Stanford Fall 2017 Transfer

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
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Hi everyone! I am not sure if there is already a transfer thread for Stanford out there; I have looked for one and have yet to find it, so I have decided to make one of my own for those of you who are either interested in applying to Stanford as a transfer student or for those of you who have already applied! Feel free to post your stats, background info, questions, other schools you have applied to/are applying to and any advice you have to offer in this thread. Good luck everybody! Here is some information about me including my stats:

MY STATS:
Female, Caucasian/Latina, middle class, transferring from a private 4 year university

Current School: University of San Diego
Major: Economics
College GPA: 3.85 (would be coming in with 57 credits by next fall–61 credits if we are including AP scores in this)
Extra Curriculars/Extra Stuff:

  • On campus tutor for spanish, calculus and economics
  • Part time nanny
  • Member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority
  • Won an award of scholarship within my sorority’s chapter for having a 4.00 last semester.
  • First generation college student in my family
    -Youth ministry leader
    -Varsity cheerleader in high school
    -NHS in high school

Recommendations: they are required, so I got one from my chemistry professor from last semester and one from my theology professor from freshman year who also happens to be my academic adviser.

Essays: I think my essays were pretty good 9/10; the ones that I believe stand out the most are my activities essay and intellectual vitality essay.

High School GPA: Weighted: 3.78 UW: 3.61

  • I didn’t do so well my first two years (3.4 and 3.5 GPA, but junior year I was able to get a 3.87 and senior year a 4.5)
    APs: I took 4 AP classes because my school didn’t let students take AP classes until junior year (unless they chose to take AP Euro sophomore year which was the only AP class you could take as a sophomore and you couldn’t take any as a freshman).
    SAT: 1800

Other schools that I applied to other than Stanford: UCLA, USC, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Accepted: University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Pending: UCLA, USC and Stanford of course

Comments: Obviously transferring to Stanford is almost impossible, but I figured that you can’t get accepted at all unless you try. Atleast I have other options if I don’t get in.

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Hi! Thanks for creating this thread! I wish you the best of luck in transferring. I am trying to Transfer as well. I agree with your statement, I may as well try and if it doesn’t work out I still have other options I know I will get into. Here are my stats. Is it nice to know there are other people going through the process right?

My Stats:
White, Female, Middle Class, Currently at a private 4-year university

Current School: BYU-Idaho
Major: International Relations
College GPA: 4.0 (I would be going in with a finished associates degree by Fall 2017)
Extracurriculars:
Mandarin Chinese
English and psychology tutor in high school
Regional debater, qualified for international tournaments around Asia twice (World Scholars Cup)
Photography and Photography Club
Head of High School Prom Committee
Class representative for 2 years

Recommendations: I have my Writing and my Chinese professors writing them for me.

Essays: I am still polishing them off, but I think they are pretty good.

High School GPA: 3.32 Unweighted. I don’t know what it would be weighted. I went to a British school, so I took all A Level Classes and never had a GPA throughout high school. I didn’t do really well in high school, but I have really turned in around at university so I’m hoping to emphasize that transformation.
ACT: 27

I am not being challenged enough at my current university, and it is nothing like the environment I grew up in. I moved to China with my family when I was 12 and went to school and grew up in a very diverse and international community. My current school is just not at all a good fit for me.

I would like to get in, but if I don’t it isn’t the end of the world for me if I don’t. I think the only chance of getting in I have is emphasizing overcoming academic struggles in high school, and talking about living in China. If it weren’t for those two things I don’t think I would have any chance. Well, we can always try!

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Hi guys! Many thanks for starting this thread! It seems like the activity for Stanford transfers has really died down compared to transfer threads from previous years…
You both sound extremely qualified. Totally applauding you both for shooting for Stanford since many would convince themselves to not even bother trying. Best of luck to you guys…and all of us who are joining this thread!

My stats:
Female, Japanese American from California, middle class, private 4-year and some CC (long story will be explained more in other comments)

Private School: Gordon College (small Christian liberal arts school in MA.)
Major: Political Science and Social Work
College GPA: 3.92
College extracurriculars:
-elected representative to student government, planned events for student self-care through Student Life Committee
-internship through college community service office and adult day center in neighboring city; responsible for leading teams of freshmen service-learning volunteers to work with elderly adults
-tutor to elementary school children
-staff member who helps facilitate outdoor recreation/experiential learning program
-teaching assistant for biblical studies class
-Model UN team
-women’s choral group
High school extracurriculars:
-assistant band manager and trombone section leader in marching band; trombone section leader of jazz II band; played in wind symphony and chamber orchestra (orchestra won national high school grammy award and 1st place in a competitive regional festival)
-women’s choir
-starter on JV basketball team; team captain on club basketball team I’ve been playing on for 11 years (left both after sophomore year due to family commitments)

Recommendations: grateful that I was able to form close relationships with my instructors at a small school. One from my political science professor, another from my social work professor

Essays: feeling really good about these. They really convey my personality and interests…and also my different life experiences, hardships that had to be overcome, the life lessons I have taken away, and how these things have shaped my passions.

