I’m currently a freshman majoring in computer science at the University of Rochester looking to transfer to an Ivy (Cornell, Penn, Yale, Princeton). I had a sub par senior year in terms of GPA and ended up with only a wait list to Cornell out of all the Ivies I applied to.
My essays were either average or below average in terms of explaining why I fit the college I was applying to, an issue that I hope to resolve in my transfer essays. Recommendations were also mediocre, as I never got to know my teachers and ended up just asking my Math League coach (my Calc III teacher) and my Science Olympiad coach (my Physics C teacher) because I had done well in those competitions. I have been actively going in to office hours in college and getting to know my professors, so hopefully my recs will be better this time.
High School Stats:
[] SAT I: 1570/1600 (800 Math, 770 CR + Writing, 24/24 on essay)
[] ACT: 36 (35 E, 36 M, 35 R, 36 S)
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 800 Chemistry, 800 World History, 780 Biology M
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.84/4.0 (Had a 3.95 going into senior year, 3.5 senior year)
[] APs: Computer Science A (5), Calculus BC (5), Physics C (Mechanics) (5), Physics C (E&M) (5), Physics 1 (5), Chemistry (5), Biology (4), Environmental Science (5), Statistics (4), Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (5), US History (3), World History (5), Government and Politics (5), English Language (4), English Literature (5)
[] Awards: Xerox Innovation, AIME, USNCO Semi-finalist, NYS Science Olympiad Gold
[] Extracurriculars: Math League (Captain), Science Olympiad (Vice President), Christian Student Union (President), Physics Club (Officer), Varsity Outdoor and Indoor Track (Went to State Qs), Varsity Basketball, Varsity Football, AAU Basketball
[] Job/Work Experience: Part of the high school internship program at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (I’m a Rochester native), and I currently work there as a software intern for 10-15 hours weekly (primarily using JavaScript, PHP, SQL).
[] Volunteer/Community service: Hundreds of volunteer hours at my local church through various events such as summer camps
[] State: NY
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Male
[]Income Bracket: $0-60,000
[] Hooks: None, unless you count receiving Pell Grant (Yale for instance guarantees no financial contribution due to my income level)
Current coursework: Discrete Math, Linear Algebra w/ Differential Eqs, Data Structures & Algorithms, Freshman Writing (A’s in all of them right now)
Second semester: Computation & Formal Systems (CS), Computer Architecture (CS), Multivariable Calc, Real Analysis, Intermediate Microeconomics
I am a member of the Hackathon club, Men’s Club Rugby team, and Men’s Club Basketball team. I may potentially join another club second semester, but I am busy with a mobile app project right now which I hope will be completed by next year.
I know a lot of people say that high school doesn’t matter, but I personally think it does as I will only be applying with a semester and a half of college. I have a feeling that I was rejected largely due to my relatively poor performance senior year, and I am hoping that having a 4.0 in college will redeem it (also better essays/recs).
Yes, high school maters. They will require your HS transcript. Most of these take very few transfers. Applying as a transfer is more difficult than a freshman. You should look at the common data sets to see the transfer results.
honestly the fact you didn’t get into at least one Ivy with that profile is daunting. Was there a glaring mistake with your application? Also, did you apply to any matches/safety others than Rochester?
Rochester was the only school I was accepted to (thankfully). I was arrogant and only applied to the very best schools (Ivy+ basically) with Rochester as a safety. I believe my poor GPA senior year is the cause, as it showed colleges I no longer had a serious and studious attitude.
The CS department at Rochester is quite weak compared to its other subjects, and the coursework is not rigorous to the level I desire. Furthermore, the connections and research opportunities for computer science are far better at an Ivy League school. The quality of companies visiting at our tech career fair were not even close to the ones that my friends at Cornell and Penn had. You cannot argue with the doors that only an Ivy League tier college could open.
“Ivy League tier” as in schools that rank highly like the Ivy Leagues. I was careful to make that distinction because I knew this would be a comment. Regardless, an Ivy League is a step above what Rochester has to offer.
My parents currently cannot afford my education, my brother who is a doctor is paying for it. The ivies should offer me a full ride (Yale’s website guarantees it). Financial aid is the biggest reason I am considering Ivies almost exclusively.
It seems unlikely that the Ivy League schools really want transfer students mainly looking for prestige upgrades.
What will you do if you get shut out of them, which is the most likely result?
Do you have other, less expensive schools that you can transfer to that are not such long shots for admission? What about the state universities in your state of residency?
Last year Yale accepted 28 out of 1160 transfer applicants. According to Yale they are looking for transfer students with “compelling reasons for attending Yale… a class of contributing individuals from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible… explaining in their application essays how studying at Yale would give them an educational opportunity particular to their interests that could be experienced nowhere else.” Do you think the reasons you gave in this thread for wanting to transfer to Yale would convince them that you are what they are looking for in a transfer applicant?
If you want to have a chance you need to think about what they’re looking for, not just what you want.
Rigor is a main issue, the classes here do not challenge me. I have talked with upperclassmen and looked at the homeworks/projects, the pace of this school doesn’t fit me. Algorithms is a class that every CS major across the country takes, but it varies from school to school regarding the material and rigor. I have friends at Princeton, and their DSA class covers far more than mine.
I thought I explained that I wanted to go to an Ivy for the opportunities that they would provide which my school does not. I haven’t had much time to formalize my thoughts, I mainly made this post for an opinion on my resume. I know that the essay is probably the most important piece, and I will devote my time in formulating concrete and compelling reasons.
My brother can easily pay for my college, so financial isn’t actually an issue. However, I feel bad for needing his help ($10k/year) and I’m sure my parents don’t feel great about it either.
I know I am paying very little compared to many people, but for my family, it is too much.
Student population is an important factor for me, as I prefer smaller classes. I do not think the environment of Stony Brook would fit me given that it’s a large school. I am unsure of my financial aid at other non-Ivy like colleges, because I received a full tuition merit scholarship at Rochester and only a bit of need-based aid.
I kind of just wanted an opinion on my resume, not really tips on essays and everything else. Otherwise I wouldn’t have posted my resume and asked for tips
Are you happy staying at Rochester if nothing else works out? If yes, then I agree that you should only apply to schools that your would definitely prefer to Rochester. If no, then you need to consider a wider range of schools – probably including in-state publics.
Rochester with a full tuition scholarship appears to be about $19,000 per year.
Stony Brook for New York residents is about $26,000 per year (living on campus) before financial aid. But the net price calculator suggests that financial aid and scholarships for you would bring it down to about $10,000 per year.
