<p>What are my chances of transfering to columbia...I am currently a sophomore at Cornell..pre-med and my GPA is a 3.3...I'm hoping to get it higher this semester...my high schools stats were really good and i'm trying to get pretty active this year in the cornell community...please help me!!</p>
<p>I hear that transferring from Ivy to Ivy is pretty tough. You will also need a good for transferring. If it's simply because you didn't get into Columbia when you applied before but you tried to take Cornell as a back door or something, that's probably not a good enough reason. Also, since you are at Cornell, a school you were trying to transfer to might expect you to be doing a little better since you are already such a nice school. That's just my take on it. Do as much as you can. Definitely raise your GPA, possibly even to a 4.0, at least for this semester, and try to move up in the medical field somehow, perhaps by trying to get a job at the college med center, or something similar. I'm a pre-med myself, and these are the types of things I'm doing. Beware of the Ivy to Ivy thing, though, and if you don't have any other reason right now to transfer besides "Columbia's just better and I thought Cornell would be more fun," at least try to "make up" a better reason (haha).</p>
<p>Actually Ivy to Ivy transfers are quite common. Heck, I did it.</p>
<p>Actually, my reason for picking cornell over columbia had nothing to do with the fact that I couldnt get into Columbia...I really wanted to go to Cornell but now that I'm at Cornell...I hate it...I hate the social life.....I'm in a soroirty and I'm miserable and really want to be in the city...Also in terms of bringing my GPA all the way to a 4.0 I dont know how feasible that is considering how difficult Cornell is...</p>
<p>I'm not sure exactly how much they care about it, but it's probably a good idea also to not go heavy on the city when you talk about why you want to go. I mean, I haven't, at least yet, gotten into Columbia myself, so maybe I'm totally wrong in giving you all this advice. But I still think Ivy to Ivy transfers are much more difficult in general than community college to Ivy transfers, and you may want to try to articulate and "fluff up" the whole hating the social life thing because I wouldn't think that would be a very good reason to transfer. If a reason such as that on its own is considered a good one, then my application is definitely a shoe-in for admission . . .</p>
<p>And as far as the GPA, I've been told with much consistency that the recommended minimum GPA for transfer applicants is a 3.5, but perhaps they would consider you differently as you are going to Cornell.</p>
<p>well what's the reason they want to see me transfer? I hate cornell...i'm miserable..i have to get out of here lol...and i think it is affecting me emotionally</p>
<p>i also dislike the fact that as a pre-med student at teh school of human ecology i have such a science focused education...the school boasts that you still receive a liberal arts education even if you have a science major and you're pre-med...when in reality...all of my classes have been science oriented except for the one spanish class i'm taking this semester and my 2 freshman writing courses...plus as i mentioned before i'm really unhappy here...granted i try to bring up my 3.3 GPA...what would u say my chances are?</p>
<p>can i also talk about the fact that the size of the school and student body is extremely overwhelming..in a lot of classes i feel like just a number..besides my small classes a professor i'm hoping to do research with this semester...it's very difficult to form close bonds with your professors</p>
<p>Most private universities, at their most basic and self-serving, only want to see students transfer in who may somehow benefit the institutions themselves, in terms of notoriety, "filling quotas," or any sort of thing like that. A more uplifting and likely accurate reason Columbia would want to see you transfer is simply that the college you're at right now is not a good fit for you, but in their eyes, not just yours. </p>
<p>In other words, "the reason they want to see you transfer" basically fulfills both of those criteria, and you should attempt to improve upon your academics and also being able to express in a professional manner why Columbia is so much better for you than Cornell. You're probably pretty smart, as you did get into Cornell, (I assume your admissions wasn't owed too much to affirmative action or anything like that, although affirmative action could again help you in this case if that's true) and your disdain for the curriculum might look very nice to Columbia with their Core and all. Be sure to elaborate on that in your application. </p>
<p>As far as the size of the student body, that might be a good topic. Just make sure you don't whine about it too much. The ideal student would still make a place for herself even in a crowd. </p>
<p>All in all, especially if you raise your GPA and show passion and enough need to transfer, you probably have as much of a chance as any good student has. I'm not totally sure about the whole Ivy to Ivy thing, but apparently it can be done. Just work as hard as you can this semester, demonstrate that you can perform well at Cornell, and be sure to put a lot of thought into your application. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>HELPMEPLEASEPLEASE:
I'm an adult- Cornell alum actually. I hope you can find the right school for you, where you will be happy. I think the advice here is great. It's okay for you to emote your unhappiness to friends, family and forums such as these, but in your applications you want to keep it very positive. As the previous poster suggested, take all of the attributes that attracted you to Columbia, and specify why you would be a better fit there. Don't complain about the large class sizes, relationships to professors, etc. Talk about how you want to be at a smaller school/ core curriculum/ urban campus/ closer to research opportunities at hospitals, etc. It's the same thing when you get older and want to change jobs...it's never attractive to a potential employer when a disgruntled employee badmouths their firm. I'm sure you will be able to transfer out...I don't know how many transfers Columbia accepts, but I noticed that you are also interested in Penn, and they take a fair amount of transfer students. I wish you a lot of luck!</p>
<p>P.S. I just noticed that you wanted to mention that you were "overwhelmed"... not a good idea - it's a flag to admissions that you might become easily overwhelmed anywhere. Keep that part your little secret. If you keep it postitive, you won't have any problem.</p>
<p>Honestly, I would apply to Brown as well. With a 3.3 your admittance is all but certain, and Brown for some reason is relatively transfer friendly these days. Don't limit yourself to Columbia and Penn.</p>
<p>thanks for all of ur advice and support...i really appreciate it...also i'm trying to get involved in doing research at cornell...will this help my chances of transferring to columbia?...i conducted research at columbia the summer going into my senior year of high school...</p>
<p>You just can't bank on getting into Columbia. Of the Ivies I would say the ease of admittance is as follows for TRANSFERS</p>
<ol>
<li>Brown</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>Penn</li>
<li>Dartmouth</li>
<li>Harvard/ Columbia</li>
<li>Yale</li>
<li>Princeton - They don't accept transfers.</li>
</ol>
<p>Most of the Ivies are now completely full in regards to the undergraduate population. Transferring to Columbia at this point is nearly impossible because they have taken many students that have been displaced from the hurricane. My school (GS) is capped from what I've heard. I believe CC and SEAS are capped as well.</p>
<p>Yeah they all have taken them in, I think focusing on only Columbia is silly, you might be lucky to get in anywhere else.</p>
<p>This is really a no brainer.</p>
<p>Mea culpa, you say to Columbia. Premed is destroying my soul. I am a more rounded person. Sticking me in this square hole is destroying me.</p>
<p>I want the classics, I want literature, I want philosophy, I want Columbia.</p>
<p>I would focus on what Columbia has to offer ... a broader core.<br>
Your enlightened plan now is to take the post bac premed program at Columbia after you get your broader education behind you. This will enable you to better understand the humanistic issues involved in medicine.</p>
<p>Read about the program here: <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/01/04/postbac.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/01/04/postbac.html</a></p>
<p>Hurricane students will be gone in January. For example Tulane has ordered its students back.</p>
<p>Link here for their explanation: <a href="http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2005/09/tulane_to_force.html%5B/url%5D">http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2005/09/tulane_to_force.html</a></p>
<p>Basically, these schools have taken the hurricane students FREE OF CHARGE to the students so that Tulane and Loyola can keep running. Everyone is chipping in so to speak.</p>
<p>These schools are obviously very serious about their students coming back. I would ignore the Katrina issue.</p>
<p>Loyola is holding classes in Houston in some cases beginning on October 3 and most of these students chose Jesuit schools ... simply because of the Jesuit connection.</p>
<p>I do not believe focusing on Columbia is silly. I believe not making the change you want, not following your dream is not only silly by something you will regret for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Cornell for you is not a good fit. Although you could clearly articulate it more convincingly your instincts tell you Columbia would be a better fit. Go for it.</p>
<p>Cornell's overall acceptance rate for transfers is like 30 percent, but for Cornell Arts/Sciences its like 15-17 percent, its pretty tough.</p>
<p>btw....the fact ur applying as a transfer to enter junior year, ur high school record means very lil at this pt, ur sat score will mean nothing. If you would have applied ur freshman year, those things would have been important.</p>
<p>My college GPA is right now a little above 3.4. By the end of the semester I will probably have a high 3.6. I can have a high 3.7 at the end of the year. Currently I am a sophmore and had 37 units completed prior to this year. I am taking 18 this semester and will be taking 18 next semester. I will also take one class in between semesters. I play on the school's softball team. My major is history. What do you think would be my chances of transferring to the Ivies? Also, I have taken many upper-division courses. I don't know if this will help any. Let's say that I have great recs and ps. Thanks.</p>