Tips for transferring from a four year university: will my high school performance count?

Transfer Students
1

Hey everyone,
I’m currently a first year biochemistry student at FSU, and it’s become increasingly clear to me that this school was not right for me. I do believe that FSU is a fantastic school and I’ve grown attached to it on some levels, but I am genuinely unhappy and I’m seeking change. I chose Florida State simply because I didn’t get into UF and it was the next best option available, and as this semester has gone by I’ve realized that the problems I have with FSU would also be present at UF. I hope to transfer to an urban setting, and as of now I am interested in Emory, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, and Harvard (which would obviously be a stretch.)

In high school I always assumed I would stay in state for financial reasons, so I didn’t participate in anything that would make me stand out significantly to a top 25 school. UF went on to reject me with a 4.5 GPA and a 1400 superscored SAT, and I’m still not sure what went wrong with my application (I did have some EC’s, just nothing stellar.) I now feel that taking loans and seeking financial aid could be worth leaving Florida.

I am specifying all of this because I am concerned that my performance in high school could impact my chances of getting into my choice schools. I’ve done my research and I’ve found that most top schools do consider SAT scores for all transfers, and a few schools specified that they prefer that transfers not retake the SAT.

I believe that my accomplishments this year could make me stand out, and I plan to begin applications over this summer and begin at a new institution in either spring or fall 2019. I am an SGA hall council representative, I am involved in undergraduate research, I attended and presented at a conference, I won an award for hall council programming, I volunteer on campus, I am a member of an advocacy group for women in STEM, and I have a 3.8 GPA. I’ve been working hard to make up for my lack of involvement in high school.

I have no idea where to start for the transfer process. All I know is that I am unhappy where I am and I don’t see much that could change that if I stay here. If anyone has any tips, advice, thoughts regarding schools I could be competitive for, thoughts regarding the schools I listed, or any comments in general, it would be greatly appreciated. Specifically, does anyone have experience regarding how transfer institutions view high school SAT scores/performance?

(NOTE: I am open to attending schools that are not urban so long as they provide excellent networking/opportunities off campus/things to do other than clubbing all the time. I am also open to decent schools in urban settings that could offer significant financial aid. If you have any recommendations or thoughts on this please let me know.)

2

Can you afford those schools? FinAid is harder for 2nd year, and you are capped on how much you can take in loans in your own name.

In general, if you are applying to transfer right now, your HS record will count a lot, as you only have 1 semester of college for them to go on. If you apply a year from now your HS record will count much less / not at all (depends on the college).

3

My financial situation has changed since last year so I could have a better chance at affording these schools with less financial aid. I plan on applying to see what my options are.
I plan on applying for spring or fall 2019, which would be my second year. Is that enough time to distance my app from my high school scores?

4

Depends on the school, but you generally need 60 semester units/90 quarter (2 years) for your high school record to be obsolete.

5

@esaturn55: No one can offer a reasonable suggestion since you do not state why FSU is not a fit for you, and you only suggest that you want to be in an urban environment.

Why are you unhappy at FSU ?

What would make you happy ?

Forget Harvard, it is highly unlikely based on the info. that you have shared in this thread.

6

I’m unhappy here largely because there is almost nothing to do off campus, both professionally and recreationally. I’m from a city so I’m used to being able to go to museums, parks, and public events with little difficulty. Being a comparatively small college town, Tallahassee offers little of that. I find it impossible to make professional connections beyond my professors.

I don’t have a car so I often feel trapped on campus. The bus system is not helpful. I hardly ever leave the same square mile and I haven’t gone further than biking distance off campus for over a month.

I think this contributes to the fact that I feel as though I am not growing at all as a person through my experience here. I am just far enough away from home that visiting for a weekend is not worth it, and yet the actual environment I am in is geographically very similar to my hometown. If I’m going to be so far away I feel as though I should be developing a better understanding of the world through change and new experiences and so being stuck in a southern town in the middle of no where feels counterproductive. I feel as though the only difference between myself now vs. a year ago is that today I am significantly better at calculus.

