<p>Hi, I'm applying to a handful of "selective" liberal arts colleges in the Northeast as a transfer student. My academic record is somewhat spotty and less then spectacular. My true achievements are in the real world. Forgive me if I sound arrogant, but after spending a couple of nights reading the essays and looking at stats, I was pleasantly suprised by a complete lack of overall competence. No wonder these kids are so worried, if I were in charge of admissions I would pick and choose randomly too, because theres so little distinguishing one candidate from the other. Tell me, are there schools that look for candidates with promise and experience or do you need to be a stereotypical dime-a-dozen overachiever with Mickey Mouse EC's to get quality education in this country?</p>
<p>Yes, many, but if you're talking about top colleges the problem is that they have lots of choice among young people with character and achievements who also have top stats. If you give your stats and tell us what your achievements are I'm sure you'll get solid suggestions.</p>
<p>i truly believe that students with good character, who are not the "dime a dozen overachievers" will get a good education now matter where they go, that said, i too like to hope that "top" schools try to pick out those students who have more going for them than great test scores. i guess it's hopeful that most of the best schools will reject about 1/2 of all 1600s that apply.</p>
<p>All I can say is anyone who is " pleasantly suprised by a complete lack of overall competence" sure isn't displaying much character, especially followed by your dismissive, wide-ranging jabs at the rest of your fellow applicants. Yes, you do sound arrogant.</p>
<p>Thankfully ,top selective schools aren't looking for dime a dozen </p>
<p>overachievers with high grade point averages and test scores. They put</p>
<p>most of their emphasis on trying to attract delusional braggarts with spotty </p>
<p>academic records who claim real world experience.BTW, add a criminal </p>
<p>conviction and a prison TAT,those are real hooks for the Ivy's. No fancy</p>
<p>booklearning needed for the truly top schools, no sirree. OP you are a joke.</p>
<p>Don't try to put down these kids who have worked hard for their stats with</p>
<p>your "real world" nonsense. I have enough real world experience to know </p>
<p>that real world experience ,as you use the term, means "dumber than dirt".</p>
<p>Go back to junior college, get your grades up and your sights down and</p>
<p>apply to a mediocre state school or just keep your "do you want to</p>
<p>supersize that?"job. IF you want to lose the 'tude (which my real world </p>
<p>experience assures me is just a coping mechanism ) and come on here </p>
<p>respectful of the efforts made by your "betters", I'm sure several folks will be</p>
<p>willing to help.</p>
<p>Mr.Curmudgeon
1-You assume way too much.
2-Ant-like work ethic is not the only way to get things done. Some people believe in working smarter not harder.<br>
3-You won't drag me into a ****ing contest. If you have nothing to contribute, then please contribute nothing. Please refrain from further polluting my thread.</p>
<p>I'm a student in a top 15 business school. My GPA has seen its lows, for reasons outside my control, but I managed to get it up to 3.1. By the end of this semester it will be just a tiny bit higher as I already have 56 credits and another 12 won't boost it by much. I'm 23, a veteran, and my biggest reasons for transfer are the stiffling conventionality and lack of imagination among my fellow students. I intend to double major in history and economics.</p>
<p>A 3.1 after that many hours at a top 15 business school is nothing to sneeze at. In fact ,it is a very fine record of accomplishment. Would a school that focused laser -like on entrepeneurship be more appropriate for you? Is that what is killing you at your present school? Or is it simply that the undergrads are all automatons who simply regurgitate the profs lectures for an A?</p>
<p>B-schools in general have some tendency to attract a particularly focused type of student,quite different from most MBA programs, and most certainly arts and sciences students at LACs.Are you interested in ditching B-schools and B-courses completely?</p>
<p>the latter ... i hate it. Fetch that paper! Good boy!</p>
<p>Q: What did you learn?
A: How to get A's from that professor.</p>
<p>I enjoy business courses. The problem is that I enjoy liberal artsy subjects as well and those aren't given much attention. I want a broad liberal arts education and some focused business studies as well. I don't like the idea of undergrad school being "on-the-job-training". I want to be worldly first, specialist second.</p>
<p>The most stimulating choices I think anyone can make, although they may be "risky" in an avant -garde way would be to go to New School, Hamline, or Reed where discussion is the norm and grades are actually written evaluations. Secondly and a little less edgy are the One Course at a Time schools, Colorado College and Cornell COLLEGE , not uni. That program seems to force discussion type classes and grading that follows suit. All are wonderful schools with excellent reputations.</p>
<p>Hampshire,not Hamline is what I was thinking of but looking at their website transferring could be problematic at best. What schools are you applying to?</p>