<p>Here's a tip for essay writing. Buy a copy of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" and read them. You will be able to find a medley of intriguing and motivating stories that will allow you to write top notch essays. </p>
<p>Transfer applications are relatively easy. There is only one malleable element in a transfer application and that is your essay. You don't need to focus on E.C.'s or SAT's or the such. Your grades are unchangeable and any explanation of them would be seen as an excuse.
Writing the transfer application essay is actually quite easy. Study the program you are transferring to (the more obscure the better) and write about that. Write about how such a program is basically the BASIS of your life. As a final note, please do not write your essay on how much your current institution "sucks" or "doesn't fit you", as such rhetoric is never helpful</p>
<p>does being a founder of a club really help? (it's a well-known club) I dont have high GPA (rising trend though) but i have some ECs that shows consistency. would having 3.9 W gpa really hurt me? (my school is a public magnet school, well known in southern california, and we dont rank b/c it's hard to get good grades at my school) thanks so much for your help!:)</p>
<p>conf123: Founding a club does help, but only if you demonstrate that you've actually contributed significantly to the success of the club. You can do this through teacher recommendations and your essay. Also, if you've won any grants or awards for your work in the club, even better. Just a note: It's better to start your own club than to hook onto a well-known organization because creating a completely new organization takes much more passion, initiative, dedication, and leadership. Adcoms can definitely tell the difference between someone who has formed a successful/active club and someone who started a weak club just to throw onto his/her app.</p>
<p>At top schools, your GPA doesn't matter as much as your rank. Although your school doesn't rank (mine doesn't either), your guidance counselor will be asked to give an approximate rank (e.g. top 10%). Also, your guidance counselor will be explaining the competitiveness of your school in his/her report to the college, so don't worry about communicating the difficulty of receiving good grades. However, regardless of your school, it's best to be within the top 10% of your class if you're considering schools like HYP.</p>
<p>savoirfaire: thanks so much!! :D i didnt know that they have to send approximate rank o.o i should work on it harder then.. haha. im holding a position in the club and i think we have done pretty well this year. your advice really really helped :) thanks!!!</p>
<p>I got a 2270 on my SAT (730 CR, 800 M, 740 W).</p>
<p>My dream school is Princeton, but I'm also planning to apply to Harvard, Washington Univ. in St. Louis, Johns Hopkins U., and U of Mich-Ann Arbor. </p>
<p>Also, I have a 4.0 UW GPA with several IB classes.</p>
<p>Would this put me in the high GPA/low SAT group or high GPA/high SAT group?</p>
<p>Is it important to take the recommended number of years of a foreign language? Should I opt to take AP courses in subjects I like or a fourth year of Spanish?</p>
<p>Oh and do colleges look at +/- on your transcript (A- vs A vs A+)?</p>
<p>BTW, im interested in applying to Stanford and Ivies</p>
<p>Thanks Accepted. My GPA is good, SAT's not so good but I'm a junior now so hopefully the college will focus more on my college GPA than old SAT scores! I do have to focus on EC's in one essay (200-400 words), which will be tough just in terms of writing about them in an interesting fashion with so few words. I'm an English major so not that obscure unfortunately. But thanks!</p>
<p>Aznoverachiever: Certainly the high GPA/high SAT group. But a majority of the applicant pool to Harvard and Pton make this cut. You need to make yourself stand out, through your character, leadership, talent, intellectual curiosity, etc.</p>
<p>Azn: As we all know, nobody can really help you with HYP. Your SAT's are unfortunately a bit on the low side (for HYP) though this barely matters when one understands how HYP chooses their applicants.
For WUSTL, the easiest way in is ED. However, I would use your ED on Princeton instead and write a very potent "why i want to go here" essay for WUSTL. WUSTL more than any other university cares about its yield and ranking. If you do not visit/interview/call them/show interest/or write your additional essay about them, you might not get in (waitlisted).</p>
<p>I believe you are in at Umich if you apply early. For JHU, focus again on their programs (Ie: premed) and the environment. I would not mention grades/SAT scores at all in your case and instead focus on "sucking" up to the college by letting it know how interested you are in their respective programs.</p>
<p>Docta: Make sure you DO take the recommended years in a foreign language. My old AP spanish teacher in HS showed me real letters from top Universities that specifically said an applicant was rejected because he/she did not meet the recommended years in a foreign language.
Each high school is different so I do not know if colleges would care specifically about your school's +/- grading scale. They will however focus on your rank, school prestige, and numerical gpa instead so I would suggest you get as high a rank and gpa as possible.</p>
<p>How can I make up for my relatively weak GPA?</p>
<p>P.S. The stats site skewed my GPA. It's actually a 3.9 UW and a 4.02 W (by the end of junior year). But with senior year grades factored in, I'm not sure what it will me.</p>
<p>First off, I do not believe a 3.9 UW is a weak GPA at all. Apply EA to all the colleges that allow it and ED to where you want to go the most. </p>
<p>I would not throw away your ED though as it is a VERY important tool. It will probably help you the most at Princeton U. Definitely write "why you want to attend here" essays for non-HYP and try to focus essays on how your E.C.'s have affected you. </p>
<p>Good stats and I hope you get in to wherever you want to go.</p>
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How can I make up for my relatively weak GPA?</p>
<p>P.S. The stats site skewed my GPA. It's actually a 3.9 UW and a 4.02 W (by the end of junior year). But with senior year grades factored in, I'm not sure what it will me.
<p>I need to compare financial aid packages. I will most likely be applying EA to Harvard, my second choice. Penn Huntsman is my first choice, but they only have ED.</p>
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Was that a joke? That's like recommending to read Harry Potter or that book Paris Hilton wrote. People should really stay away from mainstream garbage. Don't encourage them.</p>
<p>If you actually read the series, they offer many interesting ideas and styles of writing that are far superior to many of the essays I've read. They are a guideline and allow you to create a database of ideas and writing styles that help you overcome writer's block among other things.</p>
<p>If you truly believe Chicken Soup is on par with Harry Potter or Paris Hilton's book then you are truly mistaken.</p>