<p>Hi all. I am a student attending a SUNY Oswego in NYS.</p>
<p>I was never an extraordinary student, with an 84% average in HS and a 2.9 GPA in my first semester of college. I was very unhappy (not just in school but also in life) I went home after my first semester of college. I got a full time desk job and I ended up rediscovering myself. Now I am much happier and healthier (physically, mentally & spiritually) and I am returning to the same college this upcoming semester. I have such an intense motivation and drive to succeed in every aspect of my life now that I know nothing can stop me.</p>
<p>In fact, I made the switch from a Marketing major to a much more intensive course study, Biochemistry.</p>
<p>I am from a white working class family (I'm also gay, if that scores me any scholarship brownie points anywhere) and my family has no savings, I am paying for school 100% with loans, I am getting very minimal funds from state & federal.</p>
<p>My EFC is around 3,000. </p>
<p>I would like to transfer to a more prestigious school, and I know I can't do that without the grades. Which is why I am going to focus on it for the next two semesters. Next year I would like to transfer. </p>
<p>My SAT score from H.S. is 1710 combined. (1150 math/verbal)</p>
<p>What GPA/SAT scores do I need to transfer to a school that will offer me a substantial scholarship? Do any specific schools come to mind?</p>
<p>And also what other steps should I take if any to increase my chances? </p>
<p>Any and all help is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Since transfer students don’t get much (if any) merit scholarships, your best hope is probably doing well enough that you could transfer to a top school that meets need for transfer students (not many do).</p>
<p>Your financial safety will likely be a state school that you could commute to. </p>
<p>Your SAT score isn’t going to likely matter as a transfer student.</p>
<p>If your EFC is 3000, you should be getting some Pell at your present school.</p>
<p>So basically, I am stuck with my current college and I won’t be able to receive any merit based scholarships outside of it?</p>
<p>Most likely yes since you would need both merit and/or financial aid to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Merit aid and financial aid are hard to come by as a transfer student. It’s one of the hard realities of transfer students - especially for those without stellar stats.</p>
<p>Do you get TAP?</p>
<p>I get about 1550 / yr for TAP. and 1600 a year from PELL.</p>
<p>Do a Search on the Transfer Students forum, this question is asked frequently. There are relatively few merit scholarships for transfers, and they tend to be for smaller amounts. Need based FA varies with the schools, some treat transfers like fr applicants, other offer less FA to transfers.</p>
<p>The problem is that your stats are not likely stellar enough for the few schools that “meed need” for transfer students. And, big merit scholarships are very rare for transfer students. A couple of thousand in merit is not going to cover a $50k annual bill.</p>
<p>*I would like to transfer to a more prestigious school, and I know I can’t do that without the grades. Which is why I am going to focus on it for the next two semesters. Next year I would like to transfer. *</p>
<p>Another problem is that your transfer application will be reviewed before your second semester grades are in. Schools are only going to see your fall grades and last year’s grades. Since it sounds like your last year’s grades were a mix, your overall GPA at that point probably won’t be too high. Is that right?</p>
<p>zeebo, have you considered going to a CC for a year or two to save money? It could pay off in the long run in terms of transfer scholarships if you can become a Phi Theta Kappa member…your gpa is too low right now, but you don’t have many credits yet so it’s definitely possible to recover. Here’s a link to the NY chapters - the PTK website will also give you an idea of the schools and other organizations that offer scholarships to their members:</p>
<p>[Phi</a> Theta Kappa International Honor Society - New York](<a href=“http://www.ptk.org/directories/chapters/NY.htm]Phi”>http://www.ptk.org/directories/chapters/NY.htm)</p>
<p>What are you looking for in a transfer school? Are you planning to go on to grad school? I’m not knocking Oswego, as they have some outstanding programs there, but they don’t seem to be known for sciences. You could transfer to one of the big research uni’s like Stony Brook or UB and get a very solid education from a well-known school, gaining access to great professors and research facilities, and prepare you for grad school without raising your costs significantly. The benefit of looking within the SUNY system, other than cost, is that they will likely accept all of your coursework. Afaik, all of these schools offer department scholarships and paid positions in the labs.</p>
<p>I agree that there isn’t a lot out there in the way of transfer scholarships but there are schools that offer more need based aid. Syracuse, for example, offers a $6K transfer scholarship (plus PTK scholarships, if you’re willing to go to a CC first) but is usually more generous with need based grants. If you can bring your grades up and are within commuting distance of a well-endowed private school, you might find that the net cost would be less than that of a SUNY!</p>
<p>How many credits do you have at Oswego right now? How much more before you can graduate? </p>
<p>Transfer students are accepted primarily for excellent performance in college courses and the reason for transfer. If Oswego cannot offer the depth and and breadth in the courses of your major, and you are doing extremely well there, a school that can provide more in your field of study would welcome an outstanding student who is motivated for more challenges in the discipline. You have to show that commitment in your grades and choice of courses, however.</p>
<p>My neighbor is a perfect example of an ideal transfer student. She went to a nice Catholic college that would have given her an excellent liberal arts education. She became more interested in art and graphic design, devouring every course that the school had to offer in the subject, and getting top grades there. She successfully transferred to NYU where she got her degree. It was very clear that her first college had a ceiling that she had hit in the discipline and that she could benefit from a strong program in graphic arts. </p>
<p>Even schools that guarantee meeting 100% of need do not extend the guarantee to transfer students. However, a student who truly excels in a discipline, particularly one for which a college is trying to get more students could get some something. Right now you are putting the cart before the horse. You need to get those top grades, show that Oswego does not have the advanced courses in your discipline you need, that you have outgrown the school, and show your future college what you bring to them in your skills. You aren’t there yet.</p>
<p>With a low EFC, you need a school that will give full or close to full aid to you. That is not going to be easy. Also if you move away from home, you are looking at a $10K+ room and board bill on top of tuition. Syracuse, for instance costs $50K+ a year. That’s a lot of money to get when all you are guaranteed is the PELL and TAP. You certainly don’t want to borrow amounts of that magnitude.</p>
<p>I suggest looking at the bigger SUNYs and local schools when you get your grades to a point where they are attractive to other schools. Also check out Cornell. YOur SATs have less impact as a transfer student and I know a number of successful transfers to Cornell that were not good candidates directly out of high school. Cornell also gives good financial aid to those with low EFCs. Check out Syracuse and other schools too. Make a list of schools that interest you, and have your program, and call them directly, asking about what aid they have for transfers. But first and foremost, you have to get those grades way up there.</p>