<p>I am a sophomore Biology major at a small, competitive liberal arts college, looking to transfer to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, hopefully as a 'Biology & Society' major. I am applying to transfer so that I matriculate in Fall of 2008. I have a 3.6 GPA, and a mean SAT score of about 650 per subject. Basically, what are my chances? Anyone else applying to transfer? Any advice?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hey...you sound just like me!!! I transferred into CALS Bio & Society in Fall 2005 after my freshman year of college...I was a Bio major at my old college. CALS admissions says that a 3.0 is competitive (3.5 for regular Bio)...but really, you need to be higher than that. Most of my friends who transferred in had 3.6 or higher.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about CALS SAT standards anymore because of the switch to the new form of the exam. If you're currently a sophomore, high school grades won't matter as much. Hopefully you're involved in some ECs are your current college. Anything that makes you stand out will make you more competitive.</p>
<p>If it helps you...these were my stats at the time when I applied for transfer:</p>
<p>HS GPA: 3.8 (uw)...don't remember weighted, but was top 10%
SAT I: 630 verbal, 620 math
SAT II: 650 Bio, 700 Chem
College GPA: 3.92
College EC: swim team, orchestra (principal flute) + 3 years of research and 4 publications</p>
<p>do you have any advice to standing out in the admissions office? should i call them? i've talked to them via email a few times, and i know they don't do interviews, but is there anything i can do to make myself more well-known (for the better)?</p>
<p>Just keep an open line of contact with the person in charge of transfer admissions (I can't give her name on the forum). I had called them shortly before I left for my old college to learn about the application procedure and expressed my interest in the Biological Sciences major. The woman called me the day before I left for my old college to chat with me about Bio & Society because she thought it would be a better fit for me. I kept in contact with her throughout the application procedure and it worked out :-)</p>
<p>Don't call too much though...or you'll stand out in a not-so-good way :-)</p>
<p>The real key will be your application. You need to convince them that transferring to CALS will truly provide you with a better education and that the school is the right match for you. They've been known to reject outstanding applicants solely because they did not show they would be a good match for the college.</p>
<p>imo, sat is a little low, but grades are much more important.</p>
<p>its a simple formula for your case:</p>
<p>1) convince through grades and difficulty of classes that you will study and do decently well at cornell</p>
<p>2) make yourself look "a little interesting"</p>
<p>That's that part I'm nervous about! I'm terrified I can't express just how much I truly want this and how it will give me a better education. I guess there's no science to it...</p>
<p>I'm going to call tomorrow for the first time and discuss the timeline, life as a transfer, and both the Bio & Society major and Development Sociology major. Wish me luck...</p>
<p>I'm sure they'll see that you really want it. If it makes you feel better- If I was a betting man, I would put my money behind you. gl.</p>
<p>If you want...I can also PM you the contact info for the secretary of the Bio & Society department....she is absolutely amazing...especially with the transfers...</p>
<p>also...have you applied yet? If you haven't..I highly suggest you come to Transfer Day...it's usually the first Friday in November</p>
<p>I'm not sure what PM means as I just joined College Confidential today with the explicit purpose of talking about transferring... But please tell me her name so I can get in contact with her. I'd appreciate it.</p>
<p>The deadline for Fall 2008 matriculation is March 15th, so I can't wait to attend transfer day in November, hopefully by then I'll be giving advice to prospective transfers about how I was successful...</p>
<p>PM = private message....I can't post her name on the forum but I can send it to you via PM.</p>
<p>If you haven't started your application yet...I highly suggest you chat with CALS admissions ASAP to get the ball rolling 'cause that application takes a decent amount of time to complete</p>