Mid-Level transfer to Ivy League, Worth the Challenge?

Transfer Students
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<p>Hello College Confidential!</p>

<p>First, I want to say thanks to all who contribute to the forums, I've spent a few afternoons browsing the threads and responses.</p>

<pre><code> I'm a second semester freshman at San Diego State University in California, which is a solid university to be sure. There are some pretty good Business programs (which is what I'm most interested in), 35,000 students, and enough parties to really prove that there are 35,000 students haha. Basically I've been playing with the idea of transferring to a top tier school for quite a while, I want to really make sure I understand all aspects of it before I actually commit to it. I want to transfer for a few reasons: I want to experience the east coast, I want to be as competitive as possible when I graduate from college, I want to be around people who push themselves hard to achieve their goals (not something easily found at sdsu unless their goal is to finish the keg), I'd love to be part of tradition and unity, and I'd love to row on an Ivy League crew team. My plan is to finish out my freshman and sophomore years at San Diego State, then begin my year of study abroad an internship in China (required for my major, but I'd do it anyways), and apply while in China. I thought that applying while studying in a foreign country would be a unique twist to my application, as I would also be fluently speaking Chinese and undoubtedly enjoying some pretty incredible life experiences.

I was wondering if anybody had any experience with the difficulty of building up enough achievements to actually transfer to a high level school like Harvard, Yale, Cornell, etc. and whether or not it turned out to be worth it for them. Of course I know that whether or not it is "worth it" is something that purely I have to decide, but I'm just hoping to see what other people have experienced.

Secondly, I'm wondering if I'm on the right track and if I need to pick up any more EC's or anything. Here are my current "stats" I guess you would say:
</code></pre>

<p>High School - </p>

<p>-3.76 weighted GPA (3.3-3.5 for the first 2 years, 4.0+ for the more recent years, I got motivated late :D)
-2000 SAT
-5 passed AP Tests with one 5 and a few 4's
-Several Sports (Cross Country, Tennis, Track) but no serious achievements
-Some community service</p>

<p>College - </p>

<p>-4.0 First semester
-30 units coming in (AP), 17 units first semester (more than a full load)
-International Business/ English Double Major
-I'm studying Chinese, and am in the "Heritage" class with native speakers for the challenge
-I'm on the executive board of an outreach club named "Aztecs for Africa," and I'm currently functioning as the Incorporator as I apply for incorporation and tax exemptions to become a full fledged NPO
-On the Crew Team, though it's technically club because my school spends all of its money on football
-On the Student Government External Affairs Board (the board that deals with community issues, pretty self explanatory)
-I work 20 hours a week for the official on-campus independent newspaper. I'm the Operations Manager, so it's a high responsibility job that has taught me detail orientation, if I make a mistake then 3 or 4 different people in the office will find out when it affects them, no matter what I make a mistake on</p>

<p>Life in general-</p>

<p>-I am extremely motivated by challenges, and will never give up because something is "too hard" unless the cost far outweighs the benefit. On the contrary, when something becomes extremely hard - to the point that I know others would normally give up, then I become very excited and motivated haha.
-I also really enjoy reading and writing nearly anything, as well as listening to classical music (both Asian and English).
-I am white, but love different cultures, hence my International Business major and Chinese language studies.
-I do love to party, and the majority of my friends rushed fraternities and sororities (a big deal at sdsu), but I definitely only see it as a very minor escape from pressures and responsibilities; I think that the true value of life lies somewhere else. If only I knew where!</p>

<p>The last part is that right now I feel pretty thinly spread with everything that I'm dealing with, and I want get some advice on whether or not it's worth pushing myself to finish the semester with all of these "achievements" tagged to my name, or if I should cut a few loose and just have a good time.</p>

<p>Thanks to any and all who read and reply to my thread, I truly do appreciate it. I'm not lost in life, and I know that I will end up where I need to get, but I think it's a good idea to ask people around you if you're on the right road, as long as they're heading in the same direction as you =).</p>

