Transfer options? Please help.

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I am an Asian Int'l. I applied to US colleges for admission in class of 2014. Unfortunately, I got only in one LAC i.e. Bryn Mawr. I was an aid applicant. I intend to go there n then transfer out after the freshmen year (i.e. pursue my sophomore year somewhere else). My academic load isn't rigorous enough. I have followed british-patterned education system for high schooling. My school offers two options to students, either to go for pure sciences or for business subjects, not a combo of both. I want to know that what options are available for me for transferring. Which colleges could i apply to? My intended major is likely to be business/economics. I'll be applying as a non-aid applicant. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Female
Pakistan (live in a small rural town)
O-Level Grades (9 & 10): Accounting A (98%), Economics A (97%), Business Studies A (97%), Maths A (97%), English A (96%), Pakistan Studies/history&geography A (97%), Islamiyat A (96%), Urdu A (91%).
AS-Level Grades (11): Accounting A, Business Studies A, Maths A, Economics A. I scored the highest average in all the subjects at regional level n got an award from Cambridge Int'l Examinations for it. </p>

<p>A-Level Grades (predicted): All As (same subjects as AS-Levels).</p>

<p>SAT 1 (superscored): 640 CR, 800 W, 790 M.
SAT 2: 800 M1, 800 M2, 770 Physics (studied this subject exclusively for the test).
TOEFL (IBT): 111 (29 l, 27 r, 27 s , 28 w).</p>

<p>My ECs are very weak. basically we don't have much outside the school. </p>

<p>Intern at 2 of the leading firms of the city(11)
SOS Volunteer (12)
School Prefect (9-10)
Cricket (9-12) (member of school team from 9-11, vice-captain 12)
Swimming (9-12) (my school does not have a swim team)
Badminton (9-12) (member of school team)
Writer for school mag (9-12)
Assistant Maths Teacher (12)
Counsellor for juniors (12)
Investor in government securities (9-12) (i ve been doing this since well before high school).</p>

<p>I have 5 school awards to my credit from the school.</p>

<p>P.S: Is it better to apply for admission after spending 1 or 2 year (s) at Bryn Mawr?
What can i do over the summer to improve my chances? what sort of ECs? I am adept at all my subjects. I d love to do something regarding maths (academic-oriented ecs).</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your help.</p>

2

<p>I’m really very surprised that you only got into Bryn Mawr. The only two things I can say are that international applicants aren’t need blind at most places, which was probably an issue for you. Beyond that, I lived in Singapore for 6 years, so I’m familiar with the A level system. Business Studies and Accounting are normally considered to be less serious A levels, and are thus not as highly regarded as other A levels. It’s not actually that the British system is any less rigorous. Your economics and math A levels in my opinion are just as rigorous as their AP or IB equivalents. Rather, it’s just that those two specific subjects aren’t well regarded. I’m not saying these things to be mean, but just to pose a hypothesis explaining why someone as strong as you didn’t get into more places.</p>

<p>Next year, I suggest that you do three things if you want to transfer. First, pick a quantitative major. They’re seen as more rigorous than other majors, and they’re also usually a bit under represented in the applicant pools. I think you can do well in these subjects based on your SAT II scores and your performance on the math A level. Second, consider applying to more quantitatively focused institutions. With good grades in a quantitative area, you’d be a great candidate at a lot of quantitatively focused places like Harvey Mudd or Carnegie Mellon. That doesn’t mean ignore other liberal arts colleges. Indeed, with good quantitative skills, you’d stand out from the other social sciences/humanities oriented applicants. Finally, look up which schools are need blind for internationals. The list is very small, and you shouldn’t exclusively apply to those schools. However, it’s worth finding out who they are. Requesting aid as an international can be a huge blow to your application if you’re applying to a school that isn’t need blind for internationals, so it could make a big difference to apply to one of the few places that actually is need blind for internationals. </p>

<p>So, to recap: 1. Focus on quantitative subjects. It’s what you’re good at and it can give you a leg up over other candidates from the social sciences and humanities. 2. Apply to some quantitatively focused places like Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, the University of Chicago, etc… who appreciate quantitative strength. 3. Look for schools that are need blind for internationals. One last thing; give Bryn Mawr a chance. It’s a good school, and I have high school classmates who came to love it. You shouldn’t transfer just to go somewhere more prestigious; rather, you should only transfer if Bryn Mawr is missing something that’s deeply important to you. Hope this helps</p>

3

<p>@tsakashvili: Thanks for your help. I won’t be applying for aid as a transfer. I am ok with Bryn Mawr but the problem is that my parents r not happy. At the end of the day, they have to pay for everything so basically, I have to listen to them. I love accounts. I know that it is not regarded as much but the thing is that i am very good at it. its like a passion for me.</p>

<p>BUMP!</p>

4

<p>try cornell, UVA, vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, William and Mary, NYU
I think you’re a lock for all of them
where did you apply before?</p>

