TRANSFER chances?

<p>[Splitting up this post to make it easier to read!]</p>

<p>I'd gotten some decent reviews in the Transfer forum, but that doesn't seem to be frequented as much, and I really need to narrow down this list so I can start applying ASAP -- so, would you be willing to chance a transfer student to these schools?</p>

<p>Hi! I go to Bard College, and as much as I positively love it, I'm realizing more and more how much it doesn't necessarily have the major program(s) that I want, and the way our system is set up makes it incredibly difficult to either create majors or switch -- it feels like you have to know what you want to do going in. I want to major in language translation or linguistics and literature. If I stay at Bard, I'm going to stay a political science/philosophy major and take a crapton of languages for the hell of it, which is fine by me except for bloody moderation (a glorified major application process), but I want to look into my options to transfer anyway, just in case somewhere does accept me. Does anybody have any recommendations?</p>

<p>TL;DR: I like languages and books and Bard is making it a hassle to try and transfer into a program that I want to be in, so I'm backed into a corner with political studies which is ultimately NOT the right goal for me (last semester was dreadful in that aspect).</p>

<p>STATS:
- Entering second year, but a sophomore II thanks to credits
- Looking to transfer spring 2011, but I'd do fall 2011
Grades:
3.75 GPA from Syracuse University -- from high school
4.0 GPA from SUNY Albany -- from high school
3.4 GPA from Bard College, but with W's and an I
-- Difficult classes, almost all 200-level or above with the exception of requisite FYSEM and some intro to language courses this year
-- I'm taking a grad seminar with my favourite prof next semester, Contemporary Continental Political Philosophy, with one other undergrad
--3.2 GPA in high school with a VERY rigorous curriculum and no weighted grading
--SAT 550M, 660W, 730CR; math might hurt, but I'm not going for anything math-related</p>

<p>Great essay-writer
Will have fantastic recs</p>

<p>EXTRA-CURRICULARS:</p>

<p>College:

  • Co-founder, Hair Dye Collective (teehee)
  • Co-head, Student Labor Dialogue
    – Put in a tremendous effort and organized a rally and campaign for a living wage for housekeeping (ongoing)
  • Co-head, Queer-Straight Alliance
    – Gender Blender participant
    – Participated in numerous awareness events
  • Member, College Trans-Action Initiative
    – Working towards more gender-friendly policies, currently on bathrooms and housing for incoming freshmen
  • Member, Fencing Club
    – Epeeist, it’s a lot of work, and hey, I even have a medal from it
  • Member, Student Labor Dialogue
  • Member, Environmental Collective
  • Went to Nicaragua to build houses and stuff over winter break
  • Am trying to organize a program wherein a few other political radicals and myself can go to El Salvador and practice sustainable farming and discuss political theory with some ex-guerillas on a co-op</p>

<p>The SLD campaign is my main thing, it took a LOT of energy, effort, and resources last semester, balancing that on top of classes and all of my other activities. We did make progress, and we’re still negotiating with some of the higher-ups in the administration.</p>

<p>High school (if necessary) :
– Vice Captain of our academic team
– Drama stage crew member
– French and Spanish clubs
– Band member/fanatic
– Many instrumental music solos, NYSSMA, all-county, etc
– Not too extraordinary</p>

<p>AND FINALLY, THE LIST OF SCHOOLS:
Clairemont McKenna
Columbia
The New School (accepted in high school)
Middlebury
NYU Gallatin (1st choice)
Reed
Tufts
UChicago
UPenn
URochester
Penn State University Park (accepted in high school)
UC Berkeley
UMass Amherst
UNC Chapel Hill
UT Austin
UT Knoxville
UVM</p>

<p>Oh, and for what it’s worth, I’m teaching myself Hindi in my free time.</p>

<p>I really need help narrowing down this list, I don’t want to apply to 17 schools like I did my senior year but I’m not sure how to cross any off… :/</p>

<p>Help, please? Any guesses? I don’t know how to find stats, even…</p>

<p>Do all of these colleges offer the major program that Bard does not offer you?</p>

