MSU transfer to U Chicago

Transfer Students
1

<p>im a sophomore at MSU and hoping to transfer to UChicago for next fall, as a junior. I visited the campus and fell in love with it.</p>

<p>high school gpa = about 3.6
lots of honors, prestigious high school, couple of APs in which i scored 3s and 4s.
ACT = 29</p>

<p>at MSU, i didnt really get off to a good start.</p>

<p>fall freshman year = 2.9
volunteer at hannah learning center
took honors classes</p>

<p>spring freshman year = 3.1
volunteer at MSU safe house for domestic violence
worked at telemarketing for MSU</p>

<p>fall sophomore year (now)= expected 3.8-4.0
volunteer at ER in hospital
work as receptionist at dormitories
member of red cross club
member of human biology club</p>

<p>i expect to get a 3.8-4.0 for spring sophomore year also</p>

<p>i will also study abroad in Austria this summer, studying art and literature</p>

<p>those are my basic stats, i have a lot of volunteering from high school, numerous clubs, varsity skiing, had a job throughout high school, and came from a prestigious high school, i have money, fluent in german</p>

<p>i have an international background, born in europe and have lived there for 3-5 years. have constantly moved throughout childhood.
i can get great recs from teachers.</p>

<p>if i ace the essays and the interview, what are my chances of admission? i am a very passionate person, and come of well in person</p>

<p>also, would it hurt or help if i applied early action or regular admission?
what other schools do you think would be a match? what about northwestern?</p>

<p>thanks, and be honest i can handle it. i will do anything it takes to get into u chicago.</p>

2

<p>I would check UChicago's transfer admissions standards... Off the top of my head, I'd say you've got an uphill climb. UC is like an Ivy League school, in many respects, and Ivies, I know, admit VERY FEW transfers. Private schools of UC’s caliber generally only let those in with top grades from the college they attended. I'm only guessing, but based on your freshman year plus projections, your somewhere around a 3.2-3.3. That might not get it done. Also, I'd bet your HS career will be irrelevant. They MIGHT look at your ACT, but even that might hurt you. I'd bet UC's regular incoming class from HS would put 29 at the low end of ACTs... just a guess.</p>

3

<p>Why do you want to transfer?</p>

4

<p>i want to transfer because MSU jsut isnt right for me. its too big, wayyy too much partying, i have just taken a while to figure out what i want. i skipped a grade so i am a sophmore, but im only 18. now i know what i want. i really really would do anything to get in to u chicago</p>

5

<p>Interesting comment about excessive partying at MSU. Neither Chicago nor Northwestern are party schools. Your statement "I have money" might be better stated as "I don't need financial aid". I replied on your other identical thread, so I won't repeat what I wrote there. Your GPA will be your biggest obstacle. How you are presenting yourself is your second biggest hurdle. Phrases like "I have money" and "I'll do anything to get in" will not help you. You need to specify compelling reasons that you want to transfer and then carefully refine them. You asked for honest critiques and I will now give mine. You are not likely to be admitted to Chicago for one basic reason-- lack of maturity. Chicago is one of the most academically demanding and accomplished institutions in the world. The students at Chicago have significantly higher ACT/SAT scores and worked very hard to achieve stellar GPAs. Your ACT is low but very good. Your chance to prove yourself was last year and this year. You, so far, have not shown the maturity, discipline or drive to do so. The transfer spots often go to those without money who work while attending community college or a local college and achieve close to a 4.0.</p>

6

<p>Regarding Quincy's comments...I'm actually curious about what U.Chicago's transfer rates are...on the stickied thread, it said that it was around 25% for 2006, but that seems way too high.</p>

7

<p>Transfer admit rate is about 25%. Overlap colleges are: Harvard, Northwestern, Columbia, Penn and Yale. One thing in common between Chicago and Northwestern is the high ranking for their undergraduate econmics programs. BusinessWeek Magazine rated Northwestern's undergraduate economics program as number one, and Chicago's is always in the top five. Northwestern's transfer acceptance rate is also about 25%. Successful transfer applicants typically have two things in common: very compelling reason for transferring to the particular institution and outstanding numbers. Overlap schools with Northwestern applicants are: Harvard,Washington Univ. in St. Louis, Penn, Michigan and Cornell. The overlap schools are with respect to undergraduate freshmen admissions and have no relation to transfer applications received.</p>

8

<p>i am just being realistic about what will get me in. assuming that i ace the interview and write killer essays, what are my chances? i didn't mean to come of immature, but i am just really unhappy here, and i am scared for another rejection when i apply. i am going to apply no matter what, and i know nothing is certain, but is there really no chance of me being accepted? assuming i am mature</p>

9

<p>I understand much of why you want to transfer and find them to be valid reasons for leaving Michigan State University, but not for being admitted to Chicago, Northwestern or anywhere else. You need to be school and program specific with respect to your reasons for wanting to transfer into, for example, Chicago. A common reason to transfer is to study a major which is unavailable at your current school. Wanting to get away from a large, heavy partying school and into a smaller, more serious academic environment is probably sufficient for a less academically demanding school, but not for an academic powerhouse like Chicago. You can do it, but it is an uphill battle in your case and you need to convincingly articulate as to "why Chicago". You do have an advantage, a slight advantage, because you are not seeking financial aid.</p>

10

<p>My post got deleted, grar...</p>

<p>I just think you should think about why you want Chicago particularly. If you love the city, look at Loyola U. and DePaul U. as well. If you want an intellectual experience, look at Marlboro, Reed, Hampshire, Clark, etc. etc. etc.... do a search in CC for "intellectual" and a lot of threads listing a LOT of schools will come up. Some of these schools are used to students in identical situations to yours and I think will read your application quite seriously.</p>

<p>Also check out "Colleges That Change Lives" by Loren Pope.</p>

11

<p>The fact you're British, britbabe, may make you more interesting to UC than regular American transfers... I'm sorry you didn't fit in at MSU. Too bad you couldn't have checked out one of MSU more academically-demanding smaller residential programs. It sounds like you're extremely involved with campus. You are the type of student that tends to fall in love with MSU... Oh well, one size doesn't fit all, that's for sure...</p>

<p>... btw, although Northwestern and UC are both great, private universities, they are very different. UC is a little more stuffy and academically pretentious. It is a city school right in Hyde Park in the middle of the tough South Side. Although HP is a cool neighborhood, at times it can seem a little dead, esp the areas immediately adjacent to campus where there are a lot of nice old houses and apts. There are projects with in a few blocks, though. UC students are more street smart, by necessity...</p>

<p>Northwestern, on the other hand, is in cushy-safe Evanston, a burb just north of the City. It's more a social school, along the lines of a preppier, private MSU, though, on avg, the kids are more academically prepared. It too has a pretty campus, though not as august/Gothic seeming as UC, which was directly modeled on Oxford and Cambridge.</p>

12

<p>is there anything i can really do at this point to help my chances at U chicago?
besides gpa</p>

13

<p>According to collegeboard, the middle 50% of incoming freshman at Chicago scored between a 28-32 on their ACT. In other words, those of you claiming that his ACT is too low for Chicago’s standards are incorrect.</p>