<p>Hi. I'm currently in my freshman year at Carleton College. The school is excellent and I have nothing but praise for the academics. But I'm just not sure the social scene is right for me. In addition, the small town atmosphere of Northfield, Minnesota is leaving much to be desired. Anyways, below are my statistics. What do you guys think my chances are of getting accepted as a transfer student for Spring 2014? Thanks</p>
<p>Statistics:</p>
<p>3.3 GPA at Carleton
29 ACT
2080 SAT
3.3 HS GPA (Private School)</p>
<p>Hi. This won’t help with your decision, but I am curious to know what about the social scene isn’t right (considering Carleton as well, but not sure if the social scene is a great fit.)</p>
<p>Always worth a try – but they usually want to see a college GPA well above 3.5 with very strong recommendations from professors.</p>
<p>They won’t count your HS ACT or GPA for much as a transfer, but your current GPA is a bit low so kick it up if you can. Best wishes.</p>
<p>Definitely get the GPA up. I’ll confim what kmcmom13 said about 3.5 being the general threshold. It can be slightly lower or slightly higher depending on professor recs and essays. At 3.3 it would be a reach.</p>
<p>Disagree that it is necessarily a reach coming from Carleton.</p>
<p>I’m more curious about how you got in Carleton with those high school stats. Legacy? URM? Recruit?</p>
<p>The poster’s high school was a private, as mentioned, so it may have the track record for a sub 3.5 admit due to rigor. There are a handful from which this happens. </p>
<p>As rigorous as Carlton may be, however, the current GPA may still read as a reserved admit. Michigan’s relationship with in-state transfers is different than OOS transfers in that it has something of an agreement within the state to accept transfers from jr college, with a schedule of equivalencies.</p>
<p>I feel the recommendations in this case will be important, because the applicant will have to overcome a known cutoff point in terms of GPA. If the school were not Carleton, the chances reduce significantly.</p>
<p>Irish, had you applied to Umich originally? At any rate, technically your GPA is below the threshold, so know that and compensate with other materials to optimize your chances? Best wishes!</p>
<p>I applied to UM with a 3.43 GPA from a small LAC of Carleton’s caliber after my first semester and was accepted, so not having a 3.5 will not kill your chances. I’m curious about the rigor of the classes you took, though, Irish–at the time of my application, I had taken or was taking engineering physics, calculus, computer science, history, and fourth-semester French, among other courses. If you’re taking a reasonably rigorous schedule at a school as respected as Carleton, UM will look more favorably on your 3.3 college GPA than if you are merely messing around in the underwater basket-weaving courses. The same goes for your high school record. I assume that you were taking IB or AP courses to be accepted at Carleton with a GPA of that level, which should be an aid, as well. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, your test scores aren’t going to help your case. Write some good essays to help compensate. You’ll have to make a stronger case to Michigan than the social scene in Northfield not appealing to you. Sit down and write out the first thing that comes to your mind when you consider what you hope to gain from coming to an institution and a town the size of Ann Arbor. If the answer is partying or something of the like, it goes without saying that you need to do more research. Do you hope to learn more from a larger, more diverse crowd of your peers? If so, how? Is there a particular academic program at Michigan that is stronger than its Carleton counterpart? What makes it better for you? Does Ann Arbor offer opportunities for internships related to your field of interest in a way that Northfield does not? You’ll need to cite specific, solid examples of what about Michigan makes it a better choice for your goals than Carleton and back them up eloquently. This is what made a big difference in my case. I had been admitted in high school, but I think what really tipped me over the edge was that I was able to explain what made Michigan’s program in my major a better choice than the department at my then-college. </p>
<p>Also, be aware that, if you are intending to claim in-state status, going to college in Minnesota will require you to prove your claim. Even one semester is enough to make Michigan look at you as an out-of-stater. If you’re not from Michigan, that’s a moot point, of course.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>NELLA-
The best way I can describe the social scene at Carleton vs a bigger school is you always know what is going to be happening on the weekends. The parties are, by and large, almost always the same. The people that choose to go to those parties are also the same. This is not to say you have to drink or go to parties on the weekend. But, I have personally found a lack of other stuff to do. Northfield, MN isn’t exactly an exciting social scene. Nobody really goes into the cities that often either. That being said, Carleton is a great academic school where you are gonna meet some really interesting people. If you are comfortable with a social scene like this, then this is a good fit for you. For me, the issue is not that I won’t some big crazy party scene. It’s just that I don’t want to do the same thing every weekend. I would encourage you to stay overnight though. Your experience with the school could be very different than mine</p>
<p>irishfan12os… I’m a Carleton alum and a grad student here at Umich. When I was a sophomore at Carleton, I had strongly considered a transfer to umich. I never made the application, but in retrospect it would not have been a terrible decision. I still debate it today (whether I should have tried to transfer)… don’t get me wrong I really do like Carleton and I’m glad to be an alum. If I were you I’d really think of why both socially and academically I’d want to leave Carleton to go to Michigan. I wanted to go to Michigan because I wanted to be an engineer (I’m one now) and Carleton didn’t have an engineering program. I was comfortable socially at Carleton, and that is a big reason why I stayed. They are both great schools academically, but the focus of the academics is radically different between them and the social life is radically different. I’d really think of your reasons why to transfer if I were you not only for your essays, but just so you’d be happy at Michigan if you transfer.</p>
<p>Michigan is frats, football games, and most students live off campus. You could potentially get lost at Michigan if you don’t join some type of coop or frat. At Carleton you make friends in your floor, classes, or in activities you belong to. At Michigan the undergrad classes are going to be far bigger and many students go thru Michigan without really joining any groups or activities. The academics are different. Both high quality, but you’ll see fewer profs at Michigan, and the majors are more practical like engineering or business. </p>
<p>What kinds of course have you taken at Carleton. You don’t declare a major until sophomore year, but what were you hoping to major in. Many of Carleton’s majors are very strong, and there are opportunities academically you might not get at Michigan</p>
<p>I think it would be reasonable to say in an essay, I just want to join a frat and go to football games (say it far more eloquently), but if this is what you wanted why would you have gone to Carleton in the first place. I personally like Ann Arbor far better than Northfield. If I had applied for a transfer to Michigan from Carleton I might have put in my essay that I just want to join a frat a go to football games (I regularly get season tickets now). People can change. Just make sure you’re confident of the decision.</p>
<p>Your stats are reasonable. Like other posters, the classes you’ve had at Carleton and the letters from profs matter. If you really want to transfer, I start talking to people at Carleton like your advisor or others about why and what you can do to prepare. Good luck!</p>
<p>jack63-</p>
<p>Thanks for the awesome response. Summed up my feelings pretty well. There is no doubt the football thing is a big part of it. I think I dismissed my love for sports and large atmospheres in fear that I would lose focus academically. You mentioned this in your response. Any thoughts on what a transition would be like? Academically, am I gonna get anything close to the relationships I have with my professors? This would definitely be the hardest thing to give up. You said you still think maybe transferring would have been a good idea. What ultimately prevented you from going through with it? Thanks</p>