Need to expand college list

Transfer Students
1

<p>Okay, so I'm getting ready to apply to transfer and I have started to do substantial work.</p>

<p>My essay is on how I've matured since high school and am ready for the big leagues (so to say).</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>HS GPA: 3.1? (83)
SAT: ~2050 (1400 Composite)
Class rank: N/A
Had some EC's, a lot of volunteer hours (1000+) but I think its irrelevant considering I'm applying to transfer after 2 years.</p>

<p>College:CUNY
GPA: Probably around a 3.8 (Sitting at a 3.71 ATM, but courseload is REALLY easy, so it's going to be a 3.8 at least...) My GPA is actually a bit misleading as well considering I have straight A's other than a C.
Major: Economics + Double Minor in Political science and Math
I will have ~90 credits upon the end of my sophomore year (~75 earned, 12 from APs)
Honors College: Yes
-I have taken a VERY rigorous course load. 23 credits first semester, including a 3000-level political science course, 15 credits the next semester which includes an honors course, a summer class, then another 21 credits in the fall, including another honors course + another 3000-level political science course, then 15 credits in the upcoming spring which is a 3000-level math course, a 4000-level political science course, a 3000-level economics course, a 2000-level honors Computer Information Systems course, and a 1000-level honors intro macro course.</p>

<p>ECs/Work:
First year:
5th highest position in student government (Out of ~160 members...)
-I would be higher but top four positions were all e-board that were selected before my freshman year ever started, so really, I got as high as I could..
VP of Government Relations in a club
-Had Anthony Weiner slated to speak (hah)
-Brought the Chief of Staff for a congresswoman to speak
-Joined a Jewish Fraternity (theres a key difference in that we are anti-hazing, pro-education, etc.)
-Worked for a large non-for-profit ($250+ million) company where I created contracts for the disabled worth approximately $4 million that resulted in a lot of jobs for the disabled.
-Was nominated for the Emerging Leader award from Student Government</p>

<p>Second year:
Vice-President of a Club
-Does political activism and humanitarianism
-Have panels, discussions, weekly debates, etc.
Fellowship at Hillel
-Fostered dialog on campus; spent four days at WUSTL getting trained
-did marketing campaigns, and event planning
Philanthropy Chair at Alpha Epsilon Pi
-Worked on a couple philanthropic events, such as a Breast Cancer Party, etc.
-I obtained two scholarships that enabled me to have a full ride to college</p>

<p>I am also a member of Cents Ability which teaches high school finance to students in underfunded high schools, and I will probably get a fellowship that will allow me to do economic research at the state department.</p>

<p>College List so far:</p>

<p>Vanderbilt
UPenn (CAS)
WUSTL (CAS)
USC (CAS)
UMiami (Safety :P)</p>

<p>I've been thinking about UChicago, and Columbia however they have problems. UChicago is "where fun goes to die" and I am fearful of this sort of environment. Columbia has a huge "core curriculum" and I feel that if I transfer I will definitely be unable to graduate in four years.</p>

<p>I am looking for a college with good solid academics, preferably a semi-decent Econ-department ranking, and that has a good college life. It seems to me that the only schools with good econ problems are the ones that are impossible to transfer to, like Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, etc.</p>

<p>Anyone have any ideas?</p>

2

<p>It is considered harder to get a high GPA at Chicago compared to similar schools, but they do accept many more transfers than Columbia/Penn, so you’ll have to weigh whether you value your GPA or the quality of the school more. You have pretty good chances everywhere except Columbia/Penn because of your high school stats and their extremely low transfer rate. I would suggest applying to more schools around USC level, maybe some publics like Umich or UVA.</p>

3

<p>You think its worth the sacrifice of GPA? Especially if I would want to pursue a JD/MBA? Additionally, I am really not fond of public institutions, coming from a completely public education.</p>

<p>Are there any other schools that I could apply to with decent econ programs?</p>

<p>Also, I figured the HS stats wouldn’t be a problem considering I’ve finished two years in college, including 90+ credits.</p>

4

<p>I would say no if you’re planning on applying to law school. High school stats won’t matter as much as a sophomore transfer, but they’re still weighted maybe 10 or 15%. Here’s a ranking of undergrad econ programs from another thread:</p>

<p>GROUP I:
Harvard University
Masachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University
Stanford University
University of Chicago</p>

<p>GROUP II:
Northwestern University
University of California-Berkeley
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University</p>

<p>GROUP III:
Columbia University
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</p>

<p>GROUP IV:
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Cornell University
Duke University
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
University of Rochester
University of Wisconsin-Madison</p>

<p>GROUP V:
Boston University
University of California-San Diego
University of Maryland-College Park
University of Minnesota
University of Texas-Austin</p>

5

<p>Basically, it only makes sense to transfer to Upenn and maybe UCLA on that list. I would consider UC-B but I am also fearful of similarities with UChicago. The rest of the top 5 are unlikely to accept me due to absymal low transfer rates. If I had to pick one to apply which one do you think I have a better shot at? Looking at that list</p>

