<p>Any stories? Looking for some hope people!</p>
<p>It seems like you're taking this a bit too far. There is already a thread that exists with a similar purpose, and really -- you should relax a bit and stop stressing so much. There are plenty of people who've been accepted by re-defining our lives and showing the maturity that we've gained. You've got a long road ahead -- no need to kill yourself looking for motivation/hope now. It'll come when it's your time.</p>
<p>And stop defining success by the ranking of the college you go to.</p>
<p>And to answer your question -- yes I got in with a very subpar HS record.</p>
<p>Seconding Bourne: seriously, dude, calm down. You'd better re-evaluate the reasons you're thinking of transferring if all you can think about when you focus on your current college, is transferring out.</p>
<p>His reasons for transferring are consistent with those of many people here: upward mobility and prestige. What he doesn't realize though, is that he currently has nothing special to offer. Why should a "top college" accept him? Because he wants to be seen wearing an Ivy League t-shirt at his reunion?</p>
<p>Theoretically, one could just buy the T-shirt. It's a lot cheaper. </p>
<p>I think his motives are fine. The person we once were shouldn't define the person we are now. If you're in an institution in which you feel you aren't able to reach your full potential, by all means you should want to move up. </p>
<p>It's just I think there's already a thread like this, even with the EXACT same title. No need for duplicates.</p>
<p>Yes, I have one and you can read my post in the original thread if you really want to know mine and lots of others.</p>
<p>No, his motives aren't fine because he seems to be on the verge of a psychotic breakdown unless he's given access to the golden password to everything Ivy-League.</p>
<p>Supindy, take Bourne's quote, record yourself speaking it, and then play it backwards. He's trying to send you a secret message telling you how to get into Stanford.</p>
<p>There are people who went to lesser colleges and succeed (eg condolezza rice went to uni of denver) while I've seen many Ivy grads getting less prestigious jobs.. You can't be a president just because you went to Yale (there's one exception tho)</p>
<p>SUPIDY..i'm really trying to be honest and realistic, looking at everything you've said and posted, it seems almost improbable and very unlikely you could even get into a school such as stanford or yale.. so just have fun at whatever college you're currently attending and enjoy life and work hard, you can go to these elite school for your masters..</p>
<p>just go to yale for law school...your chances of becoming president are about 100 times better</p>
<p>wow thanks guys! you guys are a great source of help! Thanks for helping me out...:(</p>
<p>Please. As if the rest of you are just so saintly and enlightened that you're all above such things as "prestige" and "rankings". As if you've never checked US News and World Report. You just HAPPENED to pick colleges like Harvard/Yale/Stanford/MIT/etc. There's no need to be so condescending. He asked for success stories, not high-minded people butting in telling him how he should live his life.</p>
<p>OP: I know of several kids that didn't do that great in HS, but buckled down in college and ended up going to a school that they liked better. The main characteristics that they shared the fact that they picked the most difficult, but manageable classes, and often went to office hours to speak with professors and get to know them better. Above all, however, they actually did have a genuine love of learning- like they would be the ones learning another language on the side, or something like that- and it showed in the essays they wrote.</p>
<p>To wraider2006: That's exactly what I was thinking. What's wrong with someone looking for some inspiration. I just joined this site and I have encountered a lot of a** holes. </p>
<p>Anyway, supindy, just apply to your dream school, because at the end of the day you will be the one regretting it if you don't. The people on this site aren't even even experts on college admission.</p>
<p>You're right. We should have just posted our stories. Oh wait... We did? In the topic that existed before he started this new one. </p>
<p>Call me what you will, but I don't think we're wrong.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You're right. We should have just posted our stories. Oh wait... We did? In the topic that existed before he started this new one.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Lol, exactly. </p>
<p>BTW: Why do you (supindy) want to be in a "top university" and which top universities were you thinking of? </p>
<p>What would you (supindy) put on an application to, say, Yale? With an >3 HS gpa, you'll be fighting OUTRAGEOUS odds at any top 15 school to begin with, an "I want to go to Yale because of it's Ivy status and reputation" won't do you any favorite.</p>
<p>Exhibit A: This post. Even though he apologized, I still don't think he really understands what he needs to do if transferring is so important to him.</p>
<p>I concede that we transfers were upset the first time around when we didn't get into the colleges we wanted and knew we were capable of doing more, and yes, I concede that we did have prestige on our minds when we came to choosing our colleges.</p>
<p>But we didn't ask people on the internet how to kill ourselves because we didn't get into our top choice colleges.</p>
<p>The board was nothing short of supportive of supindy until he started treating the transfer process in such an overdramatic fashion. What got me through the process--and likely the countless others who worked with me--was the mindset that * if we failed to transfer, everything would still turn out okay at the school we were currently at.*</p>
<p>This is something supindy has yet to learn, and still won't accept after god knows how many posts. This isn't about reassuring a kid who knows he can do better; it's about stroking his immature ego by saying "Of course you can get into an Ivy League."</p>
