Transfer advice

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I'm a second year at UC Berkeley looking to transfer out. While I don't absolutely hate it here, I'd really prefer not to stay. I didn't enter with the intention of transferring, but I've never felt at home/happy here, so the thought of transferring always lingered. Because of this, and various other reasons (academics, school size, community, etc.), I'm hoping to transfer into a different school as a junior this fall.</p>

<p>The problem is that during my senior year of HS and my first year at Cal, I performed dismally. My scores are mediocre at best (28-29 ACT, 1940-80 SAT). My only hope of transferring into a good school is that I have somewhat of an upward curve (I got straight As this past semester), but my cumulative UC GPA is still a 3.578. Due to some personal struggles, I had a really hard time senior/freshman year, but this past semester I kind of figured my life out and I'm back on track and hoping to get a high GPA this coming semester with a heavy course load.</p>

<p>So my question is, should I try to transfer at all? My main problem with Berkeley is the environment, which discomforts me for all sorts of reasons. My absolute dream school is Brown, but I also really love U Chicago and Swarthmore. I like LACs, but I'm scared they're too small for me. Are there any schools similar to these schools that I should apply to instead? I'm looking for an "intellectual" (not to sound snobby) and open-minded academic environment; however, my parents are only willing to let me transfer under the condition that the school I transfer to is "better" by their standards. </p>

<p>Beyond that, I'm worried that my reason(s) for applying aren't important enough. That, perhaps, I'm falsely believing that going to a new school will somehow be better and fix all my problems, or that I'm just shallowly seeking a change of pace. </p>

<p>In any case, I've gone through so many pages on CC that I'm pretty sure my chances are pretty close to impossible. I'm assuming since my stats are awful any chance I have will be through my essays, which I'm hoping to do as well as I can on. Are there any other ways I can improve my application? Should I retake my exams? </p>

<p>Any advice regarding transfer school options and applying is welcomed!</p>

<p>P.S. If it helps at all, I'm actively involved in research and a number of organizations on- and off-campus.</p>

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<p>Swat is a LAC, enrollment ca. 1,500.</p>

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<p>What are their standards?</p>

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<p>@entomom,
I realize that Swarthmore is a LAC, but I’m willing to apply to it simply because I like it a lot more than the others. It has a lot of qualities I value and consider most important in a college. On that note, I’m also considering Wesleyan, Smith, or Reed, although I’m sure they wouldn’t fly with my parents. My parents’ “standards” are basically based on the opinions of the general populace/U.S. News. Generally unknown LACs wouldn’t be okay, and transferring from UC Berkeley to, say, Emory, wouldn’t be worth it to them simply because their similarities ranking-wise are too close.</p>

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<p>With those standards, seems like you have a finite, small number of schools to consider (ie. less than 20 universities plus maybe 3 LACs (D2 attends a #4 LAC and no one outside of academia has ever heard of it ;))).</p>

<p>How about money? Assuming you’re IS for Cal, are your parents willing to pay considerably more for a private, or will you qualify for significant FA?</p>

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Transfer scholarships often are less than freshman scholarships.</p>

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<p>^The generally accepted nomenclature in college admissions is that FA refers to need based monies, not merit scholarships. [Note that the relevant forum is titled 'FA & Scholarships]</p>

<p>FA is sometimes less for transfers than fr admits, but for the schools the OP is discussing, Brown is one of the few that does this. And I was getting to that point if the OP was in need of significant FA :).</p>

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<p>Money isn’t a huge problem; to quote my dad: “It’s fine if it’s Brown.” (Which annoys me, to say the least, but I guess it’s good to have his support in some way.) I’m in-state for UC Berkeley, but I get no FA and the cost difference is fine with my parents.</p>

<p>Another question: I was wondering, if I wanted to significantly improve my application, would it be better if I held off on applying? Since I’m a sophomore, I know it’s already a bit late, but I was wondering–if I were able to get a a high GPA and get to know my professors better this semester to bring up my grades from freshman year and get good recs, and then took a year off to intern/study abroad/work while also applying to transfer for the fall of 2014, would that improve my chances (or is this situation not possible)?</p>

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<p>That helps with B since their admissions is need aware for transfers and whether or not you apply for FA is a factor.</p>

<p>Putting some distance between less than great grades and showing a stronger recent academic record is always a plus. And there’s the possibility that a well planned gap year will enhance your EC profile. However, I wouldn’t advise taking a year off unless you actually want to do something, not just to hopefully improve transfer chances. There’s no guarantee it will do that to a great enough degree to make a difference in decisions.</p>