<p>I am a rising sophomore at the University of San Diego, a small business-oriented, Catholic university. </p>
<p>My first semester GPA was pretty terrible (2.0). I hate to make excuses, but it was a rough time for me. My grandmother died and I had some family trouble back home that made it difficult for me to focus on my schoolwork. Regardless, I should have done better, and would rather not provide a long excuse to the schools I apply to. I will briefly explain my situation if necessary. </p>
<p>The semester after that I got a 3.7. I failed Calc II first semester but got an A- in it my second. It would not be difficult for me to get a similar or higher GPA for my next two semesters. I also will be taking a couple summer classes in order to bolster my GPA in order to get it safely above the 3.5 threshold</p>
<p>I'm an economics major, and I am involved in a couple economics/finance clubs but don't hold any leadership positions. I have several summers of work/internship experience including one at the US Dept. of Justice. Nothing that impressive though. I also have extensive community service experience. </p>
<p>My SAT score was a 2340/2400, if that matters.</p>
<p>Basically, I'm wondering what sort of schools I should be shooting for, assuming my GPA (excluding my first term) remains at around 3.7+?</p>
<p>Not to be impatient, but…anyone have any ideas? I’m trying to figure out where exactly I should be setting my sights before I make visits and look further into certain schools.</p>
<p>Oh and I have some SAT IIs, did pretty well on them, mid-to-high 700s in them I believe. Forgot the exact scores. I could find them if they are at all relevant. I don’t really know what schools look for in the transfer process.</p>
<p>I don’t know how accepting private schools are for candidates with a weak GPA one semester but I think you have a good chance at LA/Berk. </p>
<p>However, your SAT, is GREAT. Every single top ranked econ under grad school (check business major sub forum, 2nd page for rankings) requires SAT I’s (II’s if you took them in HS). If you can talk about how you bounced back after that first semester, maybe you can sell yourself as a strong candidate. I would recommend applying to every school you think is a good fit no matter how competitive it is.</p>
<p>I will keep my GPA consistently at 3.7+ for the remainder of my time at USD. I also plan on taking one or two classes this summer and a couple classes during “intersession” (winter break) which would give me anywhere from 6-12 credits (3 credits per course), padding my GPA a little more.</p>
<p>One thing to note: I’m not a California resident, unfortunately, so I assume that means my chances at the UC’s are not nearly as good as you made them out to be?</p>
<p>Do a lot of research into each school! I know some people on these forums apply to 10 transfer schools but I found 5 apps to be demanding enough since there isn’t any uniformity to essays/forms.</p>