<p>1) Harvard - 16/1600 people accepted.
2) Stanford - 25/1200 people accepted
3) MIT - Again I’m a bit fearful of their UChicago style, but I would be more willing to accept it than UChicago. Also, I think there are a lot of career opportunities here. 18/460 accepted → Not as bad as I thought, but still a awful, awful 3.9%
4) Northwestern - In the middle of nowhere, people don’t talk often about it, and it seems kinda LACish, gives practically NO financial aid the first year. a little ridiculous
5) Princeton - Loltransfer.
6) UC-B - See above
7) UPenn - Applying
8) Yale - 20-30 students per 1000. See MIT, but I like Yale a lot more since its not so arduous.
9) Columbia - See original post
10) UCLA - Eh, maybe a possibility
11) UMich - No, I just dont like it.
12) Brown - This could be an option, but I know nothing about Brown, and there transferring policies, or how the school is. I’d love for someone to elaborate.</p>

<p>I know my post was very lengthy, but I could use some assistance!</p>

6

<p>I would seriously reassess Northwestern. It’s ten miles from downtown Chicago, not exactly in the middle of nowhere, and has about 10k undergrads. It’s also has great prestige in econ and has a much higher transfer rate than the ivies, although the lack of financial aid is unfortunate.</p>

7

<p>I’m surprised no one has mentioned that Princeton doesn’t accept transfers</p>

8

<p>I actually did mention it. I wrote “Loltransfer” implying that it doesn’t accept transfers.</p>

<p>Northwestern doesn’t give ANY aid, and although I am willing to pay some money, $55k a year is just too much.</p>

9

<p>Anyone have any other suggestions?</p>

10

<p>Hey, Yakov. If you want me to be honest with you, you’re focusing way too much on “name-brand” schools and not enough safeties. If you look at some of the Fall 2011 transfer threads for schools that you’re interested in, you’ll see that there are some VERY qualified people being rejected. I understand that you want to go to a good school, but you have to be realistic at the same time. You have ~3.0 GPA in high school, and although you are a much different student now, institutions like Columbia and Penn will still evaluate you on your high school performance. I know this is a frustrating situation to be in, but again, you need to look at your situation more objectively. </p>

<p>Also, I feel inclined to discuss this comment: </p>

<p>“It seems to me that the only schools with good econ problems are the ones that are impossible to transfer to, like Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, etc.”</p>

<p>This is ABSOLUTELY FALSE!!! Those programs are not “good”–they are the BEST OF THE BEST. Again, you need to look at more safeties/schools that you can reasonably be accepted to. My advice to you is that you get into a decent undergrad econ program, work hard, and then apply to some of those more “iconic” institutions for grad school. I hope this helps, and best of luck in the future.</p>

11

<p>as hoya said in the above post, Upenn, columbia, and to a lesser extent WashU are unfortunately going to be big reaches. although you are a sophomore, your HS record and SAT scores are still too low. keep in mind that these are schools with transfer acceptance rates in the single and low double digits.</p>

<p>there are a ton of good programs, especially in a major like economics. it’s not so much the school you go to, but what you accomplish. are you having problems at the current school you are attending? it seems as if you are actively involved and challenged at a suitable level at present.</p>

<p>if you’re absolutely sure you want to transfer, look for schools that are more transfer-friendly with decent economics programs (there are a ton out there), so you’re not disappointed when the transfer decisions roll around</p>

12

<p>Some of the most depressing comments I’ve read. So do you have any suggestions? I can’t really see myself going anywhere that is lower than the Group III, or below the top-25 nationally…</p>

13

<p>^Dude, this wasn’t meant to depress you in anyway. To help you understand what I’m saying, I have a suggestion: Go look at some of the results threads for FRESHMAN admissions to top-25 schools. You will see plenty of kids with 4.0 GPAs and 2200+ SAT scores being rejected. It’s admirable that you’re aiming so high, but what happens if you apply to these schools and don’t get into a single one? What are you going to do then? You NEED safeties that you’ll be happy at and that you have a reasonable chance of getting into.</p>

<p>Also, you said that you wanted to go to law school, correct? Well the truth is, law schools primarily care about your GPA and LSAT score–NOT the school you went to. If you don’t believe me, look at this:</p>

<p>[Undergraduate</a> Colleges](<a href=“http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/undergrads.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/undergrads.html)</p>

<p>I, for one, have not heard of at least a quarter of those schools, and I would consider myself to be fairly well-versed with academic institutions in the United States. I hope this puts things in perspective.</p>

14

<p>Although I do agree that I can get into law school from probably any institution, I still want a fulfilling undergrad college experience. Additionally, I didn’t think my HS would matter too much, considering I wrote my essay on how I’ve matured since then and I’ll have 90 credits upon transferring…</p>

15

<p>^Unfortunately, you were wrong. Trust me, a lot of people would be happy if high school didn’t follow them. Sadly, however, it does.</p>