I posted this in a different forum but I think this forum is more appropriate so here it goes…
Dear all,
I’ve just completed my first year at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (so far 30credits, 3.61cumulative gpa, trying to raise it up to somewhere around 3.7)
I’m a political science major pursuing a minor in communication.
I’m taking online summer courses (9credits).
By the time I apply to an ivy league school (or Duke, UC-Berkley, Notre Dame, Standford) I will have completed 56 credit hours with 15 credit hours in progress.
At U of I, 100 level courses are generally intro courses, 200 level courses are advanced intros, a bit hard classes, 300 level’s are hard and 400’s are harder (depends on majors, individuals, etc. but i’m just giving you a general idea).
By the time I’m applying I will have taken about 5 300level courses, mostly 200 level’s and a few 100 level’s (mostly required courses for major/minor or graduation)
I have an internship experience at a law firm (3months), tutor experience for 6&7th graders and have some extracurricular activities like Mock Trial Team, Powerlifting Club, Residence Hall Judicial Commission, etc.
I’m not sure if the admissions will take my SAT scores and high school GPA into account but they were pretty bad as I scored 1350 on two-part SAT and about a 2.9 GPA.
Do you think I have a chance transferring into Ivy’s or other top caliber schools I mentioned above?
Thank you!
You should note that Princeton accepts no transfers. Yale and Harvard accept transfers, but it is much harder than admission applying from high school. Admission rates for Y and H are less than 2%. Further, transfer seats are directly tied to attrition, with attrition in the single digits (and the low single digits for most Ivy schools) very few openings remain. Cornell has probably the most liberal admission policy with an admission rate close to 20%.
Your chances are quite slim at the colleges you’ve listed. The private ones only accept a handful of exceptional applicants each year, and Berkeley admits most transfers via transfer agreements with California Community Colleges. I suggest that you learn to spell the name of any college you apply to.
Not looking good, your HS will come into play.as they have only 1-1/2 yrs of work, comm minor is weak. no specific articulated reason for that school, seems any will do.
The other piece is that you will have to articulate why you want to transfer to their school in particular: what specifically (besides ‘prestige’) does college X have that you can’t get at UI? When you are applying you will be a sophomore about to be a junior, and the college will expect you to know much more about what you want to do and where you are going than they expect from a HS senior. They will expect that you have something of a road map, and some evidence that says you can implement it. Just not liking your current school, or wanting a better name, for example won’t be enough of a reason. The ‘why us’ question will need to show that you’ve done your homework, you know what the options are & you have made a thoughtful and considered choice.
Even if you had a rationale for transfer, typically, the Ivies are looking for near-perfect academic records.
You should find a way to enjoy where you are – those schools you have listed are well beyond your ability to be admitted – and if you call it “Standford” they will throw your request away immediately. With a 2.9 GPA coming out of high school, you should be happy with where you are. Finally, let’s say an Ivy League school DID admit you. Are you prepared for the rigor? A 3.6 GPA currently and a 2.9 coming out of high school says to me that probably not. If you were suddenly FORCED to attend an Ivy League college, you should do everything you could to NOT have to. No shame in not being Ivy League material. I couldn’t have gotten into an Ivy League school either. You need to take a realistic look at where you are and decide to get the most out of the education that is afforded to you. Good luck!