Transfer Chances to Amherst, BC, etc

<p>Hi. I'm currently a freshman at Cal Poly, and I am looking to transfer to the east coast (preferably the Boston area). The schools I'm considering are Boston College, Amherst, and Harvard. I think Amherst and Harvard are too great of reaches so I will probably eliminate one and go for more of a match. I am a bio major.</p>

<p>Stats:
4.0 Fall Quarter at Poly (Calculus I, General Chemistry I, and Intro to Molecular Biology)
Not sure cumulative High School GPA but last two years were over 4.0 and overall I was probably about 3.8 (definite upward trend).
1450 SAT I (800 V 650 M)
SAT II (780 Writing, 790 US History, 670 Math IC --different interests at the time)
33 ACT</p>

<p>EC's:
Hospital Volunteer
Won a $1000 service award from local Kiwanis club for service to the areas children
Pre-med club
Going to try to get into tutoring if possible</p>

<p>I'm also looking for more suggestions on where in the northeast to apply. All my friends/family keep suggesting ivies, but I have doubts as to my competitiveness at those institutions - as much as I like them. Anyways, thanks for the help.</p>

<p>Just got Dean's list i was informed -- if that makes much of a difference.</p>

<p>Anyone...ahh hell i give up haha</p>

<p>I would say maybe eliminate Harvard and go for BC and Amherst, I think you have a good chance at both, especially BC. Just wanted to make sure you knew, also, that Amherst is about an hour outside of Boston.</p>

<p>Yeah i visited amherst and fell in love with it. Same with BC. I never really considered Harvard personally, but my parents were pushing me. I am also considering University of Vermont as a good solid match now. I am also in the process of trying to choose 1 or 2 more schools so that I will hopefully get into a couple and have some options.</p>

<p>Oh my god, I go to UVM!!! Great school for someone totally unlike me! We can totally talk about it! You can have my spot!! And you'll definetly get in. I was NOT impressive in high school and got in, you're a shoo in.</p>

<p>apparently amherst is extremely competitive! but i think you are fit for that school, very artsy! who knows, apply and don't give up on harvard(it's only $75 app fee!). you should apply, i think a person of your caliber should get in to at least one of your choices. :) and you must be a great writer! write a spectacular and persuasive essay and who knows, maybe you'll be going to Boston :)</p>

<p>Please shaganov tell me more about UVM. I dont know a whole lot about it other than that i like the area and it has a good medical school. Whats problems are you having there? and what type of person do you think would like it?</p>

<p>well.... I'm really high strung, love the city and am not very laid back, so "groovy UV" doesn't really fit the bill for me. Most of my friends there love it. Burlington has a great music scene and people say that it's a great college town, which I'm sure it is, I just don't feel at home in any place that isn't... Boston, New York City, or the Georgetown and Capitol Hill areas of DC. UVM has beautiful surroundings (Lake Champlaign and the Adirondaks on one side, rolling Vermont hills and more mountains on the other), and the main part of campus of gorgeous. Cost of living isn't high, at least compared to everywhere I'm thinking of going. One problem I'm having with it is that the political/social awareness climate is pretty apathetic, but that only matters to me because I know that I want to spend my life as a campaign manager. Political/social awareness student groups bat about twenty members, tops, whereas the Ski and Snowboard Club and the Outing Club have literally hundreds. I loved all my classes this semester with the glaring exception of a Critical Approaches to Lit class that I took solely because it was the only upper level English class still open, which I found out once I was in it, was for good reason. My professor was a raging feminist who thinks the origins of literally everything, down to the Iraq war, are embedded in a patriarchy. You will find A LOT of those kinds of thinkers at UVM. College Socialists are the largest political group on campus, and everyone else kind of hates them because they are really pushy, shove fliers in your face and enforce the fact that they believe "the government has a cure for cancer hidden in the South American jungle" upon you, and patronize you as uninformed and politically nieve if they disagree with you. I'm president of College Democrats (yes, as a freshman, which should say something to you about the state of that institution) and our booth got placed next to theirs at the Activities Fair, and their president and I started talking about politics, and how I became involved by pouring my, life, health, happiness, soul, etc into Kerry/Edwards. I thought he was just intersted in listening to a different perspective, until he leaned in really closely to me, grinned an extremely creepy grin, and said, "I organized Ralph Nader's campaign in Vermont," chuckled, and added condescendingly, "Kerry and Bush are the same." It's that kind of creepy, delusional, out-of-touch and uninformed conviction that frustrates me enormously, and I've run into a great deal on UVMs campus. There is also almost zero diversity. In some of my lecture classes, I'd say abotu half the people are text messaging or asleep.<br>
It's sort of hard for me to assess how you would like it because it's just so clearly the wrong place for me. My roommate is a nutrition major, and says that all the science programs are great, and the hospital is right across from my dorm, and is def. the nicest facility on campus. The class levels I took were freshman-junior, and the junior level class was by far the best, I met most of the people I hang out with in that class, the discussion was on a more challenging level, and the Professor was one of the most passionate, caring, knowledgable professors I've ever had. It was a history of US foreign relations seminar, and convinced me to add a history minor to my political science major.
OK, I realize this has really just been abotu my experience, btu I hope it can help you some in your assessment of what schools to apply to. Hmmm... quick things... decent food, if you like skiing or snowboarding, DEFINETLY come here, Burlington has good resteraunts,you can make it to Boston in 2 hours and 40 minutes. you should def. come visit the school before you decide to come- I did not and... I'm posting on a transfer board.</p>

<p>Wow thanks for the absolutely great post. I didnt know much about the school. It sounds like a good school for me...a good match. I am really into politics (used to think of being a poli sci or history major), but I am more interested for my own edification...I dont demand it from others. Primarily I am incredibly interested in biology now, so I'm not too worried about the political climate. I love that area and am an avid skiier so this school is sounding more and more for me if I don't get into my true #1's (Amherst and Boston College at this point). Thanks for the great info. If you need any help with California schools I'm here. Also, does anyone have anymore suggestions for me in terms of schools? I'm thinking of Middlebury but I probably need more matches than reaches.</p>

<p>Amherst's freshman retention rate is 97 percent (according to US News), and each class has only about 400 kids, so you're looking at about 10-12 spots for transfers, and that's assuming that they didn't overenroll. Not saying you won't get in, but be realistic about your chances there.</p>

<p>Yeah, Amherst is my #1 but I know my chances of getting in are miniscule. I'm looking at BC as more of a plausible match/reach.</p>