Rejected with 4.0 GPA and 2350 SAT...?

Transfer Students
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<p>Hi guys! I'm fairly new here, so I don't know if this has been discussed. But I think a lot of current or prospective transfer students might be as interested with this question, as I am! So, there are a lot of threads chancing people, discussing the variable nature of admissions, and (probably most helpful) the stats/info of former successful transfer students. But... </p>

<p>Heres what I'm curious about: Have there been any transfer students, with top stats, who didn't get into at least one "top" school?
***By top, I'm referring to research universities and LAC that tend to rank in the top 20 nationally and are very selective, with approx. less than 20% acceptance. I know that every school has it's merits, and ranks differently among departments. So lets just say that IVY=MIT/Stanford=UChicago=etc... (As an example, I truly hope that, lets say, an economics major wouldn't be too bummed about getting into UChicago and not Harvard.) </p>

<p>So, are there any transfers with perfect stats: 4.0 GPA, 2300+ SAT, solid EC's like internship/club experience, who did NOT get into AT LEAST ONE OR TWO of these schools? If yes, where did you get accepted/rejected? How many credits did you have at the time of application (soph or junior)? What school did you apply from (2yr or 4 yr)? </p>

<p>What about transfers with near perfect stats: (approx.) ~3.8 GPA, 2200+ SAT?
And slightly lower than perfect stats: (approx.) ~3.7 GPA, 2100+ SAT?</p>

<p>Obviously, there are transfers who, for some unique reason, got into a top school with lower stats. But I'm curious about those who would have made a great fit for one of these schools, did everything right, and didn't get into at least one or two.
I'm especially interested in community college transfers with perfect, or near perfect scores, who applied and didn't get into any of these schools? </p>

<p>Anyway, I'd love to hear from all!!! Your insights are greatly appreciated :)</p>

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<p>Happens all of the time if that student isn’t doing well at college. The most important thing in consideration for Transfer students is the college transcript. If you can’t show that you are doing well at college, it’s a no go regardless of how well you did in high school and what your test scores were.</p>

<p>For highly selective schools, the other important factor is the reason for transfer. Having goals that exceed the capacity of the school where you are is considered a top reason to tranfer. My neighbor got into any number of top schools with a perfect gpa at her first school and because her reason to transfer was that the small school she selected did not have a good program in what she wanted to study and her grades and courses taken there showed quite clearly that she was going to outgrow the school.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your reply cptofthehouse!</p>

<p>Well, I’m referring to those who did very well in college and have excellent SAT/ACT scores. I think that all such students shouldn’t have too much trouble articulating their reason for transfer, so I’m not really sure if this matters; we’re talking about successful and capable students. (After one year of college, high school gpa shouldn’t really make or break a candidate either.)</p>

<p>But when it comes to the top 20 or so schools, are there any such transfer students who didn’t get accepted into at least one or two?</p>

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<p>And, where did you transfer students end up?</p>

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<p>^Please go to the Resources sticky thread, there’s a link to past Results threads.</p>

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<p>@entomom<br>
Just read over what I wrote, and I realize that I might not have been too clear.
I’ve seen a lot of past results threads, but they are long and rather messy; there are all sorts of students posting–those with high marks who have a very specific school in mind, to hopefuls with low stats but unique circumstances, some with just low stats, etc… It’s difficult to wade through all of that information. </p>

<p>My hypothesis: a transfer student with perfect stats in college (GPA + SAT), solid essay, typical ec’s like internship and club leadership, is virtually guaranteed into at least one of the top 20 most selective schools. (He/she might not get into school X, but will get into at least one comparable school.)</p>

<p>Obviously I’m not sure if this is true. So I’m interested in whether there’s anyone who DIDN’T get admitted, who can share their story (or if you know of anyone like this.) Was it just a fluke? Or do you/they have a hunch as to why it happened: (i.e. did they apply to too few schools? Did they not fulfill pre-requisite requirements? Were they applying from community college? etc…) </p>

<p>I thought it could be interesting to see how a very specific type of transfer student; one with perfect or near perfect stats fares during transfer admissions. </p>

<p>If a thread like this exists, let me know! Hope everything ^^^ is clear!</p>

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<p>Do you see that little carrot I posted? That’s there to indicate that my response was specific to your question:</p>

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<p>Thus my suggestion that you look at the Results threads on this forum; the last 3 years of which I moderated and are anything but ‘rather messy’. </p>

<p>You may find something in your methodology that is problematic. The vast majority of students on CC are in the process of applying to college, most as fr and considerably fewer as transfers. Once students are admitted, very few remain active here as CC has served its purpose.</p>

<p>Just something to consider, best of luck.</p>

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<p>@entemom</p>

<p>Truly hope you didn’t take any personal offense to my remark about the Results threads being a bit messy. They’ve helped me a lot! And obviously I’m not alone.</p>

<p>Again, the results threads are very helpful! But it’s hard to objectively synthesize all of the data presented there when there are 20+ pages of it. I suppose it depends on what one is looking for though. It’s certainly very helpful for getting a general sense.</p>

<p>Anyway, I thought it could be interesting to see how transfer students with very similar GPA/SAT/ec’s and who are applying to very similar schools, fare in the admissions process in comparison to one another.</p>

<p>Oh and sorry, I thought that the carrot you used was referring to my entire message.</p>

