Should I apply to transfer? Do I even have a chance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>I'm a student at UCLA thinking about applying to transfer to Columbia next year (sophomore year). I came here to be an engineer but then soon realized that wasn't what I wanted to do for a career. As a result, I've been working on political science and history since then. However, I feel like the school I'm at may not be right for me in pursuing those fields which is why I've given thought to transferring. I've done a little bit in the short time I've been here such as writing and being published by the Undergraduate Law Journal but I haven't joined many other clubs other than that. My biggest concern is that, since there's such a large population here and classes are so huge that I haven't been able to get to know any professors and don't know if I'll be able to get recommendations easily. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>College Info so far:</p>

<p>Major: Admitted as an Electrical Engineer, changed shortly thereafter to political science and am thinking about picking up a double in either history or econ
First Year College GPA: 3.908
Classes taken: Q1: CS, MultiVar Calc, and Jazz History, Q2: American Politics Intro, 19th Century US Hist, MicroEcon Q3: Comparative Politics, Stats, Macro Econ
Other Activities: Wrote for and published by the undergraduate law journal</p>

<p>High School Info:</p>

<p>Objective </p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2150 (760R, 690M, 700W)
ACT: none
SAT II: Math2 770, US History 730
UW GPA: 4.0
W GPA: 4.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~top 5 out of 450
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB 5, Calc BC 5, Stats 4, Physics 4, USH 5, Lang/Comp 5, Lit 5, US Gov 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, AP Micro, AP Gov, AP Latin, AP Physics C, AP English Lit, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: President of JSA chapter for 3 years
Job/Work Experience: Have worked IT for many local businesses and published a few app store apps independently throughout high school
Volunteer/Community service: Member of CSF since middle school and NHS in high school
Summer Activities: JSA and work
Essays: Common App (at least 8/10 if I'm being hard on myself), Columbia Supplement Essays (all around 8-9 out of 10)
Teacher Recommendation: Calc BC teacher (9/10), English teacher (she likes me but not very diligent person, probs 8/10)
Counselor Rec: (9/10, he's a pro and knows me well)
Additional Rec: none
Interview: not yet</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public, not very special
Ethnicity: Middle eastern and mexican (50/50)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Low, sub 45K per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not sure about URM but am first generation college
Major: PoliSci/History</p>

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<p>I think Columbia is actually a perfect match for you. You tend towards the liberal arts which is heavily pronounced throughout their core. Your GPA is incredible and your high school stats are too impeccable. Columbia will be a whole new experience for you in terms of class size, which will be advantageous to you. Other than that i think you are a perfect fit - not even kidding. You should definitely try transferring as Columbia does hold more of a prestige but think you are disadvantaged with the letters of recommendation. Other than that, go for it!</p>

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<p>I don’t like chance threads but you should know you qualify for URM status, and thus your chances are really high.</p>