Transfer from UCB to Ivy/Stanford?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hey all,</p>

<p>Just wanted some feedback on my thoughts on transferring. Always nice to have your opinions validated by external sources.</p>

<p>Some background on me - 3.77 HS GPA, 2300 SAT, 800 780 780 SATII, debate captain, been published multiple times. However, I never really stood out in my HS both because my peers were brilliant (went to Ivy-feeder HS) and because I was rather lazy in terms of schoolwork. The fact that I was rather immature 8 months ago definitely didn't help. Ultimately I got waitlisted by many upper-tiers (i.e. Northwestern, Amherst College, UChicago and the like) but ultimately was rejected by them all. So net net, I was a strong candidate in HS, but not strong enough.</p>

<p>At Berk, I reformed my work ethic, rethought my life and definitely matured a lot. As a result, I'm am doing fantastic. 3.90 GPA, TAs impressed and like me, doing graduate-level research with Stanford, internship with top finance firm, leadership positions in couple clubs and am overall thriving. However, I always felt like I could have hit higher than Berk--though don't get me wrong, it's a great school for many. Just don't feel like I truly fit in with the environment.</p>

<p>Therefore I'm looking towards applying as a transfer to UChicago (my top choice as vetted by both interest and likelihood of acceptance), Stanford, Columbia, UPenn (not Wharton) and Dartmouth. I would appreciate any comments on the chances I have at these schools.</p>

<p>In addition, would transferring this year as an incoming Soph be better or next year as an incoming Junior? I've heard that more spots open Junior year as students leave to study abroad. However my concern is that it would effectively fragment my college experience and many other previous transfers have told me that most transfer as an incoming sophomore. Can anyone shed additional light on this issue?</p>

<p>Thanks for any help to come.</p>

2

<p>As you must know, UChicago has extensive core requirements; it’s better to transfer in as a sophomore. With a 3.9 from Berkeley and assuming a great admissions essay, I’d say your chances are good there.</p>

3

<p>vejadu, it is surprising to hear that you didn’t at least get into one top-tier school. prehaps it was the 3.77 gpa. i myself was waitlisted by uchicago EA with lower scores and most likely worse ECs, but i also had a 4.0 gpa. </p>

<p>anyway, i would recommend transferring as a sophomore. i mean, it’s going to be on your mind all of next year otherwise. do you really want that on your mind for another year? so basically, whenever you go to class, your thoughts will be, “i need to get an A to boost my chances of going somewhere else!” and plus, your gpa will most likely take a dip next year because classes do tend to get harder, no? a 3.9 seems hard to maintain. and also, don’t count on things getting easier if you apply as a junior because well colleges are constantly receiving more and more apps.</p>

<p>good luck to you. i certainly think you have a chance.</p>