I’ll be coming in as a freshman to NYU CAS this year. Due to the terrible financial aid I received, I’m learning towards transferring away from NYU to another college.
I’m an Asian Male from New York. I will need some financial aid.
I scored a 32 Composite (34E/31M/31R/30S) on the September 2016 ACT. I scored a 31 Composite (27E/30M/31R/34S) on the September 2015 ACT. My high school GPA was right under a 88 (~87.99).
I’m planning on applying to transfer to these colleges:
Brown University
Cornell University
Columbia University
Duke University
Emory University
Georgetown University
Vanderbilt University
Tufts University
Boston College
University of Rochester
I’ll definitely be shortening my list when it’s closer to the transfer application due date. Is my ACT score (32/33 superscore) high enough for transfer admissions to these schools? I haven’t signed up for the September 2017 ACT yet but I’m thinking about it to see if it’s worth it or not.
I would also appreciate any college recommendations that accept transfer students. I’ll be on the Pre-Medicine track and will most likely major in Biochemistry or Psychology.
Before I can answer your questions, you absolutely need to know that you will NOT find substantially better financial aid at any of these schools. In fact, you may need to pay MORE.
I would be happy to go to any of these schools so I’ll probably pick from the one that gives me the most financial aid. If I have to stay at NYU, I’ll be fine with that too. I was accepted Early Decision so there was nothing I could do about the aid that I got.
By the way, Brown and Georgetown are my dream schools. If It’s unlikely that I can transfer to these schools with a 32/33 Superscore, please let me know and I’ll definitely want to retake the ACT next month.
Remember, schools consider other factors that are more important than your ACT scores. While you have a great ACT score, your college GPA, is more important. Your high school record is looked at assuming you attempt to transfer after your freshman year at NYU, and your extracurricular activities also factor in.
When colleges look at rising sophomore transfers, they consider these elements, roughly in order of importance:
College GPA
High school GPA
SAT / ACT Scores
Extracurricular Activities
Thus, it’s more likely to get rejected due to your college / high school GPA than with your scores.
It’s imprudent (especially when applying to top schools) to assume that colleges will focus on a particular portion of your application.
Thanks for the info. I really think that my ECs are strong for what I want to do. I have research, volunteering, tutoring, and shadowing. I know my HS GPA is very weak and I now know how much GPA matters so I’ll be trying very hard at NYU.
Is my 32/33 Superscore ACT high enough for transferring to Brown and Georgetown? Those are my top two choices.
I’m not sure if this is true for Brown/Georgetown but I do know that for some schools it’s harder to get in as a transfer than it is if you were applying as a first year. Your college GPA will for sure have a vast amount of weight, but from what I’ve heard a 32 may be considered too low for an ivy. They typically want 33+ and ideally 34+
What about my 33 Superscore? Brown is one of those schools that say they’ll look at the highest score of each section but they won’t calculate a new composite with them.
You can still not attend NYU, right? You are not there yet? I am not sure why you are going if you cannot afford it. Are you getting good advice? Very few school superscore the ACT, so focus on your highest comp, if that is 32, it is not 33. The reason why you are not accepted to your reaches in your admissions cycle won’t improve as a transfer.
For most top schools / Ivy League schools, it is more difficult to get in as a transfer. If your high school GPA is weak, then you may want to transfer after two years at NYU. Your chances for transferring go up exponentially when you transfer after your sophomore year.
Applying after freshman year to a top school with a weak high school GPA will almost guarantee a rejection.
I can afford NYU with loans but it’s much less aid than what I expected. I’m trying to see if I need to take the ACT again to improve my score to have a good chance at transferring to any of these schools.
If you’re going to retake the ACT with the intent of getting a 33+ w/o super-score, you’re going to have to put in the hours and study for it. Will retaking it give you better shot? Slightly. However, manage your time! You’re going to be juggling college courses.
There is a lot in this thread which is rather confusing.
First of all, it is a lot more difficult to get financial aid as a transfer student than as a high school applicant. Thus, if financial aid is important, you are better off taking a gap year and reapplying rather than starting at university then transferring.
Also, if you can’t afford NYU, then you shouldn’t start university there.
Also, if you are premed, then you should focus on what is needed to go to medical school. The most important considerations for medical school are GPA, MCAT, and avoiding debt for undergrad. There are a LOT of very good premed programs in the US, and most in-state public flagships have very good premed programs. If you are a US resident and US citizen, then you should be looking at your in-state flagship, and probably not looking at any of the schools on your list.
If you seriously want to go to medical school, then you should NOT go to universities that require a lot of debt, and you should NOT go to universities where you are going to have trouble getting a lot of A’s. Your list (including NYU) seems almost pessimal from this point of view.
Which is more important to you: A prestigious undergrad school, or actually getting into medical school down the road and being able to afford to go?
I didn’t want to touch on the topic of medical school, but as a fellow premed, I can say that @DadTwoGirls is only speaking truth.
Managing to get a competitive GPA at a much more rigorous school is extremely difficult.
And since you’re a premed, the ultimate, overarching goal is medical school, it introduces unneeded complexity to your situation.
What I find most confusing though, why are you so focused on your ACT score? As I said, there’s much more important elements of your application assuming you transfer.
I’ve been tutoring some people in the ACT and SAT so hopefully I’ll be able to quickly pick up my score to above 30 and then get it up to 33+. My classes start on the 5th and ACT is the 9th.
You were not accepted by selective schools in your application round, IMO you should let NYU know you cannot afford it, consider a gap year, get a job,and apply to schools the are suited to your stats. You are not being rational. You need FA. You have nice but not amazing stats. You need to adjust to reality. If you really do entertain the idea of being premed, the last thing you need is undergrad debt. You want free undergrad or as close as possible. Are you US or international? If US, what is your home state? What other schools accepted you?