Realistic schools for someone in my situation? (HS dropout in community college)

Transfer Students
1

Hi all,

I am a high school dropout who is currently in her first semester of community college. I would define myself as a nontraditional student, despite being 18 (the age of most college freshmen right now), because since March, when I left high school, I had to work full time to supplement the family income. I used to work 54 hours, and am currently working 40 hours, while taking 16 credits.

I received very good grades my freshman year of high school, and was two years advanced in math. Halfway through sophomore year, family problems occurred and I had to leave school for a little bit. After coming back, I still continued to struggle with issues at home, and battled severe depression. I was absent a lot. I’ve been in a psychiatric hospital twice for suicidal thoughts. I’m not gonna turn this into some sob story, but I’ve made it through several tough obstacles, which I think will impact admissions decisions.

My high school stats are pretty much nothing. I barely finished any courses beyond freshman year, when I got straight A’s. This, combined with the one D I received for honors Latin in junior year, makes up the entirety of my high school transcript. I have a 4.5 GPA out of a weighted 5.0.

Other things that might be worth mentioning: I was newspaper editor my sophomore year of high school, and that I placed 2nd in district debates. I received summa cum laude for the National Latin Exam. I was also National Merit Scholar commended student for the Class of 2016. SAT scores are 2310. Nothing to write home about, and I know that my high school record will probably only hurt, not bolster, my application.

I’ve been doing very well lately, though! I will most likely have a 4.0 at the end of this semester, and will be enrolling in the honors program next semester. I also got elected as student body secretary, and it looks as though the path for me to become student body president next year is becoming clearer by the day. I am also the chair of several committees, and am the student representative for the strategic planning board. I also participate in other clubs, and will be more active on campus once I receive the honors scholarship next semester, which will enable me to drastically reduce my work hours.

Another thing: I am a Korean American female, which I know isn’t the most desireable demographic for freshman admissions… does the same apply to transfer admissions?

I am going to apply to a four-year school next year, and finish my Associates before transferring, so I have a decent amount of time before I have to go through the admissions process, but I’m wondering what kind of schools I should be looking at. I want to study linguistics, and my top choices are Penn, Cornell, UChicago, and Yale. I also like small LACs, like Swarthmore. Do I have a chance at these schools? Should I lower my expectations? What are some things I could do to make myself more desireable to top schools?

2

It looks like you and I are on the same boat. Deciding on top choices, yet fear that it might be too much of a reach.

Our situation are some what similar, not that similar though. Family issues, etc. If you dont mind sparing some time reading my post.
Here is the link http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/1936100-need-help-w-transfer-and-suggestions-unusual-situation.html

Just remember though you are doing pretty well, overcoming those issues. I hope that you get to your goals.

Anyways, what are you going to do if universities ask for HS transcript? Or did you do GED? You mentioned that you dropped out.

Your stat are not all that bad.

I’d say apply to 3 top schools of your choices, one or two state flagships, and may be 2 LACs. Thats what i figured what I’m going to do.

If you dont apply, you will never know. Its good to also have realistic options.

Hope everyting is alright.

3

I wouldn’t call it “lower” expectation, but adjust. There are so so many schools out there . . . . it’s a matter of finding the right fit. The most important thing is to be kind to yourself. Be gentle to yourself. Take a breath. This isn’t a race. You have your whole life ahead of you.

If you’re looking at that list of schools, you may want to add Penn LPS and Columbia GS. Those programs are meant for people like you. Several of the others are going to be pretty tough to get into. I always encourage you to try, but Yale is probably not going to work as the number of transfer students admitted is very small. If you wait a few more years, you could try the Yale Eli program. Brown also has a program for much older students.

Since you’re female, you may want to look at the top women’s schools. These are considered among the little Ivies, if you’re competitive by nature, and you sound like you are: Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Barnard, Wellesley, Scripps and Bryn mawr. Mt. H has the more homey and comforting feel, IMO. Bryn Mawr is part of a 4-college consortium (basically). Smith and Mt. H have access to the 5-college consortium so you’d get the advantage of a big school with the hominess of small schools. Scripps is part of a consortium of several schools. You might also want to look at Mills, as it allows the students intellectual and emotional elbow room for growth. Mills allows you to take classes at Berkeley. Barnard you can take classes at Columbia. At a very nice, very homey school, Agnes Scott, you can take classes at Emory. One common question about women’s schools surrounds the social life. There is a social life involving young men, especially for those in consortia, as students from the other campuses come to the school and the women visit other schools.

If you’ve been so stressed out, I would avoid U Chicago (“where fun goes to die”) and Swarthmore (“Sweatmore”). And i’d only go to Cornell if there were a really really really good reason. It’s a nice school in so many ways, but the winters are long and, again, think about how you’d feel in those long winters. Is this really the right place for you? Maybe someplace in CA with sunshine and excellent academics would be better, or perhaps UPenn, which is in the middle of a vibrant city, that sort of thing.

4

@KojouPW Thanks for the advice! My state has an option for students who have completed 30 college credit hours to get a high school diploma, as well as the traditional GED route. Will probably wait to receive my diploma through the 30 credit option just to save money, but I’m all ready to take the GED if the colleges I’m applying to require it!

@Dustyfeathers Thank you for the well-rounded advice. Penn LPS and Columbia GS were schools I was considering at first, but the stories of all the students that went into debt after completing their degrees scared me off. (The no-loan policy that is in place for traditional students is not there for the LPS and GS programs.) Money is a big factor for me, so I’m looking for a school with generous aid. The admissions officer at Penn LPS also expressed concern for how well I’d fit in with the LPS community, seeing as how I’m the age of a traditional undergraduate. She said it might be worth a shot just applying through regular admissions. However, if I receive significant aid from outside organizations, they may very well be viable options!

And I am looking at other options as well. Out of the ones you mentioned, Bryn Mawr and Barnard are options that I’ve been looking at and that I really like. (Especially Bryn Mawr; I like all the schools that are affiliated with it, i.e. Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn.) My mom is agaisnt me attending a women’s college, mostly due to her own experiences at one, and the limited world exposure she felt she got, but I think things have changed a lot since her days. So I think I’ll start looking into some of the ones you’ve mentioned.

I’ve heard that about UChicago, and although it’s a bit worrisome, everyone I’ve known personally that’s gone there seems to love it. I will probably apply to Cornell due to their good linguistics program AND their openness to transfer students, but it will probably not be my top choice, granted I get accepted to other schools. Sunny CA would probably be nice for me and my mental health, and UCLA and UCB are in my radar, but I’m from the east coast so I’m worried about the prices associated with going so far away (plane tickets + housing + OOS tuition.)

5

Check with each school that you want to apply to. Many do not even look at high school records or SAT scores for transfers. Each school may have a different threshold of units you need to have. I have a friend whose child had a 2.3 GPA in high school, went to CC for two years, and transferred to USC where they do not ask for high school records if you have 30 college units.

6

See if you like Vassar as a transfer. Grinnell, too. The financial aid could work for you at those places.

7

I am considered a high school dropout. I am applying to Cal Poly, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, and UC San Diego this semester. I would be disappointed if I was not accepted into all of them, honestly. My advice is to make a decision on a major, and plan your classes accordingly. Put the time in, get above a 3.5 GPA, and you should be ok. You are at a critical point in your academic career. You have to show what you are made of when the chips are stacked against you. For most schools, if you take 60 college credits, your high school record becomes irrelevant. I would like to add that if you are at a CC, focus on the GPA. Universities really don’t care if your part of the newspaper or in a sport. A strong GPA will trump those qualities.