Prospective TRANSFER to CAL-BERKELEY or STANFORD

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi, I am new to this forum and I would like to have some informed opinions from you all here regarding transfer applications. I am specifically interested in the prospect of transferring with the following qualifications.</p>

<ul>
<li>First-year (freshman) student at a UC (not Berkeley)</li>
<li>Mathematics/Biz-econ impacted double major, current GPA through 2 quarters and 9 classes: 3.96 (6 A, 1 A-, 2 A+)</li>
<li>Men's varsity athlete, academic all-conference first-team at NCAA Division-I level</li>
<li>Dean's List every quarter so far</li>
</ul>

<p>What do you suppose can be done to improve the current standing short of maintaining grades, representing the school well in athletics, and just being a decent human being? :) I know it's impossible to get a 4.0 now, after getting four As and one A- in the first quarter. The second quarter, 2 As, 2 A+s (took one fewer class due to in-season stresses).</p>

<p>Also, another question I have is, since doubling up and having a full athletic workload (having to get up at 5 am to hit the weights before class, or having 3-5 hour practices in the afternoon, or traveling for 5-7 days at a time on road trips, for example) takes a lot of time and energy. I question the value of diversifying and doing what a lot of other people are doing, namely, volunteering, working, etc. simply because it may be too demanding. Do you think it's better to keep it the way it is and focus on the primary goals of doing well in the classroom and on the court, and would that be enough to meet the transfer standards, or is there something else that I should look at to improve these chances?</p>

<p>I am primarily interested in whether or not the following is enough to earn a shot at either Berkeley, Stanford, or Pennsylvania. That is the ideal transfer scenario. But I am also pretty intimidated by all of the horror stories here and as such began asking some real questions.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance to all who are kind enough to respond.</p>

2

<p>Kevin Love, is that you?</p>

3

<p>LOL. That was by far the most witty comment I've ever read on CC.</p>

4

<p>that was funny, but no, this is not kevin love. :)</p>

<p>nobody with any advice? i thought this was the place to go...</p>

5

<p>What colleges give A+'s, and what is that worth in terms of GPA?? I want to go to a college like that :(</p>

6

<p>slicelob,</p>

<p>In general, transfer admissions is not as EC dependent as freshman admissions. You've got great stats and would be considered seriously anywhere. I'm totally ignorant as to whether excelling in sports makes you a stand-out candidate, but I imagine it might. Personally, I'd focus on your presentation in your applications; I feel like too much volunteering could be counter-productive...but I'm not an expert and could be wrong.</p>

<p>I can't give much specific advice, but you've got a lot of time and if you hang out here and search the archives you'll get a very good "feel" for transfer admissions. In particular, the UC transfer forum might be able to help you with getting into Berkeley.</p>

<p>Hope this helps,
Joe</p>

7

<p>sadly...an a+ does not boost the gpa...but it does look nice</p>

8

<p>I can't speak to UC to UC transfers. The UC system seems to be a world unto itself wrt admissions. (Not meaning this as a negative; I have a Cal grad degree myself, just no expertise in current admissions). As KGZ mentioned, you can spend some time on the UC Transfer forum to learn more, although many of those folks are ccc... there are UC-UC transfers there too. Lots of expertise on that forum (lots of uninformed opinions, too, I'm sure; you'll figure out which is which).</p>

<p>WRT Stanford, you certainly have as good a shot as anyone (or better). But that still is slim chances, due to their transfer acceptance rates. Do NOT try to "diversify" or build your resume. Present yourself as who you are. That is always the winning strategy and you have plenty to offer.</p>

<p>I ask this next question without any knowledge of how this works - but should you be contacting the coach in your sport at Stanford? To see how you would/if you can fit in there, and if s/he can be a tip factor? I know that in some sports you can just see where your times/stats fit, but I am guessing at your sport (slicelob, lol - Tennis? Golf?). That is the one thing I think you might want to pursue besides the general advice on how to build a good transfer app (See Transfer Admissions 101 sticky thread).</p>

9

<p>I think you should keep focusing on the things you've focused on to this point - from what I have heard, transfer admissions are much more numbers based than "holistically" based. your commitment to academics and sports should suffice.</p>

10

<p>Quick question. Is part of the reason you are transferring because you want to play at higher level D-1 school? Whether or not that is your motivation, if you are ready to play in the PAC-10, you should really focus on developing a relationship with the Cal and Stanford coaches. If you are good enough to impress, they could be your BEST friends in making a successful transfer in the end.</p>