<p>-Alex</p>

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<p>I forgot, I’m also in the honors program at SDSU</p>

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<p>First, Harvard does not accept transfers. The others except Cornell accept very few.</p>

<p>Your first priority should be bringing up the SAT to a minimum of 2200.</p>

<p>Next, get something unique going on. At these schools, study abroad and speaking Chinese are far from unique.</p>

<p>Research in an area you plan to study would be a good thing. You will need very strong teacher recs, start getting to know profs well now.</p>

<p>Get your GPA as high as possible, 3.7 isn’t bad, but you’ll be competing with kids who have higher grades at top colleges.</p>

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<p>" but love different cultures, hence my International Business major"</p>

<p>ummmm…what? like, really?</p>

<p>anyways, harvard doesnt take transfers, probably wont get into yale, pretty good shot at cornell and and some of the schools right below the ivies…i dont know what you mean by “worth it”? as in, getting into a more prestigious school? then yes, you are on the right path and your ec’s will help get you there…however getting into a prestigious school or landing a high paying job aren’t final goods, mind you.</p>

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<p>hmom5 - I thought I had read that Harvard did not accept transfers, so thank you for clarifying! I also do know that Yale only accepts 1-5 depending on the year, and I feel that I may have read that they did not accept any last year. Accepting any is better than accepting none though.</p>

<p>In my post I said that my GPA in college was a 4.0, while in high school it was a 3.76. I’m assuming you just mixed up the two. Bringing the SAT up does sound like a great idea, though I’ve also heard that upon reaching around your Junior year, SAT matters much less than it does for freshman and sometimes sophomore transfers, is this not true? Finally, I’m assuming that research in the business field would translate into internships, which is exactly the reason that I am doing an international study abroad session and then internship in China. I would absolutely also love to get into scientific research, which I’m assuming is what you meant, but I don’t know how an English/ IB major would qualify for a lab assistant position. If I am missing something regarding that I would really appreciate any advice.</p>

<p>dufflebagjesus - Yes, I chose International Business because San Diego State’s program is in the top 12 in the nation, and offers a very broad unique experience. Is there another major you would suggest that combines Business and different cultures? I feel that I picked pretty well.</p>

<p>By “worth it” I mean that it’s a difficult decision between having a broad great experience, making close lifelong friends, and having relaxing weekends… and instead waking up at 4:00 a.m. every morning for crew and going straight to class after an intense practice. I was just looking for anybody who has personally experienced what it’s like to have to choose between them when both are offered.</p>

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<p>I did mix up the GPAs.</p>

<p>SATs will remain very important. You’re coming from a 4th tier school, they need to know you can handle the work in their environment.</p>

<p>There is lots of business related and economic research. One of my kids is doing research right now on how the problems in banking will impact globalization. That’s the kind of thing I had in mind.</p>

<p>I have to tell you, I think the year abroad at this point will hinder making it into an ivy except perhaps Cornell. It means you won’t have higher level coursework to show, won’t be developing relationships with profs or taking on leadership on campus.</p>

<p>As a business major at SDSU, you already have problems in translation at schools with no business major. They will want to see some high level econ and math. Remember, it’s about way more than getting a 4.0 at a school that has way lower admissions standards than the ones you’re aiming for. That’s a given and the things that will get you in are the things you need to focus on–professors that will say you’re the top student they’ve seen come through in a long time, exceptional academic achievement, leadership, passions you have accomplished something significant related to.</p>

<p>Is it worth the trouble? Absolutely. Those schools are a world apart from SDSU and you will have a whole different range of options in life by attending one.</p>

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<p>Thank you hmom05! That was exactly the type of reply that I was hoping for.</p>

<p>I will get right on retaking the SAT, I’ve always enjoyed tests like it so that’s not much of a problem.</p>

