<p>Hi there! This post is directed towards anyone who is seeking to transfer into Hamilton or to anyone who has been rejected from Hamilton and thinks their dreams may be crushed. I am here to tell you that they are not, and that with a little hard work you can transfer in. I hope that my story provides hope for anyone who wants to be a student at Hamilton.</p>
<p>Last year, as a senior in high school, I applied to Bates, Colby, Bentley, and UMaine (my home university). I was being recruited for track and cross country at all four schools, and took visits to each. After visiting Bates, I instantly fell in love. However, I had started the whole process late and was not able to apply ED1, and had to apply ED2. The coach had told me that he was supporting my application and that he thought I would be accepted. I ended up being deferred and then ultimately rejected, and it broke my heart. I applied regular to Colby and was wait listed, and was admitted to Bentley and UMaine. Bentley was not affordable; I come from a lower-middle income family in Maine and was dependent on a good financial aid package.</p>
<p>My high school grades were good, but not great. I was probably on the fence of being admitted to Bates and Colby, but unfortunately fell on the wrong side of that fence. My stats were as follows:</p>
<p>Class rank: 43/290
GPA: 3.56/3.97
SAT: 2100
ACT: 32
ECs: 3 x state champion in track, Eagle Scout, math team, NHS
Lots of financial need</p>
<p>Since UMaine was my only option, I enrolled and roomed with my best friend from high school. I started school this September with every intention of transferring out to a NESCAC school, the set of schools I eyed early in the process. I told myself that I might have a shot to transfer in if I got straight As (redeeming my high school transcript). I knew I hadn't worked hard in high school and had focused on other things, mostly chasing girls and training for track, and that earning good grades in college was do-able.</p>
<p>I have always been someone who has been a fan of the underdog, someone who roots for the blue-collar, hardworking man. At UMaine this semester I tried to embody these characteristics. I enrolled in 18 credits, joined student government, joined track, and got to work. I stayed in the library until midnight multiple times per week, studied on the weekends instead of partying, and spent lots of time on my papers. I watched motivational videos by Eric Thomas at night and told myself that if I put in the work, good things would come.</p>
<p>When mid-semester rolled around and it was time to apply to transfer, I had managed to have all As and an A-. I was proud of this and knew that these were the type of grades I needed to show my new school that I could be successful in college. I re-evaluated where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life and decided to apply to two schools: Colby and Hamilton. I only had enough money for the application fee at one school, and Colby didn't charge a fee so I figured it was worthwhile. I had built a relationship with the Hamilton coach over the last few months by emailing back and forth and expressing my interest in the school and felt that I had a better shot of being accepted there than at Bates simply because I hadn't applied before. I waited three weeks and then, on a sunny Friday afternoon, viewed my decisions online.</p>
<p>I was accepted to Hamilton and denied at Colby, and I was overwhelmed with excitement. I was ecstatic to receive my acceptance to the college, it was a confirmation of sorts that I had what it takes to be successful in a rigorous academic environment. Simply put, I was pumped.</p>
<p>Looking back, I believe it was my college grades and high school test scores that earned me acceptance to Hamilton. I was in the Honors college at UMaine and studied economics, which I intend to continue at Hamilton. I think that I also received a boost from the cross country coach in admissions, although it is questionable as to how much (if any) influence a coach has in admissions. I believed that the hard work I had put in all semester had become apparent in my application and ultimately made me successful.</p>
<p>So, to anyone reading this who wants to transfer into Hamilton: YOU CAN DO IT! It is not impossible. It is very hard to do, but it can be done. Honestly, I'm still surprised I was accepted. You can be accepted, too. My advice for you would be this: Enroll at your local state school, take lots of credits, join an interesting club, and work your tail off. Work, work, work. Eventually you will be able to get in. It may not be the first semester, but if you apply in subsequent semesters you may have a chance. </p>
<p>I do not want to be cliche and say that if I can do it, you can do it; but if you get to work and really dedicate yourself to studying and being successful, you never know what will happen.</p>
<p>Go Continentals!</p>