High School GPA: 3.95 W 3.73 UW
SAT: 1970

Other comments about me:
-was a caregiver to my mother beginning my sophomore year of high school; she was sick from hepatitis C which she contracted from a bad blood transfusion during surgery decades ago. She ended up becoming bedridden, so a large part of my high school life was balanced with caring for my mother. My mom passed away my senior year, but she remains my biggest inspiration since she always remained positive, gracious, and kind to everyone even when she was in pain and could do nothing for herself.
-when I returned home from college after the fall semester of my sophomore year (2015), I was struck by a neurological condition that would later be diagnosed as transverse myelitis, I became completely paralyzed from the shoulders down in only a couple hours; stayed in the hospital for 40 days for treatment and physical rehabilitation of my spinal cord and nerves. Have spent the last year remaining positive, hopeful, and working incredibly hard to regain mobility in my body. I went from being unable to feed or dress myself, to using a wheelchair, and to eventually walking with assistive devices (crutches and canes). My mother’s optimistic attitude has been a major source of inspiration for me. I am still experiencing slow but sure recovery, so for now I am attending community college but am ready for a change (hopefully) this fall semester.

Stanford would be an unbelievable…unimaginable opportunity, especially when there are so many incredibly qualified applicants and very stiff competition each year. I remain incredibly hopeful that I may have a shot though!

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@cherreesherree wow that is extremely admirable how you have overcome your struggles like that. Stanford really values that in an applicant. Really hope you get in

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@cassidylynnn thank you very much for the kind words! Best of luck to you as well!

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What are my chances?

Current freshman at NYU, GPA: 4.0, Presidential Honors Scholar, Major: Planning to be Biology and Chemistry double major

Highschool GPA: 3.80, ACT: 35, International Student

Extracurriculars: Various community service clubs and Kendo Team (6 hours a week)

Looking for a more inclusive research community and to challenge myself in a more academically competitive environment. Current goal is to use undergraduate research opportunities to gauge what I want to do for grad school and Stanford seems to be an almost perfect fit.

Recommendation Letters (9/10) from Chemistry, and Biology Professors
But what worries me is that I suck at essay writing and my essay is the weakest link of my application 6.5/10 (I’m hoping to get it to at least a 7.5/10 before deadline).

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@CharlieTheTankEngine Your stats look good and everything, which is a plus. However, I do think that you would increase your chances even more by writing a really good, unique essay because almost everyone applying to Stanford has a 3.8-4.00 GPA I think (or at least 75% do), so what makes an applicant really stand out is their personality shown through their essays. Stanford is different when it comes to transferring because most other schools tend to value GPA the most over anything else whereas Stanford really values the content written in the essays because as mentioned before, most Stanford applicants already have stellar stats.The essays give the admissions staff an opportunity to see who you are as a person, so try to make them as original as possible but also relevant to the topic of course. Good luck!

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Applied to Stanford as a transfer student for Fall of 2017. Posting this on all the transfer forums I applied to (that exist) for reference. Will report back come decision day, maybe even live in the suspense as it approaches.

22YO white male from Michigan
Also applied: Michigan (accepted), Michigan State (accepted), Penn, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, NYU, Vanderbilt

Program (1st/2nd choice): Human Biology / Psychology

Objective
Currently Attending: Community College in Michigan
Credits: will finish with 88, which includes 12 from APs… I expect somewhere around 50 to transfer due a semi-difficult social work program I am completing that is nontransferable, as well as the APs being taken out.
College GPA: 3.95 (UW), 1 W in Fall of 2013
College course load: Sporadic courses from fall of '13 to winter '15. 17 CH’s in fall '15, 21 CH’s in fall '16, 22 this semester (never received lower than an A-, haven’t received A- since winter of '14)
Two gap semesters in winter '15 and winter '16
HS: Meh Public School in MI, ~1500 students, sends 2-3 students to Michigan every year and a student to an Ivy once or twice in a decade
HS GPA: 3.2ish
ACT: 28 (one and only sitting in March 2011)
Midterm Report: Four A’s, one A-, will be submitting a week from today

Subjective
EC’s: Work as a “full time” school bus driver in addition to the 22 CH’s I’m taking, internship at residential juvenile delinquency rehabilitation program, another job in leadership role, the gap semester jobs and travel, serve on board of directors of local youth baseball league, run umpires program for the league for last three years. Passionate about them all.
LOR’s: I doubt they get any better than what they may have wrote. I didn’t see them, but the two professors absolutely loved me. Both hold PhD’s for whatever that’s worth.
Gap explanation: Really good. Solid reason, involved travel and learning
Why Transfer: Liked this essay the most, but it’s kind of supposed to be a lay-up for a CC transfer lol
Supplemental Essays: I liked my Stanford supplements. I had fun with it, not in a blow-off way, but in a “me being me” way.