<p>I think you may be right about the year abroad, I hadn’t fully realized that there really are a ton of students nationwide that can fluently speak Chinese, so it isn’t as much of a competing edge as I had hoped. I also will probably be able to have more interesting study abroad and internship opportunities from a university like Cornell, Brown, UPenn, or Columbia.</p>

<p>As far as Economic/Business related research goes, do you have any advice on how to first get involved in that as a freshman? I of course will go out and do my own legwork to find out where/how to begin, but any experience you may have through your son’s involvement is probably helpful if you’re willing to share it =).</p>

<p>Overall it sounds like I need to really apply myself intensively to my Economics, Finance, Accounting, and Math classes then? Because it seems like in that lies the route to proving myself capable of research positions and creating close ties with my professors in those fields.</p>

<p>Most importantly, thank you for the affirmation that it IS worth it, I feel like everywhere I look there are people saying that pushing oneself hard to achieve great things is the wrong thing to do for a variety of reasons, while it has been a challenge to find people who believe in simple hard work. But I guess everybody has different goals and dreams in life =).</p>

<p>Thank you again for the insight, and if you (hmom05) or anybody else has anything else to share please do! It helps a lot to see the subject from another’s point of view.</p>

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<p>I second hmom5’s post.</p>

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<p>My daughter was successful in moving from a state college to an ivy equal. One thing she did was identify things at the school she wanted to attend that she could target in terms of saying that was why she wanted to attend and that she had something to contribute in that arena. She found a program, then looked at the professors involved and made contact with them. When she applied she had the support of these profs.</p>

<p>What you can start by doing is finding profs at SDSU doing research in the areas that interest you. Then get involved.</p>

<p>When you say Penn, do you mean Wharton? If you want Wharton the advice would be different. But I’ll warn you, Wharton is the toughest transfer out there. There are very, very few from outside of Penn that transfer in because it’s a tough adjustment. Freshmen year in the program sets the tone and pace. I can only remember a couple of transfers when I was there.</p>

<p>If foreign study interests you Dartmouth should be on your list. It also has a phenomenal econ department and a great government department with IR strength. My son who is a freshman there will be doing three separate study abroad programs and 2 internships abroad. The Dartmouth Plan, which is a quarter system in which you can take any quarters off, facilitates this. So you can take internships during the winter when everyone else is in school so you have your pick. It’s wonderful for anyone interested in business because you can graduate with an unmatched resume. They are also very strong in languages.</p>

<p>On the SATs, check with the schools you’re applying to. Some will accept score from after you’ve started college and others won’t.</p>

<p>A queston for you. I have a nephew at SDSU who also wants to transfer. He had me take a look at the IB major there. I was impressed by the program’s requirements and classes offered. He’s not be impressed by his classes so far. What do you think and I’m wondering, what kind of jobs the grads get.</p>

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<p>There are professors involved in International Business research, Marketing research, and Administration research I think, so you’re probably right; I’ll start seeing if I can get in touch with them and begin carving out a place as a research assistant.</p>

<p>By Penn I meant University of Pennsylvania… I absolutely need to research more in depth exactly which Universities are best tailored to what I’m looking for. It actually seems pretty backward to decide to transfer first, then decide where to actually transfer to. Dartmouth sounds pretty incredible though, I would definitely much rather go somewhere tailored to international experiences.</p>

<p>What year is your nephew in? The first year or two of IB are the same as any other Pre-Business major, with the generic Micro/Macro Economics, Finance, and Accounting classes. Every Junior or Senior that I’ve talked to has ranted and raved about how much they love the program at the higher levels though. This is once they start taking classes oriented more towards International Relations and Globalized trade, which is what the regular Business Administration/Marketing major is lacking.</p>