11

<p>you know...i've heard something similar to that, along the lines of, if you're good enough to make the team at "X" college, transferring for athletes is a jillion times easier outside of the ncaa clearinghouse stuff. the end result would be the same, but it's also something of a point of pride to be able to say, hey, i got into this school on academic merits as well right? </p>

<p>thanks for that last contribution</p>

12

<p>You have the academic qualifications, slicelob. If you would like to play at the transfer schools, there is nothing wrong with exploring the athletic entree path. For schools like those, everyone should use every advantage s/he might have.</p>

13

<p>I think it would be moronic to not do everything you can to get accepted to Stanford. Who cares if you can say you got accepted by merit or by sports, either way you are getting an education at Stanford. With an acceptance rate in the single digits it is hard to get accepted without some sort of advantage like that. If you let your pride get the best of you and not use all of your advantages to making it in, then you have a lot to learn about the real world. No one cares how you got in, what matters is that you will have a degree from one of the top institutions in the United States.</p>

14

<p>Well, the only problem with Stanford that is see (in terms of athletics) is that they have an amazing tennis team (I'm deducing that slicelob is a tennis player). But I agree, when it comes to a top school, you should consider any path available.</p>

15

<p>Slicelob: Absolutely, it's a great thing to say that you have the academic credentials to be accepted at Stanford or Cal. But, as we all know, both Stanford and Cal want to see something more than academic ability. Your "more" just happens to be your athletic ability. If I had your ability, I would be doing everything I could to have their coaches notice me. I am happy to hear there are athletes like yourself who are not trying to get accepted to these schools on athletic ability alone. It bothers me when I see athletes at these schools who are academically inferior to the average student. As far as community service goes, I'm sure you could be involved in sports camps for underprivileged youths, right? If your UC doesn't have a program like this, why not start one? I think you have a very good chance of being accepted - at least at Cal.</p>

16

<p>i definitely can sympathize with that feeling, i think a lot of people bust their butts to make it to a school and they must feel pretty slighted when you see guys who are getting a top-flight education because of some athletic skill. i think a lot of the elite athletes think of school as an afterthought anyway. i knew a guy who went to a great school, i won't say where, got a grade-a education, never went to class, had his ta's DO his work for him (highly specious), was put up in a swanky flat and given the keys to a BMW, turned pro after three years, never paid a dime. but that is how the system works...but in light of that, to me it's a moral obligation to be as best qualified as you can. and that means getting there on academic merits is also important. especially when considering the sick transfer matriculation rates, which make it seem like a crapshoot in the first place. (stanford's 2007 transfer matriculation rate was 1.6%...)</p>

<p>and regarding the previous poster about my desire to make these schools on academic merits being moronic, well, what's there to say? what you say is patently true. i don't deny it. and in a competitive scenario, obviously trying to eke out every edge is the prudent thing to do. that said, i take exception to your questioning the validity of the simple desire to feel as if one's earned one's spot. maybe it's true that the real world has something to say about that. but hey, such a discussion delineates priorities.</p>

<p>here's what i ask myself. will i make it because i satisfied the conditions of others or that did i make it only after meeting the ideals set for myself and happening to satisfy others as an added bonus? let's say my grades blow but i'm a superstar athlete. do i deserve a better education, or at least the opportunity for one, because i'm good at hitting a ball far or running people over? maybe these questions wouldn't even come up with some people. fair enough. i'm just saying, it's something i struggle with. maybe to some that's just a bunch of naive bull. in the real world, no one cares what you do as long as you take care of your business, right? no...not in my book. i also care how i do it. and if that's what being a moron is, maybe there's some nobility in being a moron.</p>

<p>ps i appreciate the advice everyone! i'm learning a lot...</p>

17

<p>"stanford's 2007 transfer matriculation rate was 1.6%..."</p>

<p>Actually, it was 87%. Their acceptance rate, on the other hand, was 1.6%. But I would be thrilled with a 1.6% matriculation rate this year, especially if I get put on the waitlist.</p>

18

<p>since there is a 10-word minimum on this forum...touche</p>

19

<p>slicelob: Sorry, if I came across wrong in my last post. I did not mean to question the validity of your desire for wanting to be accepted on academic merits. I was actually complementing you in that regards, while recognizing that you are completely legitimate to enhance your admissions chances by underscoring your potential contribution as an athlete. Stanford and Cal are looking for people with a well-rounded experience anyway. You already have the academic credentials with your college GPA. With that said, if you are looking for ways to prove your legitimacy soley on academic terms, make sure your SAT scores are in the 2200-2400 range with two SAT subject scores over 700.</p>

20

<p>slicelob, do you really think you have the game to get onto Stanford's tennis team?</p>