<p>Okay so here is my story:</p>
<p>I'm an International student attending American International College as a freshman. I'm majoring in finance. I'm on the soccer team. Biggest problem I got is how unknown this school is and how bad Springfield, MA is. So what I want to do is transfer to a known school in a better city. I'm going to try my best to achieve a high GPA (3.5-4.0) and I think being on the soccer team in a Division II could help me. I want help with schools that are known,transfer-friendly, not crazily expensive, offers generous scholarships, and preferably in the North East region ( Boston,NYC). My parents can pay well UP TO 25,000.</p>
<p>Schools on my mind:</p>
<p>Tufts, MIT, Brandeis, Harvard, Baruch, UPenn Wharton, and Clark U. </p>
<p>If you know other schools in the same or other areas that meet these criteria then help me with them! If you have a similar experience and have a solution to the problem then share ! </p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>What were your high school grades and SAT scores?</p>
<p>You may want to take this question to the Transfer Forum. Click on “Discussion Home” in the upper-left of this screen, and scroll down to find it.</p>
<p>“offers generous scholarships” - It is difficult for transfer students to get scholarships, and it is difficult for international students to get scholarships. This means that it is extremely difficult for international transfer students to get scholarships.</p>
<p>Redroses: My highschool GPA is 3.53 and my SAT scores are not the best at all, 1740 =/ . but i actually got into UMiami and Trinity U @ Tx. I just didn’t attend merely for financial reasons. I think the fact that I’m an arab and atheltic [ soccer ], I do represent diversity in someway. I haven’t seen any arabs in my college yet.</p>
<p>happymomof1: It’s not really as difficult as you might think, it’s only about applying to the right schools. Like, no one knows about AIC, yet I got a 15k scholarship over here. It’s not as difficult. AIC offers the same scholarship for transfers too.</p>
<p>I want to earn the highest GPA possible over here and then transfer to Brandeis/ Tufts/ or Baruch.</p>
<p>mit, harvard, and penn are not happening. successful transfers to these schools were competitive freshman applicants as well, and you said you weren’t. </p>
<p>i do see the rest being completely possible, with tufts being the hardest of those. you should have no problem getting into baruch. what about schools like bu or northeastern?</p>
<p>@ironicallyunsure: It’s not that I wasn’t competitive. I’m or about decent in aspects other than academics. Noting that academically, I wasn’t a bad student at all. 3.53 GPA at a private school and one of the best in Saudi Arabia [ where I studied ] and a mediocre 1740 on the SATs. Other than that, my Extracurricular’s, essay, and recs are great. As I mentioned before, I’m an Arab which is definitely not a majority group over here and besides that a soccer player.</p>
<p>So I’m working on perking up my academic par by getting a 4.0 GPA so that it would be on the same level as my other parts of the application.</p>
<p>Baruch is definitely not a hard school to get into, I can easily make it there [not boasting or anything.] Tufts and Brandeis are two of my favorites. BU is easy as well, but with a 50k and no aid or scholarships available to International student, it won’t be a wise choice. Same goes with NEU.</p>
<p>no offense, but a 3.5 and a 1740 isn’t “decent” for those schools. there are other internationals who have 4.0s and 2200+ on the SATs who don’t get in. i’m just saying your list is a bit top-heavy.</p>
<p>most schools also don’t have great aid for international students, so i would really think about where you’re applying.</p>
<p>I’d say you should wait another year at AI, reason being, after two years, the HS gpa and SAT scores will not be a factor in transfer consideration. In addition, if you keep up your gpa at AI around 4.0, you will have a better chance to enter a better program/school with better FA.</p>
<p>@ironic</p>
<p>When it comes to international, the gpa does not mean much. You really don’t know each country’s school culture to compare. Just to give you an example, in my high school (class of 1969) the guy got B average (or 80ish/100) was the Val. The Val of the college entrance exam for the entire country probably got 85/100. Grade deflation is rampant in Asian countries.</p>
