HS Weighted GPA: 3.4 (7 AP classes)
New SAT: 1280
First semester freshman at Umass Amherst w/ merit based financial aid
Should I retake the SAT, and would I even stand a chance trying to transfer mid year for my second semester? I made the wrong decision and decided to move extremely far away from home and it has left me in a constantly depressed mood. I don’t feel comfortable coming back for the second semester and would like to be somewhere in California for the rest of my undergrad career.
Should I transfer to a lower tier school and transfer to one of the schools mentioned in the title my sophomore or junior year? At this point I am just trying to leave the school im currently attending, as it is a poor fit for me for multiple reasons (I am homesick, but that isn’t the only reason I would like to leave, it is truly not a good fit for someone like myself).
What should I be actively working on for the rest of the semester besides school work and the common application for some of these schools? I plan on doing an unholy amount of community service for the rest of this semester as well.
Thank you in advance,
Jeff
Why did you choose your current school, and why is it a poor fit?
UCLA only takes junior level transfers. Pepperdine is a very religious school and would only be a good fit if you were an observant member of its religion.
Cost may also be quite different at the other schools.
In all cases, transfer is heavily dependent on your college grades.
I chose my current school because I felt that it would be a good change, but in all reality, I actually miss having the close religious community. I attended a very religious high school, so I’m used to that kind of environment. I’m just worried that it would be difficult to get accepted into some of these schools after only one semester.
There are no congregations of your religious community near your current school?
Pepperdine is NOT a “very religious” school. The majority of the students are not observant Christians. There are just as many liberal students as there are conservative. The same is true for professors. There is also a huge foreign student population from wealthy families in the Middle East and Asia. Once a week, all students attend a mandatory convocation, which is not church. It is an assembly that features a different speaker every week. Topics range from eating disorders to authors and actors to various other topics. Yes, the school’s mission statement is based on living life of service and gratitude, a premise rooted in Judeo-Christian values. Yes, students have to take Western Civ classes and world religion classes in order to graduate. I would say the only aspect of the school that is conservative is the fact that the dorms are not co-ed. Men and women are not allowed in one another’s rooms past 11pm. Academics at Pepperdine are rigorous. Classes are small. It is a completely different type of college experience than a massive state school, which also has its benefits, but it is not an oppressive environment in the least. It is more like going to school at a five star hotel for four years.
Transferring to UC’s is tricky because the majority of the admits come from the California Community Colleges. First they admit CC students, then students from other UC’s, then from CSU’s, then in-state transfer applicants and lastly out-of-state transfer applicants. Since you have already started at another college, you would not be eligible to attend a CC for purposes of an IGETC transfer (where you complete all your lower level courses at CC then move into a UC at junior level). So you will be relegated somewhat to the bottom of the heap for the UC’s in your current situation. In regards to retaking the SAT, that will not help you as they will mainly look at your high school and UMASS grades if you apply for Winter term. SAT scores are only an important metric for first time freshman admits. As far as Pepperdine and USC go, you have a good shot at either with your current stats, provided you pull A’s and B’s at UMASS. That being said, I wouldn’t encourage taking on a bunch of debt. Pepp and USC are both great schools, but six figures of debt pretty much negates the point of going to college. If money isn’t an object, get good grades this term and you should be able to easily transfer to either Pepp or USC. However, if money IS an object - this is what I suggest. I would get great grades this semester (or year) then move back home and sign up for an honors program at your local community college. Complete the minimum requirements (usually 15 credits of honors courses). Through the CC honors programs in CA, you have priority admission to the UC’s and even guaranteed admission to some of them (Irvine, UCSB etc) if you have over a certain GPA. UCLA has a priority admissions program for CC honors students as well. They accept around 70% of honors CC applicants for non-impacted majors. UC tuition is only 15K in-state, and CC honors programs have merit scholarships for up to 40K per year. There are also Cal Grants, which can fully subsidize the entire amount of your tuition given your parents’ incomes. Good luck!