I am applying to transfer from one of the three big public schools in south carolina to GW as an international business major. I had a 3.5 GPA in high school at a prestigious boarding school and was very involved, and a 3.4 GPA for my first semester at college. I applied ED to GW last year and was denied, likely mainly because of my low sat scores. I am going to visit GW again next week and am wondering what my chances are as a sophomore transfer for fall 2016. Thanks!
what were your SAT scores, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m also applying to George Washington and I’m worried I won’t get in because of my GPA (which is 3.1) but my SAT scores were alright (1980).
hate to break it to ya, but the “elliott school of business” doesn’t exist. it’s just called GWSB, and i’d recommend bumping your undergrad GPA up and trying again your sophomore year for a junior transfer. your GPA is a bit low, and if they didn’t take you as an ED applicant last year (which is the best way to get in), your 3.4 certainly isn’t going to change anyone’s mind in the admissions office this year.
Collegegirl- Since GW is SAT optional this year (changed from last year) I’m not submitting my scores. Zoidberg- I mean to say Elliott School of International Affairs or GWSB, I put both as options for my application. The average transfer gpa at GW is a 3.5 so a 3.4 doesn’t seem detrimental to me for a school that values interest so much more than the average school given how much interest i’ve shown.
well those are two different things, and elliott school students are NOT permitted to double major in the business school (they can double major in anything else including econ, just not at the business school), so that might be something you want to settle before applying and selecting your primary/alternate. you might also want to note that the elliott school in particular has higher average GPAs and test scores than the overall university average.
while interest does help one candidate get in over a less interested comparable candidate, it’s not the number 1 deciding criteria and won’t make up for weaknesses in other parts of an application. applying ED is literally the best way to demonstrate interest, but obviously as you’ve seen it doesn’t guarantee admission. take it from someone that never interviewed, never visited, never contacted admissions, and didnt show any tangible interest before applying and still got in with a very generous scholarship: your applicant profile is exponentially more important than demonstrated interest. now, even without submitting your SAT scores (which i’m not sure is even a viable tactic, they will almost certainly still have your SAT scores on file from last year and might see through what you’re doing) you’re still a borderline candidate, and i don’t think applying with a below-median GPA is the best strategy for improving your odds. and if you do get in, it is not likely that you’ll get a bunch of merit aid.
so do the smart thing: take the next couple of semesters to improve your grades and apply in sophomore year. you will improve your odds of both admission and aid, and you will almost certainly save at least 30-40 grand over whatever you’re paying at clemson, and probably even more than that if clemson has given you any money
Zoidberg- you need to stay off of this site if you don’t have accurate info/if you’re just going to assume everything.
1 i've spoken with a private college counselor who has said that in no way am I guarenteed admission but my application was said to be very competitive taking everything into consideration. Of course gw is a competitive school and grades are the most important but it's a holistic review.
2 I'm not applying to double major. On your application they require you to list two options for schools where you're seeking admission. My first choice was the school of business, my second was international affairs.
3 Schools don't keep your info year to year, they keep a record of your application and whether or not you were admitted. I asked at admissions and they said if I applied as test optional there's no way for them to view my scores
4 idk where you got that I go to Clemson given I said the 3 big public schools, being clemson, univ of sc, and college of charleston.
5 I'm not applying for aid so that's really just an irrelevant factor.
I know this site is really mostly people trying to get recognition saying omg I have a 4.0 and am in every honor society, president of 10 clubs, and have a 2400 sat do you think i will ever get in to community college??? But it’s people like you that deter people from applying to their dream schools because they think everything is impossible if you don’t have perfect stats. You need to either become informed on the application process or stay out of it because you are the type of person that makes this website obselete. I don’t mean to be rude but it’s ridiculous to say things like that to people without all the knowledge to back it up. It’s great that you’re a GW student that wants to help but you’re doing more harm than good. An average gpa means it’s just that- the average. So for every person on here posting about their 3.9 there’s someone with a 3.1 who’s also admitted. Also pls learn the difference between average and median- you would think a GW education could at least provide you with that. I can guess you were a way overqualified candidate given how much gw gave you and am guessing you only want people coming into the school who are just like you, but if this country is good for anything it’s that dc is a place full of oppertunity, and I’d like to think GW is no different. Now please learn your facts or get off my thread. All the best
i have no vested interest in deterring you from applying. relatively weak applicants such as yourself deflate our acceptance rate, which helps improve our rankings. this, along with encouraging minority applicants, is part of the rationale for going SAT optional. the point of this site is to provide useful advice, not to coddle and protect your feelings. the fact is, you’ve already been rejected after applying ED, which is literally the easiest way to get accepted. i’m super glad for you that admissions isn’t going to look at your SAT, but that does not change the fact that you have given admissions no good reasons at all to change their decision from last year. your below median gpa certainly isn’t going to impress anyone on the committee. those kids that got in with a 3.1 had something else that was impressive on their application that compensated for their gpa, e.g. captaining their soccer team, having a very strong SAT score, winning a model UN award, being an underrepresented minority, having legacy status, etc. they were accepted IN SPITE of their grades. your extras evidently didn’t help you last year, and you’ve not indicated doing anything particularly impressive since. your crafty “hide my SATs from admissions” trick (which, again, is mainly for the benefit of underprivileged students, not kids that went to boarding school) might’ve helped, had it not been for the fact that there a bunch of other kids trying to pull the same exact thing as you and that you’re probably applying in one of the most competitive years in GW history. now, given that it is within my best interest for you to apply ASAP and get rejected, take my advice as a bit of altruism: get. better. grades. even if you don’t need financial aid, improving your grades will increase your chances of getting admitted. wait a semester or two, you’ll have a better shot at transferring, get to enjoy the warmer SC weather for a little longer, and probably save a decent amount of cash (tuition and housing is at least $60k if you’re not applying for aid).
p.s. the median and the mean are the same value in a normal distribution. you might want to consider taking a stats class before applying to a business and a social sciences school. frankly, you’re not in much of a position to condescend someone that actually goes to the very same school you got rejected from.
Lol well I got into GW (in “one of the most competitive years in GW history”) and BU, which is a better school ESPECIALLY for business. So I’m so glad you were so certain I wasn’t gonna get in but unfortunately for you, you were wrong. Sorry we all can’t attend top 50 schools, since you’re so big on improving your ranking. Major bummer
Very happy for you lucyrieck!! Congrats.
i don’t know what exactly you’re bragging about. it only took you one ED rejection, two attempts, and hiding your low SAT scores from the admissions office to finally get in. congrats i guess? second time’s the charm?
also, feel free to peruse my post history and see if you find anything about BU or multiple other “top 50 schools”:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/profile/comments/395778/Zoidberg93
Sorry we can’t all get into top 50 schools straight out of high school. Major bummer =/