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<p>“The vast majority of students on CC are in the process of applying to college, most as fr and considerably fewer as transfers.”</p>

<p>That’s why I posted this in the transfers thread… to target transfer students (or former transfers) specifically. Should I repost in a different forum? Which one?</p>

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<p>No, I didn’t mean to imply that you should post elsewhere. </p>

<p>My point was that there are relatively few transfers on CC in general, and that there are even fewer that stick around after the cycle is over; ie. you are not likely get a lot of responses.</p>

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<p>“So, are there any transfers with perfect stats: 4.0 GPA, 2300+ SAT, solid EC’s like internship/club experience, who did NOT get into AT LEAST ONE OR TWO of these schools?”</p>

<p>This happens all the time in freshman admissions. “Perfect stats” only go so far for these top schools and “solid ECs” might not be so “solid” compared to those of other applicants at top schools. Seeing as how transfer admissions is arguably even harder (at least statistically speaking), I’m sure that there are plenty of people who have been rejected with an overall solid profile. I doubt you’ll find many responses though because generally accepted people are more inclined to write up a whole post.</p>

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<p>I agree, and I think that you may have chosen a bad time of the year to post this thread. This is about the time when most people who are thinking about transferring are applying to schools, so have not received any decisions, and most people that have transferred already have had a significant amount of time to discontinue their visits to this website.</p>

<p>Personally, I am one of those who are applying at the moment. I have a 4.0 GPA, a 2320 SAT score, “solid” extracurricular activities, and glowing letters of recommendation. I will make sure to let you know the results as soon as I get them! Oh, and I am transferring from a community college.</p>

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<p>“This happens all the time in freshman admissions.”</p>

<p>Yeah, but it doesn’t happen so much in transfer admissions. The reason is that high school grades combined with SAT scores are only a moderate predictor of college success, but past college success is a fantastic predictor of future college success. If you are already at a 4-year residential university and making a 3.9+ with good activities, you are practically guaranteed to shine at the new campus, too. </p>

<p>Another way to look at it is that every high school in the world produces a top 10% aiming for college every year. But every 4-year college produces a top 10% in the freshman and sophomore classes, and almost all of them decide to stay where they are. (After all, they are doing great there.) So unless you’re HYSM, you can’t fill your whole transfer class with highly involved 3.9+ students. If you’re Northwestern or Wash U, you’re dipping into the 3.7s, who are still great students and terrific bets for your institution.</p>

<p>The sample size is pretty small, but I’ve never seen an involved 3.9+ applicant without a black mark on the record who didn’t get into at least one school at the Northwestern/Chicago/Georgetown/Cornell level. I’m sure it has happened, but it just isn’t like freshman admissions. You’re in very, very good shape as a transfer applicant if you can pull out that kind of GPA.</p>

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<p>Don’t worry. Same thing happened to me. I’ve had three responses so far, all rejections: Harvard, Dartmouth, and surprisingly, Cornell, and will probably get rejected a lot more. Nearly a 4.0 at a top 10 Liberal Arts school, solid coursework (all 300 and 400-level courses, and great internship experience (Barclays and JPMorgan Investment Banking Divisions). Not sure what’s wrong… but my application apparently isn’t working.</p>

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<p>Radiances, look back into the transfer thread you created. I said you should be prepared for a lot of rejections and advised you to add less selective schools like Rice, Vanderbilt, and Emory. The reason I said so is because admission officers know when someone is applying for an upgrade in prestige, and someone who has powerful internships should already be satisfied with whatever institution they attend. On the other hand, people with lower grades who show vast improvement and tell a redemption story earn more sympathy. These spots are for people who need to the connections of a college to break their way into a job. You already are on the way to one. Thus, the top 15 colleges close their doors to you. However, schools like Vanderbilt, Rice, and Emory are less selective, so they will take over-qualified applicants.</p>

<p>I hope you get into at least one college though. Unless your internships are a result of your social connections rather than your talent, I hate to see more talented people placed in a lower position than less talented ones.</p>

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<p>Thanks :). I’ll be hearing back from Rice, Vanderbilt, and Georgetown soon. On the internship point, my Director wrote a recommendation complementing me on breaking in without the social connections. Hope that works.</p>

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<p>I have 3.7 GPA and 2080 SAT. I was accepted to Vanderbilt and UNC - Chapel Hill but got rejected from Cornell, Wash U, and Emory.</p>

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<p>Top 15 schools accept transfer students to help them get jobs? And reject those who have internships?</p>

<p>I am skeptical!</p>

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<p>@abhi12/socaldad/sometransfer lol I got rejected by Emory too … but I have a 4.0 GPA and wrote interning and being mentored by CEO of Commercial Development Company … I don’t think that’s why I got rejected though … Still curious why … Also I was a highschool dropout with horrible grades and now strive for academic excellence and have stellar grades but that didn’t show them any sympathy either … it’s all the luck of the draw I think …</p>

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<p>My neighbor transferred to NYU and is a graphic designer. She could not get the courses she wanted at the Catholic school she chose as her ug college. When you are looking to transfer to a highly selective school, do find out how many transfer spots they tend to have . You will do better at those schools like NYU, Cornell, Penn that have more attrition, and they are bigger schools, as well. Those schools that keep most of their students just are not going to have spots opening up.</p>