All in all, I believe I would be much happier on a campus in a large, very urban setting (outside of Florida) where I could engage in life off campus, see the surrounding area easily (with effective public transport, I mean), develop professional connections, and experience significant geographical change. I want to have opportunities to grow professionally and as a person and I feel as though FSU is not a place where this is possible.

(NOTE: I have spent the past semester and half trying everything I can think of to become more comfortable with Tallahassee and FSU, and while I do believe that FSU is a great school it is not the right school for me. I am extremely involved on campus and I have made great friends but I still feel very unfulfilled. The issue is more or less with me and not FSU.)

Sorry if I was vague, this is my first post on CC

7

What is your budget?

Taking on significant debt to attend a different school outside of Florida is probably a very bad idea. Thus it really is not possible to give you any good advice without knowing what you can afford to spend without taking on any debt.

Also, how far away from Florida would you be willing to consider?

What was your unweighted GPA in high school?

8

@DadTwoGirls
I can afford around $5,000 per semester from savings and I have the option of taking federal loans around $10,000 per semester. I haven’t done a price calculator for any schools yet so I am unsure of how much financial aid I would receive.

I would be willing to go anywhere in the US although I am mainly considering schools on the east coast.

My unweighted high school GPA was 3.7, but it was 4.0 for my junior and senior years. I had a bad start freshman year.

9

@Publisher
I’m unhappy here largely because there is almost nothing to do off campus, both professionally and recreationally. I’m from a city so I’m used to being able to go to museums, parks, and public events with little difficulty. Being a comparatively small college town, Tallahassee offers little of that. I find it impossible to make professional connections beyond my professors.

I don’t have a car so I often feel trapped on campus. The bus system is not helpful. I hardly ever leave the same square mile and I haven’t gone further than biking distance off campus for over a month.

I think this contributes to the fact that I feel as though I am not growing at all as a person through my experience here. I am just far enough away from home that visiting for a weekend is not worth it, and yet the actual environment I am in is geographically very similar to my hometown. If I’m going to be so far away I feel as though I should be developing a better understanding of the world through change and new experiences and so being stuck in a southern town in the middle of nowhere feels counterproductive. I feel as though the only difference between myself now vs. a year ago is that today I am significantly better at calculus.

All in all, I believe I would be much happier on a campus in a large, very urban setting (outside of Florida) where I could engage in life off campus, see the surrounding area easily (with effective public transport, I mean), develop professional connections, and experience significant geographical change. I want to have opportunities to grow professionally and as a person and I feel as though FSU is not a place where this is possible.

(NOTE: I have spent the past semester and half trying everything I can think of to become more comfortable with Tallahassee and FSU, and while I do believe that FSU is a great school it is not the right school for me. I am extremely involved on campus and I have made great friends but I still feel very unfulfilled. The issue is more or less with me and not FSU.)

Sorry if I was vague, this is my first post on CC

10

@DadTwoGirls If this information helps, if I transfer I will likely apply for federal work-study or seek on-campus employment

11

Consider Boston University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington, University of Minnesota, SMU, University of Colorado-Boulder, NYU, GWU—but many of these schools are very expensive.

12

Could you study abroad? Do a student exchange for a US school?

13

“I can afford around $5,000 per semester from savings and I have the option of taking federal loans around $10,000 per semester”

$15,000 per semester would cover some good schools. However, there are probably more that it wouldn’t cover. I would be surprised if any of BU, NYU, and GWU were affordable.

$10,000 per semester for 6 semesters adds up to a rather large debt, which could be a problem for quite a few years after graduation.

I think that the financial aspects are likely to make transferring very difficult, or painful later when you start to pay off the debt.

I do think that @OhWhatsHerName might have an idea. You could probably study a year abroad with only a modest increase in price, if any, compared to where you are now.