Should I bother trying?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am a rising sophomore at a top-20 school trying to decide whether or not I want to transfer as a Junior next year.</p>

<p>I actually wanted to transfer this year but my GPA was horribly low: a 3.25.
Because I went in college with 32 credits (AP), there weren't that many introductory courses I could take within my majors. So, I had opted to take all 300 level classes save for an introductory language class and a freshman seminar. In addition to my rigorous academic load, I was involved in a few time-consuming activities (jobs, extracurriculars) that really took a toll on me both physically and mentally. </p>

<p>Now that the 2nd semester has finished, my GPA is: 3.45. 2nd semester, I had again taken all 300 level classes save for that same introductory language course. I still have one more grade for a 300 level class to come out. I don't know if that will be an A or a B... </p>

<p>I believe I will have pretty strong recommendations, I have solid extracurricular activities and I am confident I will be able to write a stellar essay.</p>

<p>If I transfer, I plan to apply to Penn, Columbia, JHU, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell and Yale.
My high school GPA is a 3.7 (I attended a very competitive, highly ranked, big public high school) and my SAT score is 2310.</p>

<p>Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Why are you thinking of leaving your current school?</p>

<p>I think it would absolutely be worth a shot, if you have a compelling reason to transfer. 3.25 is not horribly low given your circumstances; taking solely upper-division coursework in your first semester will certainly attract some positive attention.</p>

3

<p>It’s worth a shot. Your 2310 clearly shows that you are smart. Same for 32 credits. And same for taking 300 level courses.</p>

<p>Yale will be rough though. They have a 99% retention rate so their acceptances are very far few in between.</p>