<p>I am currently a freshman in the Honor's Program at Bentley University (a private institution very strong in business, ranked #30 by Business Week). I recently completed my first semester, finishing with a 4.0 (yes, I could not believe I could really pull it off either). I took Calculus, Freshman English, Psychology American Government (Honors) and Computer Programming (Honors). However, the school is extremely small (around 1,000 in the freshman class) and I am looking to upgrade to a larger university environment.</p>
<p>It seems from other threads that I have read, the high school transcript has some importance. I finished high school with a weighted GPA equivalent to a 96, unweighted 94 and was a member of my high school's National Honor Society. In high school I also made sure to have all the other intangibles (lots of EC's, varsity sports, honors classes, AP courses...etc).</p>
<p>I am planning to fill out transfer applications and have a few schools in mind thus far:</p>
<p>Boston College, Vanderbilt, UPenn</p>
<p>I was first wondering if anyone could give me an estimate of my chance of acceptance to these schools for the Fall of 2009?</p>
<p>Also, can anyone give me advice on additional schools to apply to? I don't want to fill out the entire application for only three schools. I am looking for more schools with solid academics while balancing a strong social life. I have heard UNC Chapel Hill is very good, but know very little about the school. </p>
<p>Hopefully I can receive some feedback and guidance on where to go next. I appreciate all the help!</p>
<p>Bentley is well respected, so I think you can be competitive just about anywhere. Beyond that though, transferring really is a crapshoot. You would have a good shot at BC and Vandy I think, but any time we start talking about Ivies the acceptance rates are so low that it's tough to gauge anyone's chances. I just transferred from BU and hated it, but it sounds like it could be a good fit for you. I didn't like being at such a large school with no campus, but it does have a great School of Management. My one extra suggestion is U of Michigan (a great social scene with top notch academics).</p>
<p>Since you're a freshman, your SAT's would hold some significance as well.</p>
<p>I am applying to the Carroll School of Management, which from what I heard is tougher, but I hope that because I am currently at a business school (and excelling academically and in extracurriculars), this will help my chances. </p>
<p>By the way, my SAT's were Math, 720, Verbal 630, Writing 660 (2010). </p>
<p>I really love BC and would definitely go there if I got in. You know of anyone that transferred into the Carroll school and if so, how they did in their previous college?</p>
<p>I just got in for spring term and don't start until the 14th. So unfortunately I can't help you with the other transfers. Bentley was my back up transfer school this past term, so I know it's a good school. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks ccTransfer10....those are excellent schools. Just by my statistics, do you think I have a good shot at Vanderbilt? I know BC will be extremely difficult, as will Penn.</p>
<p>Thanks ccTransfer10....those are excellent schools. I appreciate the advice, I will add those to my list. Just by my statistics, do you think I have a good shot at Vanderbilt? I know BC will be extremely difficult, as will Penn.</p>
<p>Wharton, is a reach simply because they accept so few students.
I think you have a reasonably good shot at both BC and Vandy.
This is of course assuming that you have really good college ECs and you're not simply someone who does many activities and does not achieve anything notable in those areas.</p>
<p>I understand Penn is nearly impossible and I wasn't even thinking about applying to Wharton because it is just so selective.</p>
<p>And for my EC's, I definetly dedicated a lot of time both in high school and in college thus far and believe that my EC's will help me stand out as a candidate. I appreciate all of the help and insight!</p>
<p>I would retake the SATs unless you have a very high mathII. The top business programs want high math scores. I agree that Michigan could be a ggod choice.</p>
<p>I really don't have time to prepare for the SAT. To be honest, I got a 720 on the main portion of the Math, got a 700 on the SAT II, got straight A's in math throughout high school and got an A in Calculus in college. Therefore, I really don't know what else I could prove by retaking the SAT. It's pretty obvious that math is my stronger area, hence why I am a finance major.</p>
<p>I appreciate the help though! Any more advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Don't retake it. You're fine for the schools you listed because you are in all of their middle 50% ranges.
You don't have much time so forget getting new ECs. Focus on those essays! Make them as specific and personalized as possible.</p>
<p>As someone who interviews for Wharton, I can tell you in 25 years, I've never seen a transfer with those math scores get in. Half the Wharton class has an 800 mathII and many went past calc while in HS. For transfers they cherry pick the very highest achievers.</p>
<p>I greatly appreciate the insight hmom5, but I don't think I will be applying for wharton. Like you said, I will need nearly perfect scores to even be a viable candidate, so if I apply to Penn (which I am still unsure about), I will most likely apply to the college of Arts and Sciences. I understand that Wharton is a bit out of my league.</p>
<p>I was hoping anyway, for schools like BC and Vanderbilt, my scores will be weighed less than in freshman admission since I have completed a semester of college</p>
<p>Actually, after only a semester the scores are still looked at. I assumed you were applying for junior standing. The scores loose their weight if you apply for junior standing, but with only one semester of collegework you can't really make a case for yourself because the admissions committee wants to see something solid-- and honestly ( I'm not saying this is the case in your situation) one really good semester is not an indication of the student's academic potential, which is why they focus on scores more.</p>
<p>I understand this is true. I knew my SATs and high school grades would hold great significance. Luckily I believe my high school grades are strong and my SAT is on par for the schools I am shooting for. However I understood to put myself in the best position as a transfer, a strong first semester GPA in college would be extremely meaningful as well. I understand the college GPA is by no means everything, but it still very important for sophmore standing.</p>
<p>To be honest, I really didn't care about the SATs and although I did OK, I think they are a poor representation of a students academic capability. As I have heard in other posts and what I personally believe, SATs just prove how much one can study in a given amount of time.</p>
<p>You're totally right about what the SAT proves, however admissions isn't always going to be based on what makes the most sense.
Often at more competitive schools they will use the SAT scores to help decide between the numerous qualified applicants, which is why I still think you would have a good shot at the reasonables as opposed to the reach schools that were indicated previously on the forum. Just remain cognizant that your SAT scores will have a good amount of weight placed on them simply because you are closer to high school than a junior transfer.
You did put yourself in a very good place with attaining a very strong GPA, but the SAT scores will not help you at the reach schools.
You're fine with the reasonables, I think you should get in :)</p>