<p>To be completely honest though, the graduates that I’ve talked to have said that the degree is essentially the same as a Business Administration one, but with a Language Proficiency. I talked to one graduate who now works for the Navy as a contractor between them and hired researchers for certain projects, which has little to do with his “IB” background. The people who have been truly successful with it were the ones that strived to get unique internships with U.S. companies that work internationally. I’m not sure what he’s interested in, but if he wants to be uniquely successful then I would suggest that he becomes involved in the IB society on campus, and really does his homework about what opportunities are offered each year for his language and area of emphasis.</p>

<p>He’s not, however, alone in not feeling challenged or interested in the classes so far. It’s one of the most pressing reasons behind my urge to transfer</p>

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</p>

<p>Although the number is not large, Y accepts more like 20+ transfers each year, and they have not had a hiatus in accepting transfers over the past several years. While posters here can give some great advice, you should also do your homework on each college’s website. For example:</p>

<p>[Transfer</a> Student Program | Transfer & Other Programs | Office of Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“Home | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions”>Transfer Application Process | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

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<p>Yeah, please do some research on your own. You obviously don’t know what Wharton is based on your last post, which means you know practically nothing about Penn. College board has acceptance numbers for transfer admissions, which should help give you a better idea. However, they are still somewhat misleading for some schools as the overall numbers for Penn are much higher than those of Wharton, and Cornell’s numbers include guaranteed transfers (which they offer only to freshman applicants), thus inflating the transfer numbers. For the program I transferred into Cornell for, I’d say ~2/3’s of the other transfers I met were GT’s, although it is less for many other majors and schools within Cornell. Cornell’s business major, AEM, I believe has <15% non GT acceptance rate if you are still wanting to major in business.</p>

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<p>My nephew is a sophomore. With a 4.0 and a 2150, and with 2 great internships under his belt, his realistic reaches are NYU Stern, JHU and Cornell. There are many great colleges between SDSU and the ivies.</p>

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<p>That’s weird. I wonder why Harvard doesnt accept transfers.</p>

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<p>There’s an easy answer to that - they don’t have the space. There is literally not enough rooms to house the students.</p>

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<p>so w/ the, what $45,000 tuition for every single student, they cant get another building or so. Sheesh</p>

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<p>No one leaves.</p>

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<p>What are your erg times?
height?
weight?</p>

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<p>BlenderBottle - I just started on the crew team, so I’m still doing my 10k’s at 2:00 split times to build up endurance during the spring sprint season, I’m almost down to 10k’s at 1:50 split times- its rare to join in the second semester so I’m definitely playing catch up. I’m assuming you’re familiar with crew, so you might know of the San Diego Crew Classic? It’s more of a west coast/ mid west schools race, but last year a few east coast schools did come. It’s really just a ton of fun and I really love the work out. I used to run cross country so it’s a pretty similar cardio work out, but I like working out my arms slightly at the same time. I know that participating competitively at that level is not a possibility right now, but I’m working hard to become physically the best while my technique catches up. </p>

<p>I’m 6’1, 175</p>

<p>hermanns - yes, if you read that entire post you’ll see that I actually openly admitted that I need to do more research into what schools would fit me best. I usually do that work on my own- I enjoy browsing the forums and the schools websites myself to see exactly what is offered; I just needed to decide whether or not to commit myself to transferring first. But any details about specific schools that people like entomom or hmom05 post is largely appreciated =).</p>

<p>hmom - congratulations to your son for finding success at SDSU, I’m sure the internships were great experiences! Has he thought about joining either of the Business fraternities or IB society? Both offer access to officer positions, which I would assume would be solid leadership experience.</p>

<p>To Everybody Else - It sounds like overall I need to first look into the schools that I am targeting, pick one, and tailor my transcripts to that school. To do that I should get extremely involved with my area of specialty, rather than spreading myself around a broad base of clubs/teams like I am now. Finally, the struggle and some forgone relaxation now are worth reaching a top tier school- whether it’s because of the sense of personal achievement, finding a group of similar minded people, or to have an easier transition to financial success after graduation. </p>

<p>Is there anything that I’m missing? The advice/critique is hugely appreciated</p>

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