<p>Bard is a really good college, I am in fact applying there for Spring transfer. I thought that when I’d reply I’d be able to see your college list, so this is my first post :D</p>

<p>Clairemont McKenna - Can’t help you much there, except that you’d probably get in
Columbia - REALLY hard to get in as a transfer, depending on what school you apply to.
The New School (accepted in high school) - Pretty good school, but I don’t understand what you want to study/what Bard is not letting you study that you want to change.
Middlebury - Really, really hard for transfers to get into. They accept around 13% transfers, if I am not mistaken. If your GPA was higher, it might have been a little bit more possible. I have a little higher gpa than you (not much), and I just struck Middlebury off my list.
NYU Gallatin (1st choice) - I go to NYU right now. Gallatin offers you the option of fashioning WHATEVER major you want. I heard that some student majored in Awesome, and another in Evil. It is the utmost freedom, so long as you can defend your thesis. However, NYU is pretty bureaucratic. It gets impersonal and I often felt like I was taking part-time high-stress classes. Not my idea of a good college experience. After the close community at Bard, could you adjust? NYC is amazing, true - but would you want to risk your education because of all the things you could do OUTSIDE of the classroom?
UChicago - Applied there, got rejected as a firstyear. It was my dream. However, I hear it’s where “fun goes to die” (don’t quote me on that). It has a very serious academic environment. People study A LOT. NYU is not like that, yes, but it’s still stressful. I am not sure how Bard ranks on the academic stress but UChicago is nearly at the top of the list (along with Swarthmore, ugh). Your GPA probably isn’t enough. I don’t know how your SATs are, but mine were pretty awesome and I didn’t get in despite being valedictorian and stuff. Had to do with my high school being India, probably.
UPenn - Got rejected there too.
URochester - I hear really good things about it. Will give you the freedom you desire. It’s in your homestate (I assume youre from NY with all your high school college classes?). Probably close to home as well…
Penn State University Park (accepted in high school) - It’s a good university. It can be big and impersonal though. My cousin went there, but he was in the honors program. Maybe apply - I dont know if they accept transfers - and if you get in the honors program definitely go?
UC Berkeley - Other side of the coast…different atmosphere from Bard. REALLLLY hard to get into. They don’t accept too many non-California transfers. Your GPA might not cut it.
UMass Amherst - Shouldn’t be hard to get into for you, it’s close by. Try researching your major options there.
UNC Chapel Hill - Really, really good public school. One of the best. Try?</p>

<p>About statistics - Collegeboard has pretty accurate transfer stats (accepted, enrolled, etc.) in its admissions pages of all colleges. If you’re talking about candidate statistics, you could look on the previous years’ threads on this site for each college, or go to the college transfer pages. Sometimes some colleges (like Bucknell) have their transfer student stats. Mostly, they don’t. Just guess from the SAT ranges and acceptance rates at their selectivity? They mostly need you to impress them with your potential, and especially with why you are transferring.</p>

<p>Teaching yourself Hindi? I don’t think that will help on an application. I speak four languages, but I got rejected at all my dream colleges :). Maybe mention it in your essay
if you want to talk about how well-rounded you are? I am not sure. Try to highlight your passion in the essay. </p>

<p>About crossing off schools: give yourself a limit. I gave myself six. I have pondered and pondered for the past three months and tonight, I just cut three off. And I’ve chosen 5, with 4 contenders for position 6. What kind of campus do you want to go to? What majors do you want to explore? Where do you want to go? Do you want to be in a city, the suburbs or a rural area? Do you enjoy competitive, high-stress environments or prefer a more collaborative one? Which ‘scene’ do you …belong to?? (Extra question mark for me, weird grammar). I kind of decided against most preppy schools because as a brown person, I may not fit in there…even though I only have one Indian friend at NYU, I just feel that I would like to be in a more diverse than homogenous place. So think about all these things. Private message me if you want more info :)</p>

<p>I thought Bard didn’t pick up on spring transfers only fall, otherwise, I’d be apply for that instead of the fall semester!</p>

<p>The deadline is November 1 for Spring transfers to Bard. Not much time, if you’re serious about applying…</p>