I was rejected from all my top choices (with the exception of Emory but Oxford College) and am enrolled for next year at the University of Miami. I want to try to transfer into Cornell, Vanderbilt, Emory, Tufts or USC and was wondering what you guys thought my chances were (didn’t apply for freshman admission to Cornell, Vanderbilt or USC).
HS GPA: 3.47 (Full IB Diploma Student)
Senior Year in HS GPA: 3.9
ACT: 33 (33 English, 28 Math, 36 Reading, 33 Science)
College GPA (aiming for at least): 3.8
Ethnicity: Asian (Pakistan)
EC: My main extra curricular is I am the head of an organization which aids schools in Lahore, Pakistan and will be opening two schools in the city by next year using money raised through fundraisers. The hope is to expand across Pakistan.
With these stats for sophomore year transfer what do you guys think my chances would be?
Why didn’t you accept Oxford at Emory? You would have transitioned to Emory in two years. If you really want to go to Emory, this is your way to go without the uncertainty and hassle associated with the transfer process.
Probably will get into Vandy, maybe Emory and USC. Cornell and Tufts are reach schools. Also if you liked Emory so much, you should have gone to Oxford. You could have always transferred out to other schools.
@Dontskipthemoose I just heard so many bad things about Oxford, from bad professors to no social life, to being in the middle of nowhere that I felt that I’d be really unhappy. But maybe I made the wrong decision, feeling good that you think I’ll make Vandy, Emory College and USC. Do you know anything about Cornell ILR? I heard on transfers they’re much more lenient.
@collegerigor123 If you apply as a sophomore transfer, you are basically using your high school stats to support your application. Your high school GPA is low for Vandy and Cornell. Your ACT is good but not stellar. Even a 4.0 gpa from UM will not make a huge difference since those will likely just be freshman introductory courses.
If you wanted to go to Emory, I simply cannot fathom how you would turn down Oxford. You made a silly decision or were ill-advised.
Go to UM and enjoy your 4 years there. Don’t mope and waste your time plotting a transfer to another school.
@mnm111 thanks for your advice, but don’t tell me it’s a waste of time. Emory is also great, but putting yourself in the middle of nowhere coming from New York City is not easy whatsoever. I visited and made the decision based on that, and based on a friend from my school absolutely hating his experience there. My best bet is to try to transfer into one of those schools and I am determined to do so. Bare in mind that theres a huge upward trend, in senior year doing IB I have a 3.9 GPA and didn’t slack second semester senior year and have an ACT score that’s in middle 50 or above for many of these colleges.
@Dontskipthemoose and by lenient i heard that Cornell admits lots of transfer applicants - particularly ILR. I know Vanderbilt, Emory and USC do but I can’t tell about Cornell because of the guaranteed transfers.
@collegerigor123 I don’t know where you got your information about Cornell, but it is not lenient for transfer applicants. The transfer acceptance rate is deceptively inflated from guaranteed transfers. Transferring to Cornell is extremely difficult, more so than freshman admissions since a bunch of open spots are already taken. I would not be surprised if the actual transfer rate was sub 10%.
There is some merit to what @mnm111 said, in that since you will have only completed 1 semester’s worth of college, your high school record will be weighed heavily. If you were rejected this year, it is unlikely that one semester will change anything. The only exception would be transfer friendly schools that are easier to get into in transfer rounds than freshman admission. For instance, Vanderbilt’s transfer acceptance rate is 3 times their freshman acceptance rate, so I would say you have a decent chance at transferring.
Emory’s transfer acceptance rate is similar to their freshman acceptance rate, but apparently it was harder this year. Again, there is no guarantee. Most public schools (Umich, UVA, William and Mary, UCLA, Berkeley, etc.) have high transfer rates, but a lot of the students are instate kids.
I also want to stress that transfer essays and supplements are extremely important for transfer applicants.
@Dontskipthemoose Yeah that’s what I’m hoping about Vanderbilt. My logic about Emory is if they admitted me to their university once with these stats and knew I was going to go to Emory College anyway in junior year, they’ll possibly admit me twice (also Oxford was almost as competitive as Emory College this year) - particularly with significant improvements to my application with college first semester, mid-term and my second semester senior year (combined with first semester senior). USC I hear is also fairly transfer friendly and actually don’t weight your HS record once you’ve taken 30 credits as much.
How much of Cornell ILR school transfer acceptance rate is guaranteed transfers do you think? They accept around 44% combined with GT so would it be safe to assume that for that school it would be around 29% regular transfer students? I know CAS is extremely difficult.
@collegerigor123 Your comment about being from NYC is hysterical. If you think Atlanta is in “the middle of nowhere”, have fun in Ithaca!
If you covet schools like Cornell and Vanderbilt, why didn’t you apply there out of high school? Your transfer mindset is going to sabotage your time at UM. If you didn’t get into Emory out of high school, your chance of getting in as a sophomore transfer is very slim.
@mnm111 I think he was referring to Oxford College being in the middle of nowhere, but I agree with you. Even though Oxford is pretty remote, so are a lot of colleges, including Cornell. It’s not like Ithaca is vibrant city… Also I think he did apply to all those schools from high school, but he was just rejected from all of them except Oxford. I would have just attended Oxford College. But I disagree with you that the mindset of transferring will ruin his time at UM. It is all up to the individual, but it is possible to have a good college experience even if you know you are leaving soon. It is probably liberating to just be yourself rather than figuring out a college persona. I had a friend who was a GT to Cornell and he was just chilling when everyone was trying to figure out their new college identity. It can also give more drive in academics and extracurriculars.
@collegerigor123 your source on the 44% is outdated. No one really knows what current rates look like. Although freshman acceptance rates are pretty stable, transfer acceptance rates can fluctuate a lot. Even if you look at 2011, if you assume about half are GT, then the acceptance rate is like 20% which isn’t too bad but obviously not nearly as easy as people think transferring to ILR is. Also I think your logic about an acceptance to Emory due to a previous acceptance to Oxford is seriously flawed. To play devil’s advocate, what is to stop them from thinking that you will reject them again since declined Oxford with the knowledge that you would eventually attend Emory.
In the end, transferring is 100% your decision and as a transfer applicant, I don’t see a problem with knowing that you will transfer after one year. Just go into it with more preparation and realistic expectations. Good luck at University of Miami and if you decide to transfer.
Thanks @Dontskipthemoose great advice! No I didn’t apply to Vandy or Cornell - a big regret of mine since my school is very popular with Cornell. But thank you so much I really appreciate it, and I will def try to make the most of Miami for a year and see how it goes, but I do intend to at least for now try to transfer.
@collegerigor123 I just got into Emory as a transfer today, so if you have any questions about the transfer process or about Emory’s application, you can message me.
@mnm111 Your pessimistic advice is not helpful. You need to consider reevaluating your approach with people. OP probably has better stats and future prospects in life than you. Don’t try to speak down on him.