<p>OP: I firmly believe that the schools look to admit ‘people’ in transfer admissions. I say this because USNews and World Report rankings are not determined by the average SAT score and College GPA of transfer applicants. With this in mind, the schools wish to see that you took a challenging course load, and managed to get good grades in those courses. </p>
<p>If you do go to school next year, try to get involved in one or two clubs, not just for the application, but to make friends. </p>
<p>Aside from working hard in school, get to know your academic adviser and a professor from your major field. </p>
<p>From looking on the UNC-Chapel Hill admissions blog and college confidential, there were students who were rejected and watlisted with higher HS and College GPAs. Main point of my post is that grades are not the be-all, end-all of transfer admissions. These admissions folks want to see that you are a personable, and hard-working student who will be able to handle the work at their school and make friends. They don’t want students with 4.0 College GPAs, but with the social skills of a rock</p>
<p>Since you are looking for great financial aid and considering Ivies, I assume it is great needs-based aid for which you are looking. If you’re looking for merit aid, the Ivies are not the place to look for it.</p>
<p>The “problem” is that there are very few schools that meet all demonstrated need and that are need blind for transfers. The admit rate for transfers is almost lower for transfers than for incoming freshmen at most (all) of the schools I applied to. It was in my favor that I am a much stronger transfer applicant than freshmen applicant. </p>
<p>If you transfer after a semester (only some schools will let you do that) college will only see your midterm grades for first semester. This won’t do much to counter balance your high school record.</p>
<p>hi im a student international student from NEpal. I went to a good high school here and my school gpa is 4 adn my SAT score(2nd time); CR-750 math-740 wr-720. my sat 2 is also good. I applied to 16 college( yeah i applied in bulk)…and i didnt research them thoroughly. ANd now i dont have a decent acceptance. I got waitlisted at franklin and marshall, carleton and gettysburg.(no hope of acceptance). I got accepted at adelphi(full tuition only)…it is a tier 3 college and I dont know whether i should go there or wait another year and strengthen my application…I think I am good enough for a top US college but the recent economic downturn has toppled my dreams…NOw do u think i stand a chance of transferring to a really good college after studying a year at Adelphi(maintaining a good gpa and ECA…).Financial aid is a top priority for me…What do you think i should do…</p>
<p>scores are important but are not everything…to be honest, tranfer acceptance rate is relatively lower than the freshman acceptance. some top state schools are the exceptions though if you are willing to attend. But it seemed that you are only interested in liberal arts colleges…
I would suggest you either to ensure uself would have fun at adelphi or to gap a year.
hope you would get off the waitlist though…that’d be best.</p>
<p>You potential transfers need to understand that there is less possibility of financial aid as a transfer than there is as a new freshman. There are very few top colleges that have space for a significant number of transfers, and aid is very hard to get.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s easier to get into good colleges as a transfer because admissions has a better idea of how you will do at their school. As soon as my GPA went up to a 3.6, acceptance letters came in the mail fast! Admissions also knew I would be receiving my A.A. degree before I transferred.</p>
<p>btw don’t assume you can’t do better… I never thought about going to a good school when I was younger, I always knew I was smart but never really cared that much. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to do that well in college when I got here. Now at a top 100 state school after 4 semesters I have a 3.83. Don’t sell yourself short just work hard.</p>
<p>Universities and colleges understand that the caliber of college work outweighs the simplicity of secondary education (high school). In high school, although we were offered more advanced material in our younger years, such as Advanced Placement and I.B. courses/ programs, the pressure and competition was not the same. We learned the curriculum in a more clustered fashion (getting tested on one chapter a week). College courses are organized and structured so that the professor follows the curriculum (one semester for a one year course in high school). College is much more demanding and admission counselors understand this and there is no weighted GPA because all courses are the same, no one gives more grade quality point (4.0, 3.7,3.3,3.0,2.7,2.3,2.0,etc). The average college GPA, depending on university as well as major, is a broad range, but I think 3.2-3.4 is a good estimate. If you’re over that curve, then you’re considered more competitive. And don’t give up on your dreams, the sky is the horizon. My college entrance examination scores were not in any way representative of my potential as displayed in both my high school record and college progress thus far. However, colleges sometimes need to play the numbers game to keep their rankings up and will deny you even if you have a legitimate reason for your low SAT/ ACT score. However, with an extremely low SAT score, 4.2 W HS GPA, and 3.56 CGPA (College), I am transferring to UNC-Chapel Hill next semester. A school that would of never considered me as a freshmen applying due to low SAT scores. As a freshmen, I was admitted to University of Maryland and transferred back home to UMiami (another school that most likely would not consider me with my SAT score for Fall Freshmen semester), but after a solid semester at UMD, I was admitted.</p>
<h2>Have you considered applying to schools with honors programs and scholarships?</h2>
<p>Nope. I’m mostly intersted in LACs.</p>
<h2>You potential transfers need to understand that there is less possibility of financial aid as a transfer than there is as a new freshman. There are very few top colleges that have space for a significant number of transfers, and aid is very hard to get.</h2>
<p>I hope you’re only talking about merit aid… if you’re talking about needs based aid as well, how much less are we talking about?</p>
<p>Also, so I gather that the reason(s) for wanting to transfer are quite important for transfer admissions? My only current genuine reason is that I’d like to transfer to a school that offers more aid. Is that a good or bad reason…?</p>
<p>Finances are always an important reason, but you NEED to find good, real, serious, well-thought out reasons other than that that are offered by schools specifically if you want a chance at admittance. It’s good to be honest, but you have to show that if money was available to attend, you should be able to answer how you can put their offerings to good use.</p>
<p>Iillkll–so you mean merit aid (based on grades/scores) or need-based aid (from FASFA, parents income level)? As was mentioned earlier, Ivy league schools don’t generally offer merit aid.</p>
<p>I’m only concerned with needs based aid. Well, I would take merit aid if I could get it, obviously, but my primary concern is going to a school that I like and that guarantees to meet full need. (And if not guarantees, then a school that comes very close to meeting full need for all students).</p>
<p>Need based aid too is even harder to find for transfers. Many LACs that are need blind for freshmen aren’t need blind for transfers. (So theoretically, the spot given to two other wise equal candidates would go to the student who has the ability to pay). Many other LACs (highly ranked and less so) warn that funds are limited for transfers. </p>
<p>Before you make any decisions, you should check out the financial aid policies for transfers of the schools you are interested in. (The college board website is good for this). Good luck!</p>
<p>Need based aid too is even harder to find for transfers. Many LACs that are need blind for freshmen aren’t need blind for transfers. (So theoretically, the spot given to two other wise equal candidates would go to the student who has the ability to pay). Many other LACs (highly ranked and less so) warn that funds are limited for transfers.</p>
<p>Before you make any decisions, you should check out the financial aid policies for transfers of the schools you are interested in. (The college board website is good for this). Good luck!</p>
<hr>
<p>Ok, I’ll try looking at some schools…</p>
<p>edit: Well the very first school I decided to look up, Oberlin, claims to guarantee to meet full need for transfers.</p>
<p>“Oberlin’s financial aid policy is simple: We meet the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student through a combination of grants, scholarships, student loans, and income earned from on-campus jobs. Each year, about two thirds of all students receive some form of need-based financial assistance.”</p>
<p>(And this quote is directed towards its transfer applicants.)</p>
<p>But I notice that they include loans and on-campus jobs… Does this mean it’s quite likely a good portion of the aid Oberlin gives (to students who need a lot of aid) is student loans and other non-grant and non-scholarship forms of aid?</p>