The Transfer Application and Your Extracurricular Activities

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi guys. So I just finished my first year in college and my first attempt at transferring out was a bust. My GPA went down from a 3.76 to a 3.66 from first to second semester, I got declined/waitlisted from all the schools I applied to, and an admissions rep from U Notre Dame, one of the schools I applied to, told me to continue working on my GPA. Well, I am working on applying to transfer again for the spring 2015 semester, though this time my list of schools are different save for Cornell and Notre Dame (I am trying again). I am even thinking of retaking the ACT to get a higher score to boost my chances, even though I would be applying as a first semester sophomore already. So, given my lowered GPA, I was thinking of other ways to beef up my application. As a background, I am a declared environmental science major and I plan to declare my anthro major once schools is back in session. I have two ECs pertaining to environmental science but not so much in anthro save for my membership in one cultural club. Of course, I don't want to look superficial to the schools and make it look like I am just joining things to beef up my application. So to start, here are the schools I will be applying to: Northwestern U, U of Notre Dame, U of Virginia, William and Mary, and Cornell. Currently I am at Emory University. I will now list the ECs that I plan to list on the spring 2015 app...</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Emory Club Crew (fall 2013-spring 2015)</p></li>
<li><p>Project SHINE (fall 2013-spring 2014 and probably fall 2014) - this is a volunteer group that tutors refugees in their learning of the English language </p></li>
<li><p>Filipino Student Association (fall 2013-spring 2014 and probably fall 2014)</p></li>
<li><p>Emory Environmental Alliance (fall 2013-spring 2014, maybe fall 2014)</p></li>
<li><p>Arlington Public Schools Language Services Registration Center (May-August this summer) - I am working as a test administrator for kids who speak second languages</p></li>
<li><p>Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center (June-August this summer) - I am working with an associate to catalog the insect species in the Dora Kelley Nature Park and preparing specimens to add to the nature center's collection</p></li>
<li><p>Emory Generation Response Magazine (fall 2013-fall 2014) - I will continue to write for this magazine. In the spring they published two of my articles, one about the endangered plant Schisandra glabra, and another about my experience as an amateur myrmecologist </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I was thinking also adding my theater involvement in the 11th-12th grade in high school, but I feel like high school is already irrelevant. Maybe I should just join a theater group at Emory? Because of my lowered GPA I feel like I need to compensate for something and stand out more, and I think maybe ECs can help me with that. Should I add a couple more ECs to my list? Do job experiences count as ECs?</p>

2

<p>Are you using common app? If so you are allowed 10 ECs so use all the spaces, list HS ECs if you have too. </p>

<p>To look well-rounded I would add 1 job to the list, I would also add an award of some kind. If you did that I would rate your ECs at a 8.5-9/10. Without something crazy like working for a Senator in Congress or hacking the iPhone, they are as good as they can be. </p>

3

<p>@bomerr Yes I will be using the Common App. So you would recommend that I use all the spaces provided there? I think I will use my theater involvement as well as my varsity lacrosse days as two more ECs I will list on there. I was also thinking of sending in a supplemental document that briefly elaborates on my ECs in 2-3 sentences. I also have this hobby, and feel free to think I am weird, but I keep ants. No this isn’t your Uncle Milton ant farm, this is ant keeping that resembles the lab work of Edward O. Wilson and Bert Holldobler. I have mature ant colonies at home with the queen, workers, larvae, etc. Maybe I should also add this to that explanation of ECs but just touch on it as a hobby and maybe send in a photo of one of my colonies. </p>

4

<p>Yes, def fill up the section; putting a sport and a theatre sounds like a solid idea. As for the ants, you could always talk about them in the additional space section. </p>