Please Give Advice on Transfer Schools & Chances

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hello, I am planning on transferring after my second year of college for the Fall Semester (2009). I was an excellent high school student and very involved, but I floundered once I reached college due to severe depression and psychological problems. I am currently receiving treatment, but I am afraid that my chances at transferring to a top school like before are shot because of my first-year college record. Please give constructive criticism. </p>

<h2>College</h2>

<p>I am currently a sophomore at the University of California, San Diego.
I am a Human Biology major, I was also in the Honors Programs for the first two quarters.
1st quarter GPA: 3.325
2nd quarter GPA: 2.600
3rd quarter GPA: 2.205</p>

<p>AP credits: 8 (a 5 on the Lit AP)</p>

<p>I improved in my Fall Quarter by receiving an A-, B+, and a B. I also took 2 summer courses at a CC, and another course at UC Davis to fulfill some GEs. </p>

<p>Credits completed so far: 78</p>

<p>SAT (taken Junior year): V: 700, M: 640, W: 680 (total: 2020)
ACT (taken Junior year): </p>

<h2>High School</h2>

<p>Private, Catholic school: no Rank (although I graduated Summa Cum Laude)
GPA: something 4.0+, I think 4.3 or something, maybe higher
I took many AP and honors, all the challenging courses from the school. </p>

<hr>

<p>Extra Curricular and Awards</p>

<p>I completed a prestigious internship the summer before beginning college, and am about to embark on another at a prestigious medical research company (would tell, but I feel I’ve given out too much information)</p>

<p>I’ve also had a few jobs, and have done a lot of community service and service projects. </p>

<ul>
<li>Most from high school. I was leader of most clubs and was president of student council and school 2 years in a row. I did heavy community service and won several scholarships, did tutoring, leadership, etc. etc.</li>
<li>JV/Varsity Swim Team – 3 years</li>
<li>My high school awards and accolades go on and on, and my achievement is very heavy here, but not as much in my first year of college. </li>
</ul>

<p>I am not sure whether or not my statistics for college will hurt me, because the last two quarters do not reflect the type of student I am. Do you think they will look at my high school record more? Should I even bother applying to the schools that I want to apply to? Please give me constructive advice on what to do, and what schools to apply to for transferring that are within my range. Also, any advice on including my problems (depression, etc.) in the essays, or whether they should be mentioned at all, are appreciated. </p>

<p>The schools I am applying to (can you please give advice on which schools, like divisions, are the most/least competitive, and what school within the university you recommend):</p>

<p>Cornell University
Georgetown University
New York University (either CAS or Gallatin – which do you think?)
University of Pennsylvania</p>

<p>Do you think it’s pointless to apply to Columbia, Brown, Duke, and Dartmouth?</p>

<p>Are there other schools you think I should consider?</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

2

<p>im going to be brutally honest because it seems your head might be in the clouds on this one...this isnt high school anymore, you have what, a 2.7 gpa in college? you need to get realistic</p>

<p>you have absolutely no shot at any of the schools you mentioned. point blank...maybe you have an outside outside shot at gallatin, but i doubt it. moreover, your freshman grades will likely wipe out any chance of you transferring to most of the schools on your list even if you substantially improve your grades over the next two years or so...your depression is unfortunate, something that I used to suffer through quite severely and i am glad that you are getting the proper treatment. however, you can't expect a college like u penn or columbia to overlook a 2.7 gpa or whatever when they're busy rejecting applicants with 4.0's and better sat's...if your mental health is adversely affecting your performance, how do they know that it will improve once you transfer? because you say it will? one semester of a 3.3 gpa is not the kind of upward trend these schools are looking for...if you really want to get out of the college you're at, you are going to have to lower your expectations waaaay down...perhaps look at some state schools, but applying to the ivies with a 2.7 gpa is absurd...</p>

<p>gl</p>

3

<p>Ditto. Your record indicates a clear inability to cope with the academic rigors of your school and to even think of transferring up is just silly. Mentioning psychiatric illnesses can be tricky on applications, so you'd have to talk to someone about how to delicately do that, but frankly I think you need to stay put and get your ducks in a row where you are academically.</p>

4

<p>What about a semester off? Get away from the environment you were in when you were depressed. Do something that makes you feel like the student you used to be. </p>

<p>Unless you do something outstanding with the time off, though, I'd tone down your expectations a little bit. Applying for some reaches is fine, but you should also apply to some places that are a bit less competitive. </p>

<p>Also - both for the reach schools and for the less competitive ones - think hard about two things: </p>

<p>1) What caused your depression in the first place? (If the school contributed, you need to think about your transfer choices carefully and make sure they'll be better for you. If you don't KNOW what caused/contributed to it, even if you have a strong family history, then you should really take time off and do some soul-searching.)</p>

<p>2) What about your transfer schools will help you to excel that your current school doesn't offer (ie why should they think you'll do any better there)? Yu need to convince them of this...AND that you have something to offer that didn't show up at your current school. </p>

<p>This bears repeating - time off can really help. I was extremely depressed last year, too. I was still really unhappy at my school once I was no longer clinically depressed, so I decided to take time off to figure out why. I'm SO glad I did it -- I feel like myself again. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

5

<p>Probably best to finish undergrad at UCSD and go to one of the others for grad school. UCSD is quite prestigious in your area!</p>