<p>EDIT: Exhibit B: if you look at his post history, every single one of his posts are obsessed with prestige. He tells other people how they should decide where to go to college...based on prestige. I think that crosses the line a bit, don't you?</p>
<p>Exhibit A: I realized my mistake and apologized right? so drop that argument. Anyway there have been people with bad hs records who got into very prestigious schools, im just looking for a bit of motivation. No one is forcing you to say "of course i'll get into an ivy". In fact i would appreciate it more if you said here is why you won't get into an Ivy now, and here is what you can do for the next two years to offset that.</p>
<p>Exhibit B: This is my 100th post, if you look beyond the first two pages of my post history, you will find that to be completly false. So basically 80% of my posts have proved you wrong.</p>
<p>Actually, you just proved my point. Sometime very recently, especially after you got your college decisions (anything before that doesn't count) you have become very obsessed with prestige. And though you indeed apologized for your self-indulgent behavior, you continued obsessing about prestige after the fact. My argument still stands. </p>
<p>And to reiterate Bourne's argument, why are you asking for motivation when it's a featured thread at the top of the page? </p>
<p>Also, I and everyone here have given you plenty of advice (did you seriously not read the italicized sentence I wrote in my post?!). But here's a new Pog for your collection, because you asked: </p>
<p>Make the best out of your situation right now. It's an enviable scenario for many, many other people. Also, asking for some motivation is one thing, but posting requests for stats in multiple threads, making a redundant thread about it, and then asking for information people have already provided (and that may not even apply to you) is a whole different story.</p>
<p>supindy,</p>
<p>No need to apologize for your "self-indulgent behavior" or your concern with prestige. I joined this forum in 2004, almost four years ago. Realize that behind the impeccable grammar and vocabulary of CC users, it's all just a bunch of random college kids/high schoolers who are NOT (a) admissions experts (b) life coaches (c) people who should be judging others. So take everything written here (including my posts) with a grain of salt. I haven't read your post history as it appears everyone else here has (which is not creepy at all guys, btw), but you have every reason to transfer if you don't like your present school. Everyone has different motivations. Who cares if your's is about prestige? To each his own. Yeah, some people might word it a bit more artfully in their college essays, but the reality is that nine times out of ten it is pretty much about prestige and ranking. I've often found that here on CC and in real life that the people who generally chastise and stick up their noses at others for having a "superficial" reason for applying/transferring are usually the ones attending those very elite, prestigious colleges. Often, they'll try to pretend like somehow they're the exception to the rule, that they're going to (so-and-so top ranked college) because of a "genuine" reason, as opposed to a "superficial" reason. Yeah, you probably shouldn't have started a thread when a featured discussion on the exact topic was posted, but whatever. It's really not a big deal.</p>
<p>Here are some specific things I think could help:
(1) Find an academic topic or subject you are really passionate about. Find professors who care and talk to them about it, and how you can further explore your interests. Colleges seem to want transfers that aren't simply "good students", but will fill a certain niche- the Spanish major interested in studying the melding of Castilian with indigenous languages in Latin America, the sociology major who is conducting his own research on homeless centers in Boston, etc. This is especially true if you are a junior transfer. When I applied, I basically made it clear to them that I was an aspiring South and East Asian historian, and that if I was accepted I would bring fresh ideas, a totally different perspective, enthusiasm, and passion to their History/Asian studies programs.</p>
<p>(2) Develop meaningful relationships with your professors (this is NOT the same as sucking up or being the teacher's pet). Go to office hours. Talk to them about their research, if it is actually interesting. If possible, take more than one class with them. Show them that you love to learn. After all, they will be the ones commenting on your intellectual curiosity and academic potential in those recommendation letters.</p>
<p>(3) Make sure you take the appropriate courses. Many colleges have different prereqs for transfers, and in order to ensure that you have the best chance possible, you need to be taking legitimate, serious classes that are relevant to your intended major.</p>
<p>(4) Don't wait until the last minute to write your essays. I made this mistake and was furiously typing my essays the week they were due while studying for midterms as well (not a good week). Your transfer essays are by far the most important part of the application. IMO, a good GPA will ensure that you are considered, a good essay is what gets you in. Make sure you have lots of people read it and give their opinions on it.</p>
<p>(5) Finally (and probably most importantly), try to enjoy your time in school. If you go into school with a bad attitude, you're naturally not going to have a good time. Be outgoing, make friends, and try not to let the prospect of transferring take over your entire life. There's a lot you learn anywhere you go. You're only young once... don't waste it away brooding about how much your present college sucks. Who knows? You might actually decide you like it there and to stick around.:)</p>