Transfer student chances at Emory, WASHU?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi, so I am a high school senior who applied to 9 schools total: JHU, Duke, Boston University, WASHU, UF, USF, Emory, NYU, and Uchicago. I was extremely confident that i would get into all except chicago and duke. Basically I was extremely confident because I tailored my applications to the admissions process itself. My essays were great, and the only place I was lacking in was that maybe I am not interesting enough? I don’t really know. Anyways, I got rejected from all except UF, Boston and USF (who basically gave me a full ride). I was waitlisted by Emory and NYU.

Academics

-ACT: 32
-Weighted GPA: 4.6
-UW GPA: 3.9
-Rigor: 12 AP classes, 8 credits away from associate’s degree through dual enrollment
-AP scores: never failed an exam, mostly 4s and 5s
-Class rank: 6th out of 312

Extracurriculars

-350+ volunteering hours in various activities.
Most done through hospital volunteering/shadowing or tutoring through NHS. Hospital wrote me great recommendations!
-Clubs: NHS (treasurer), Science honor society, English honor society, chairperson and co-founder or leukemia and lymphoma society group at my school to raise money for leukemia research
-Sports: competitive cheerleading 3 years, 2x national champ. Varsity cheerleading 3 years, 2nd at states.
-Accepted into prestigious surgical summer program
-I don’t think this counts because it’s not in high school but I went on a trip to Costa Rica in 8th grade to help bring school supplies and plant trees.
-Another thing that probably doesn’t count is that I was 5th at nationals on uneven bars for gymnastics in 7th grade, and made elite (which is super hard)

Essays/personal statement

I thought my essay was killer, and I had several teachers who told me it was the best they’ve read of all personal statements.

Awards/ scholarships

-Rotary scholar award (prestigious in my community
-Melanoma scholarship from alumnus who beat melanoma ( first student to receive it)
-Principal’s choice scholarship (only given to 3 students)
-I consider my cheerleading accomplishments and my acceptance into the summer program as awards/achievements/hooks also.
-AP scholar with distinction

After going through the admissions process I have realized that my academics weren’t what was holding me back, it w as the fact that all the other applicants had the same stats as me but more. Throughout high school I didn’t really have access to any kind of international award competitions so I am lacking in that area, but I did the best I did in my circumstances.

So now I am curious, because it is unlikely that I will get off the waitlist for either NYU or Emory, what are the chances I get into WASHU, Emory, and NYU (my top three) as a transfer student if I go to USF? Will I be at a disadvantage? Is there anything I can do in my first semester at USF to increase my chances of admission? I was planning to reapply after a semester or two at USF to give me time to settle into the college lifestyle.

2

Also if it helps, I am a white female, and I am not a first gen college student. I will need to also apply for financial aid, because even though my parents make over 100,000 we can’t afford one of those schools without aid, and I’m only eligible for 6,000 in loans. Hopefully this won’t hurt my chances. Financial circumstances was the only reason I didn’t pick BU over USF.

3

Wow, I am in a very similar situation. I applied to Duke, Emory, and Georgetown, was rejected to all, except I was waitlisted at Emory also. I will be attending Florida State University in the fall for financial reasons similar to yours. I plan on re-applying to Emory as a transfer too. Are you for sure going to attend USF?

4

I understand your disappointment in not “breaking through” that ice sheet into one of those top colleges. We all hear that those colleges are selective but it’s hard to fully grasp that until those rejection letters start rolling in, one after the other.

Your determination is great, but I would suggest you give USF a shot mainly because of the full-friggin ride they gave you. My advice would be to go into your first year not with the intention of leaving the place (trust me, it’ll help with making friends if you don’t convince yourself that “you wont be seeing them soon anyways”), but instead with the desire to get the best grades possible! With cost not being an issue, you’ll have plenty of room in your head to occupy it with meaningful ECs, rigorous coursework, etc… You can achieve great things there!

If after your two first semesters at USF you find that the college doesn’t offer what you want and/or you’re having an overall bad experience, then certainly try to apply, keeping in mind that these private colleges may not give you a better offer financially, should you be accepted.

The road for transfer admissions is somewhat of a different ball game, I do wish you the best if you want to take a shot at it.

5

I highly agree with @AGoodFloridian. Don’t go into school with the intention of leaving, instead give it all you got. Go for the highest grades, make friends, and get involved. I would imagine that if the admissions committees saw that you were both doing well in academics and EC’s at USF, they would give you some more leeway at getting in. Also, go search for scholarships. Every little bit helps, no matter how large or how small. My take on this: definitely go for the transfers, but enjoy USF. You’re in Florida! There’s so much to see and do so take your time at USF. Do everything you can to make sure that the admissions office will see that you’re a great candidate for a transfer.

I really sorry if I couldn’t give a better response, but I hope this helps and best of luck!

6

Yes, I am attending USF.