but not enough to carry me through to acceptance like I thought they would.</p>
<p>Sorry, I don't really think I wrote in sentences up there, but my real question is, in order to transfer to Ivy schools and places like Stanford, Georgetown,etc, what kind of things should I being doing at BU extracurricular-wise? My major will be biology but I am really into cognitive/ neuroscience (another reason I don't really like BU cuz it doesn't have a major in that).</p>
<p>I know transfer admissions to those types of schools are harder than freshman admissions but I didn't even apply to any of the schools I want to get transfer admission into.</p>
<p>Again, thanks for reading the egregiously long post and even more thanks if you reply with advice:)</p>
<p>I wouldn't assume you'll get a 4.0 at BU. Its name is pretty much synonymous with grade deflation, and I've heard ghastly tales of forced curves. At the same time, I think it's a pretty neat place (gotta love Boston, despite all those Red Sox fans :P), and there must be something you like about it if you're choosing it over Lehigh -- you mentioned doing research there, so I'm hoping you're not picking BU only because it's farther from home? It doesn't sound as though you're otherwise particularly enamored with it, so are you positive you wouldn't be happier at Lehigh? Even if you do plan to transfer, there's no point spending a year in one place when you could be having a better time somewhere else.</p>
<p>I have heard the horror stories of curves and rampant grade deflation but I'm sure I could still pull a 3.8+, no matter what. In reference to Lehigh, I did do research there but it was really more of a learning experience (turns out I don't like linguistics as much as I thought I did) and I really love the city of Boston as opposed to Lehigh on a mountain (basically built into the mt really). </p>
<p>I know the places that lacked on my application was ec's (and possibly essays but I really thought those were good) so I'm really asking for suggestions on good ec's that I could do keeping in mind my major/interest. I know research in those fields would immediately jump to mind but how much of that can one do in one year, that too as a freshman?</p>
<p>I'm a freshman this year (though I'm trying to transfer -- city wasn't the right fit for me, not my kind of school, etc.). My first semester GPA was a 3.85, and I edited a literary magazine and a literary criticism magazine, was part of the writers workshop, secretary of the Editorial Society and vice president of the literary society. And it's all easy (even with a part-time job in the student records office) because it's What I Like To Do. This can't be emphasized enough -- do what you love, and do it copiously. Keep your grades up, and wonderful things will follow.</p>
<p>dont go to college knowing that you are going to transfer...that will make your freshman year suck and blind you to the opportunities that you could have. i would worry about this when you begin the process, but keep things in mind (like your second semester senior year grades and college ec's...but dont force them).</p>
<p>rainmanoutofsnow: Thanks for the site, I'm glad to see that what I want to do can be done (good GPA, ec's, work) and I will def being doing ec's bcuz I love them, I was just looking for suggestions that would (at least mildly) impress the adcoms at those types of university and eventually med schools</p>
<p>emilyanne28: I'm not really going into it knowing I'm gonna transfer...I said in my original post that I could end up loving it and staying all four years, but that it's a good possibility I won't, and hopefully I will be able to take full advantage of all the opportunities presented to me</p>
<p>Ok my advice for you (I am a harvard transfer applicant right now) is that instead of "*****ing" (no offense seriously but i couldn't think of another word [not whining either]) about how you have NO Ecs, you should focus your application on "Why you had to work". For that part, you could Emphasize about financial difficulties facing your family and how your parent couldn't financially support you therefore you have to work your way up in life all by yourself. </p>
<p>I believe that good schools will not only judge an applicant based on their measurable and quantities, i.e. SAT scores, EC involvement. If you can bring out what kind of person you are together with your determination and how you are DIFFERENT than any other applicant, you will have a good chance.</p>
<p>The thing is that I will be emphasizing those things but the fact is that I need to pick up some ec's in my freshman year, regardless of what I did in high school. </p>
<p>And I really hope you're right about "good schools will not judge..." becuz that's basically all I'm working off of.</p>