5

<p>I applied to Cornell, UPenn, UChicago, Duke, Stanford, Several LACs and UMich(its decision is still pending).</p>

6

<p>Which business schools could take me in?</p>

7

<p>USC Marshall, Notre Dame Mendoza, U. Mich Ross, Georgetown McDonough, U. Va. McIntire, Emory Goizueta? (These are just suggestions of a range of business programs, no guarantees about if you can get in as a transfer or not.)</p>

8

<p>On business programs, you could definitely get into USC’s Marshall School, Indiana University’s Kelly School, Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School,Emory’s Goizueta School, and Boston College’s Caroll School. You’d also have a chance, though it would still be a reach, at NYU’s Stern School, Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin School, and Virginia’s McIntire School. Far reaches for you would be UC Berkeley’s Haas School and Michigan’ Ross School. </p>

<p>Really though, business degrees are overrated. Depending on what you want to do with them, you can do just as well or even better with a normal economics degree from a great school. Whether it’s finance, management, marketing, or something else, a degree from a top university or liberal arts college is just as good, or even better, than a business degree. </p>

<p>The one exception to this is accounting, which you’ve previously said you love. If that’s what you want to pursue, then a business school would be best. Accounting specifically requires a very unique knowledge set that can really only be learned, or at least best learned, in an undergraduate accounting program. If you want to do accounting, then I retract what I’ve said, and would further say that you should only apply to business schools. In particular, a great program for you that you could really get into would be the Leventhal School at USC. Although technically a part of Marshall, it’s basically its own school. Leventhal is normally considered one of the best accounting programs in America, but isn’t quite as hard to get into as peer programs like those at Wharton and Ross. Here’s a link if you’re interested. </p>

<p>[USC</a> Marshall Leventhal Undergraduate Program](<a href=“Home - USC Marshall”>Home - USC Marshall)</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

9

<p>@tsakashvili: I don’t want to pursue accounts. I ve seen that some unis have both a college of arts n sciences n a business school. They offer a BS as well as a BA in Economics. The former involves extensive study of business n finance as well. I thought that i may have a chance there but admission is so competitive for em. I guess i’ll stick to arts n sciences college. You have been a very useful source. thanks.</p>

10

<p>sorry, not the former but latter.</p>

11

<p>I see that you’re deciding between Bryn Mawr and McGill. I am currently at McGill BUT i wouldn’t have been here if i had ANY other option (applied to 5 U.S. schools-rejected and McGill). I am transferring out because this school is just immensely bad and its reputation that I gauge from other people is dropping fast. Go to Bryn Mawr. It is fantastic and will enable you to transfer to much better places (Cornell, Michigan Ross, USC Marshall etc.). If you need any more advice, PM me.</p>

12

<p>if anything, stern would be the highest reach for you. the best thing is to plan early; get in touch with the schools that rejected and ask them what you could improve on your application. ask exactly what they would like to see in their transfer applicants. and since your hs record is fairly strong, i would say your chances of transferring are about equal for sophomore and junior standing.</p>

<p>i was in your exact same position last year–rejected/waitlisted from all of my schools except middlebury and some top publics. i also asked for aid on my application (BAD idea for internation applicants). keep in mind that several of the places mentioned by the other posters do not offer aid to int’ls, so look into outside loans and scholarships.</p>

13

<p>Maheen. Hi.</p>

<p>I’ve been around on CC for some time now, and from your posts I’ve guaged you’re from pakistan. I’m from Pakistan too, and I think that one of the main reasons for your not being accepted (or pretty much the ONLY reason) to any other college was that 2014 has not been a good year for international students. I’ve seen stronger candidates who were rejected from everywhere and the only individuals who have been accepted into prestigious universities in the US held american citizenship. It’s unfair, but true.</p>

<p>As for transfering, I was considering that option too. I’ve been waitlisted by BMC too and while I’m not exactly sure I’ll eventually get, it has been an option worth checking out. For starters, did you know of BMC’s tri-co arrangement? Because you know, going to BMC might not be so bad. Transfering can be tough, most colleges don’t even offer on-campus housing to transfer students and there would be the entire problem of having to settle in all over again. You could enroll into Business classes at Upenn or swartmore or haverford through the tri-co program whilst studying at BMC.</p>

<p>Good luck :)</p>

14

<p>Eventually get in*</p>

15

<p>2014 indeed turned out to a terrible year. Oh, so you ve been waitlisted as well? BMC waitlisted many int’ls. As u see that my parents have to provide fully for all the expenses and they had not even heard of BMC till I got accepted there, they have inhibitions about it. I really like the Tri-com as UPenn’s economics dept is very resourceful. Settling in a completely new place following transferring would be nerve-recking but i am looking out for colleges close to a few of my relatives’ places. BMC is not at all a bad bargain for me. I really like it a lot.
I am a Pakistani too.</p>