Good luck to all others entering this virtual lottery! LOL

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Hi, Guys! Good-luck to all of you. Wish you nothing but the best :slight_smile:

MY STATS:
Male, 20-years old, Mexican, minority, transferring from a public 4-year university.

Current School: CSUN
Major: Mangement
College GPA: 3.7
Extra Curriculars/Extra Stuff:

  • Varsity Soccer team captain. Took the team to the playoffs for the first time in school history. The school is over 90 years old. Recognized by the school and city of Los Angeles and inducted into the school Hall of Fame
  • Executive Intern for a top nonprofit in Los Angeles
  • United States Olympic athlete (Martial Arts)
  • I have my own start-up and employees. I have connections to Silicon Valley and Y combinator.
  • First generation college student in my family.
  • Advisor to CEO to a sports startup in Los Angeles.
  • Executive Intern for an accelerator (designed a new search engine system for investors)
  • Founder and CEO of a project that helps communities in Mexico with basic resources.
  • Research Assistant revolving around homeless students in LA
  • Project Manager Intern at the Walt Disney Company

Recommendations: One from my professor who used to teach at Cornell before coming to CSUN. One from my freshman English class. Extra one from the Mayor of LA.
Essays: Spent more than half a year on my essays. I would say 9/10.

High School GPA: Weighted: 4.1 UW: 3.9

  • Took 4 AP classes.

Other schools that I applied to other than Stanford: USC and Harvard
Pending: Harvard, USC, and Stanford of course

Comments: I put my heart in the application.

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@cherreesherree I think you would make a great addition to Stanford. As a parent of a kid who will be attending Stanford, I am very impressed with your and others’ backgrounds.

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@websensation Thank you so much for the encouraging thoughts! I appreciate a bit of validation coming from a future Stanford parent. Congratulations to your child on getting into Stanford-you and your whole family must be very excited for the upcoming fall semester.
There are so many extremely qualified applicants this year as seen just from this thread alone, but I’m really hoping for the best that I might be able to join in on the Stanford experience this fall!

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I applied Wednesday night so I just got the portal login today. All of my documents have been received except for my high school transcripts, which I sent in over a month ago along with my other documents that have since been received. Is anyone else having this issue, is it just a matter of them processing it or should I send them again? Or would that just further delay their processing time?

The day I sent them was very rainy, so I’m worried that the envelope may have gotten wet and made my transcripts unacceptable.

Will we be rejected if we don’t have all of the documents by March 15th? (which already passed…) will they wait to receive the transcripts before reviewing my application? My essays referenced my poor grades in high school and it was vital to my story but if they don’t have that with them then the context will be lost.

Is it acceptable for us to call the admissions office and ask the status of our high school transcripts or would they get mad at that?

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Also I don’t think I mentioned that I was going to be participating in research conferences… is it too late/annoying to send them a letter or something detailing this? I did mention that I would be doing research but it was just very vague as an EC activity. It just started so I didn’t have much to write about it at the time.

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I heard Stanford University does not have minimum GPA or Test scores. Does that mean if someone with 2.0 GPA in college still have a chance to apply to Stanford?

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Hey! I have the same problem. My high school transcript is an international transcript and was sent 2 months ago. I called them and they said if after 2 weeks from the deadline I do not see any update from it, then give them a callback.
And no you won’t get rejected because of that. It is said on the application page that “It may take several weeks after the application deadline to process all required applicant credentials.
We do not track the submission of materials beyond those listed on the chart below.”

So no worry! @otoribashi

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@L’arc~En~Ciel no minimum means they would still review it the same as they do all other applications, and wouldn’t just get thrown away at the sight of the GPA.

But odds are it would be rejected after a holistic review.

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Oh dang…I go to Cal State Monterey Bay and am sophomore majoring in Business.

I applied to Stanford with 3.1 GPA as Engineering major…I showed what I would like to do in the future and most likely I will be rejected then…

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I mean, most people are rejected.

For Fall of 2016, 1,959 students applied to transfer to Stanford… 42 were accepted.

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I thought around 50 people were accepted last fall.

Do you know how many people have applied for Fall of 2017? @mjr2013

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Year: Transfer Applicants (Accepted)

2008: 1,180 (24)
2009: 1,302 (25)
2010: 1,253 (25)
2011: 1,413 (58)
2012: 1,512 (33)
2013: 1,662 (32)
2014: 1,764 (33)
2015: 2,023 (20)
2016: 1,959 (42)