I've failed...now what?

<p>So I've finally heard from all of the the colleges I applied to and this is how it panned out(HS Senior)...
Reed College-Rejected
Lewis & Clark-Wait listed
UW-Madison-Wait listed
Seattle University-Wait listed
Emerson College-Accepted
Portland State-Accepted
UE-Eau Claire-Accepted
Wait list = typically a 0-3% chance of admission at these colleges</p>

<p>So here is my predicament: I've decided not to sell myself short. I want to attend a great LAC. My list, as of now, is Reed, Wesleyan U, and Lewis & Clark. This means I have to attend some sort of a place of learning (probably a cc or Eau-Claire) this year and get a 4.0. What I am wondering is if this route that many people seem to talk about is actually viable. What will I ACTUALLY need to do to get into these schools the second time around? Re-take the act? Will my poor HS stats still be used? Etc...</p>

<p>As of now, I am numbing the sting of rejection by trying to stay busy. I KNOW that I deserve to go to a top LAC and that's where I belong. My HS counselor is a little slow, to say the least, and my mother knows nothing of the world. I would just like any testimonials from people who have taken this route before. As well as any advice about supporting yourself without parental help after school.</p>

<p>What was your ACT score? It looks like you haven’t posted it.</p>

<p>There’s no formula for a successful transfer, and I find it unpredictable. :(</p>

<p>ACT is 26…so I’m hoping it isn’t a factor in transfer admissions?</p>

<p>I just don’t know how much of a factor it would be for transferring, but it sure makes acceptance at schools as selective as Reed difficult; Reed’s 25th percentile ACT is 30.</p>

<p>At whatever school you go to, try to get really involved in good ECs. Take a strong courseload and do well in it. That’s pretty much the only thing you can do at this point. Also look at the schools you applied to and got in. What made you pick them? Maybe you’ll find that you love them and don’t want to leave. Happens frequently.</p>

<p>All u need to do is go to Community College and keep you GPA 3.5 up. Do all the pre req for the major that you want to do.</p>

<p>Do some EC if you have time. </p>

<p>After two years, then start looking at the school you really want to go, like UW Mad, Reed and etc.</p>

<p>If you can keep your GPA high, I’d bet you get into one of the school that you want</p>

<p>Been there, done that.</p>

<p>Good luck,
Nic</p>

<p>For most 4 year schools, you don’t need to submit your high school GPA or ACT/SAT scores once you have 30 credits or more college credits.</p>

<p>Check the websites of the schools that you might want to transfer to, and you can get their requirements.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Coming out of highschool, I had a 3.1 and a 23 on my act… Obviously, I didn’t have a real chance of going anywhere prestigious at first. I applied to University of Illinois Chicago and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. I got into both and chose to go to Southern because I thought that it would be quite a bit cheaper. This is the end of my freshman year as of now and I have achieved a 4.0 in my first semester and am probably going to end this semester with another 4.0. I am in Mechanical Engineering. </p>

<p>I applied to the University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, and Ohio State. I got accepted to every single one. The only honors I had when applying was being recognized by the math department at SIUC for 2nd highest school at the University in Calculus I and being recognized by the Psychology department for another high final score. Make sure that you take ALL courses that your required to take for your major. I know if you are trying to transfer for engineering and do not take say Chem 1 & 2 and Calc 1 & 2 you can guarantee that you will not get accepted to top ranked institutions.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Develop STRONG relationships with teachers so u have excellent recommendations. Pick EC’s that exhibit leadership and remember the number doesn’t matter; it’s quality, not quantity that these schools will be looking for. Make an impact. Write strong essays, get help with them from as many different people as possible, and revise till your head hurts. And plan to stay at this first undergrad school for 2 years if u want your h.s. record to slip into the shadows. Other than that follow everyone’s advice about course loads and major pre-reqs</p>

<p>And good luck :)</p>

<p>Reed will be a huge long shot as a transfer. I believe they request ACT or SAT scores so even if you get 4.0 in college you need to retake the ACT/SAT and score competitively on it.</p>

<p>However, many of the other colleges, like UWisc would be a good match for transfer if you do very well in college.</p>

<p>

Concepts like “I deserve to attend” School A or “I belong at” School B are absolutely meaningless when the only rationale behind them is that someone told you it was a good school. What you do is way more important than where you are. Make sure you give some attention to doing something worthwhile and achieving something meaningful, even if you plan to transfer out of the school at which you enroll, and keep an open mind to the possibility that you might be just fine staying there instead of transferring.</p>

<p>I agree with bakemaster on a lot of things. </p>

<p>If you must transfer, look into thetransferbook.com, its got a wealth of info on this stuff.</p>