<p>I barely passed the HS math at 60/100 to graduate, but when I came to the US I breath through the college math classes with all A+s, my math professor knew my HS records and was curious why I was so competant in her class yet got so low grades in HS. I showed her my HS text book and her comments were those subjects are taken by American Graduate Schools Math Majors.</p>
<p>@ironicallyunsure: I think I’ve clearly implied that my grades aren’t decent but they’re not bad as well. That’s why a 4.0 GPA in college would make my grades look decent. My “other stuff” is what is decent.</p>
<p>@artloversplus: I’ve searched many schools and some of them do not consider HS grades after the first year of college. You’re right about the GPA thing. You cannot expect the same GPA of an Asian [ no offense of any kind here ] to be the same with an Arab for example. Besides that, in the Middle East, we live in a melting pot and surrounded with conflicts, let them be external or internal. It’s not like anywhere else and definitely not a place to peacefully study. Like 2 years ago, a school belonging to our school’s group, got bombed. We’re always learning how to duck and cover because of possible terrorist attacks. In such atmosphere, getting a 3.53 GPA and a 1740 isn’t really bad or am I wrong?</p>
<p>I did not infer Asian kids are better or worse than Arab kids. More so, I did not even hint your HS records good or bad, although the SAT scores will not lead you to MIT for sure, regardless race or creed. Please read my posting carefully.</p>
<p>In addition, are u just starting the college THIS FALL and thinking of transfering already? If so, you should get the grades first before discuss transfering. The elite schools are more difficult to transfer than applying as freshmen, if they are easier, everyone would do what you do, get in a easy school and transfer. I still think two years college with straight A’s are needed to make the transfer to a school like HPY work. And it will still be a crap shoot.</p>
<p>I didn’t say that you were inferring that Asian kids are better. I read your post well and I know what you’ve meant. It’s just a misunderstanding. The Arab-Asian was my “own” example. I explained why a 3.5 GPA from an Arab studying in the Middle East couldn’t be compared to a 4.0 GPA from an Asian studying in any of the Asian countries.</p>
<p>That’s true. I’m starting this fall and I’m already thinking of transferring. The atmosphere, campus, and the area surrounding are totally discouraging. The area around the college is crime-ridden. I didn’t know any of that until I reached here. </p>
<p>I personally believe that not all 100% of Harvard’s undergraduates have 2400 and 4.0. There should be people with grades closer to mine who got admitted. Also getting a 4.0 GPA is something I’m sure should impress the Admission office. Besides that, I know that going to Harvard is really hard, but I have faith in myself and abilities and I’m sure that if not as an undergraduate, then as a graduate or a professor there. There are also other schools such as Tufts and Brandeis that aren’t impossible to get into with my grades. Just to mention, AIC isn’t an easy school at all. It’s not a 4 year, private college with 80%+ job placement.</p>
<p>About your link; Stanford isn’t an ivy and I don’t think I have a “messed up” HS transcript. Thank you anyways</p>
<p>yes, students without 2400s and 4.0s do get into harvard, but they have some incredible hooks or other special things that make them desirable. you haven’t mentioned anything special about you at all.</p>
<p>Milanista, you don’t have a good understanding of US college admission. The 1700s score alone will keep you out of top colleges. US schools get thousands of applications from third world and war torn countries from kids with top stats, it’s that simple.</p>
<p>By top colleges do you mean any good college or just the ivies? I mentioned earlier getting admitted into UMiami which is ranked 46th nation wide.</p>
<p>Bump, I’m sorry people. What are my chances for Brandeis do you think? 'till now I have straight A’s in all my tests, but I dont know my GPA yet, will be anywhere from a 3.6-4.0. I cant say for sure. I’m a student-athlete [soccer, NCAA Division II- approved for Division I too], international students club, and 99% made it to the Dean’s list. Brandeis,Tufts, Clark U, Baruch. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>those are more realistic, and i’d say you’re definitely in at clark and baruch. tufts and brandeis will be a little harder, but not completely impossible.</p>
<p>Thank you for replying, ironicallyunsure. What do you think of Baruch’s business program?</p>