<p>What can I say to explain the transfer process? Lets be honest, it can be miserable. However, I say do it if you can see yourself graduating from the college you're at in four years. If you can't see yourself walking across that platform, then jump while you can. My advice is as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Obviously have a great GPA. However, sometimes, we fall. If you do, it's natural. Please remember that most people on this forum have pushed themselves to do well and are the best of their schools because of it. Challenge yourself.</p></li>
<li><p>Give your school a shot. As you said, you're at a top rated college. Some people only dream of that here. Not only that, please remember it is a top rated college for a reason and at the end of the day, don't **** on it because you want to upgrade. Give a good reason to transfer. </p></li>
<li><p>Advice, like this is, is just advice. You can take it or leave it. In the end, plan stragetically and follow your heart. If you don't feel right about applying to a school, don't. In much the same way, if you feel right, go ahead... If you can afford 50 dollars, just do it.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't get cocky. If someone with lesser stats gets in, there's a reason. There's also a reason that they don't accept you. It's really luck of the draw now. </p></li>
<li><p>Get involved with your school. Don't have the attitude that you're not going to make friends or join clubs because you're leaving. make friends. join clubs that interest you.</p></li>
<li><p>Have killer essays. Everyone here talks about how they talked about their passions. Talk about yours. What makes you want to transfer. Look within yourself for the answer and not the obvious. Secondly, if they ask why you're transfering from your current school, don't write bitterly about what is wrong with the school.</p></li>
<li><p>DO NOT HASSLE THE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS. Sometimes, they're really mean. A matter of fact, out of the five schools I applied to, I only called once in regards to letters they had sent. Nothing else. I figured if they needed something, they'll let me know.</p></li>
<li><p>Plan for the event that you get rejected by all schools. Should this happen: ask yourself, can you stay at your current school? If you can't, plan something else. </p></li>
<li><p>Try to have most of your work done a month in advance. Get good recs from teachers REALLY like and enjoy. </p></li>
<li><p>If you really don't have to transfer, and you like your school, don't transfer. It's not something I reccomend at all.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>by the way, like I said... advice is just that advice. You don't have to take it.</p>
<p>vampiro: Most professors, at least in my experience, will be understanding if you fully explain to them why you want to leave. All of my professors asked me why and understood and sympathized with my reasoning, some more than others. (One professor in particular backed me up on everything, which was pretty nice... to the point at which i couldn't really understand why he was teaching at my school, if he felt like i did! hehe) One also sat me down and explained how she personally understood how important it is to find a place you're happy at, since she herself jumped around from school to school and career to career. She was like, "I'd love to see you stay here, but I know how it feels to be at a place and know it's not the place for you..."</p>
<p>So most likely, your professors will be okay with it! :) I wouldn't worry! I was a bit apprehensive about it, but it all worked out fine.</p>
<p>What do you guys recommend for clubs and such...It will be nearly impossible to get any leadership in clubs if you apply as a transfer for sophmore year...</p>
<p>what if i want to transfer out of ccc to top schools?
what do i have to do to make myself become "a big fish in a small pond"?
and should i take the scholars program (TAP)???</p>
<p>listen....even in high school, ECs are a bunch of hype. Unless you are a recruited athlete or you are some nationally acclaimed debator, model un person, these ECs mean little. I am telling you, college admissions is a #s game. My advice for any freshman or transfer student is to WORRY about their grades and standardarized test scores first and foremost.</p>
<p>I. All I can really say on this matter is: try to get the best grades possible, as mentioned by bball87. In relation to distinguishing yourself in college classes ("big fish in a small pond scenario")--try to express genuine interest in what you are studying and just do well. Who knows-a professor might take notice of your work and then you would have a wonderful opportunity to perhaps ask for letters of rec'? I know this can be difficult in larger classes (80 and up) but just try your best:) </p>
<p>II. I beleive this has already been echoed on various threads; but just to restate it: "Dont spread yourself too thin." Juggling a bunch of EC's/leadership positions/sports all at once (especially during your first year of college) can not only be stressful for an individual..but also that same stress could negatively effect your grades and performance in the classroom. Yet on another significant note: meet new people, relax when you find time...have fun; as cliched as it might sound.</p>
<p>III. I dont know about "TAP" but as an honors scholar student at my college...I recommend only participating in such a program if a) you firmly believe you can handle it or you are "use to" [to borrow the colloquialism] the work load...b) you feel that the honors program at your particular institution will provide you with challenging course material, and c) it is a definate plus when the program has recieved recognition for its core curriculum. </p>
<p>IV. From my experience, when asking for letters of rec'...give your professors plenty of time to write you the recommendation. Some of those same professors could also be teaching graduate level courses and upperclassman will be asking for rec's to apply for... say graduate school--sometimes even around the same time as you! It is also courteous to provide a resume and a personal statement (just to cover your bases) </p>
<p>V. As far as retaking SAT's...that depends on the college you are applying to. For top private schools contact the individual college; as most likely they will have varying policies regarding the subject matter. If this is a matter of personal choice, then go for it. But once again "Don't spread yourself too thin"...The last thing someone needs is to be practicing for the verbal/math section on top of several college exams. I also heard once that the California Community Colleges already have a contract with the UC schools (specifically for transfers). Although I am not fully commited to this statement because I have no specific information on the UC system; I can say in this instance: I would think retaking the SAT is not a huge priority. </p>
<p>VI. And finally if you are a senior now and are considering the prospect of transferring be sure to pick up additional high school transcripts before you leave. Taking this extra step can help eliminate the hassle of going back to your high school to get an official transcript--an even more compelling reason if your college is far away from your "alma mater" so to speak. </p>
<p>I know this is probably very cumbersome to read..but I just hope I could be of some service. This is just my advice; take it or leave it:) </p>
<p>The only other advice I have left is dont let other people or circumstances bring you down during this process. In the words of one of my favorite writers, William Ernest Henly... "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."</p>
<p>I think it's a combination, and it depends on how selective the school you're applying to is. Most schools differ from year to year, and the adcomms may be looking for slightly different things (eg with a 3.6 GPA for one semester I got into Swath, which had rejected me as a hs senior. But then, they were accepting more people that year and I showed passion in my app. I didn't transfer, I got mono next semester so my GPA went down then up again. This year, Bowdoin accepted me but Pomona rejected me for the grades (I asked).) So you're probably not going to find a set formula for the highly-selective schools. It will depend on the year, on the adcomm, and even then adcomm don't like to be very straightforward. Don't be so obsessive-compulsive about where you go to school. It's how you perform there, not where you go, that will have the larger impact on the rest of your life.</p>
<p>do colleges care about the rigor of courses? For example, if I already took AP physics and did well, can I still take college physics (because I would likely get a good grade without incredible amounts of work)?</p>
<p>schools usually do ask for a mid-semester report... how much these matter, i really don't know. (they also usually require that you finish the year "in good standing" - take this as you will.)</p>
<p>i know of several people that applied to schools whose decisions did not come out until june at least partially so that they would be able to consider your second-semester grades.</p>
<p>overall, it really matters where you're applying to!</p>
<p>It's certainly much worse than first semester of freshman year. I was able to convince Chicago that the upward trend (Ds and Fs freshman year to 4.0s senior year) wasn't a high school trend - but a trend that continued THROUGH college. The 2.2 just looks like you got lazy.</p>