<p>I'm transferring as a sophomore for the year 2008-2009. </p>
<p>As a freshman, i've gotten involved in 3-4 clubs seriously, but probably not going to be an exec board member of any. Will definitely try my best to though.</p>
<p>What GPA is needed to even be considered for these schools [please dont be unreasonable and just flat out say 4.0, unless that is the absolute truth]</p>
<p>Do professor recommendations outweigh essays? How important is the "creative" essay relative to the "why xxxxxx university?" essay?</p>
<p>All three schools are really looking for 4.0s. 3.8+ at least. Clubs don't give you points in the Ivy League unless you've held an e-board position. Prof. recs have the ability to outweigh essays, but they do not outweight by default. Upenn has very strict requirements for transfer. Harvard is accepting an extremely tiny percentage of transfers this year; I forget the exact figure but it's mind boggling. The importance of the essay is a make or break element of the app.</p>
<p>I don't mean to discourage you, just giving you the facts. Best of luck.</p>