<p>Hey there,</p>
<p>I am currently a freshman student in my first semester at Penn State (Berks campus). Needless to say, I don't like it here. I never planned going here, I only applied to it as my safety school. I actually despise attending here. Not that it's a bad school, not at all. But it's not what I wanted, or expected to settle with. I don't hate the school, but I hate attending it. I always wanted to go to school in the city, and applied to a few schools in Philly. I was denied to the one I wanted to go to most, and went to Berks because, well I'm not sure. Probably had to do with being close to home. Whatever strange decision I made, I wholly regret it. </p>
<p>Now, the University of Pittsburgh always seemed so distant and alien to me, since I'm from South East PA. But I have since visited multiple times, made/stayed with friends there, and loved it. Then what really spurred me on to loving it was the department for my major, trumping Penn State and having some of the special things I was looking for in the Philly schools. Bluntly, I have fallen in love with Pitt. And will do whatever it takes to transfer in. I am going to be applying for the Fall 2015 semester. I have read up on everything they require/suggest, and have looked at the stickies in this forum. Frankly, I'm even more afraid than before that I won't get in. For starters, my high school track record is bad. Average or below average GPA. My SAT score was 1810, which was probably the crutch that got me into other schools. I am a skilled writer, even though my major does not depend on it. I would like to imagine that my essay would stand out. In fact, my English professor enjoyed one of my essays for his class so much that he requested I send it in to the PSU Freshmen best of writing magazine or some sort, so hopefully that gets published as I assume it would be a big booster to the application. Pitt lets you submit up to 3 recommendations. I am able to get two college professors to write these. For a third, I can request one from my boss at work, a high school teacher that loves me, or a dear friend that is in charge of a charity that I volunteer at (And obviously, I have both part-time employment and active volunteer work under my belt).What really worries me is my college GPA and track record. Freshman year isn't easy, that's common knowledge. On top of that, however, it's really tough to maintain grades/motivation when I'm unhappy/depressed. Which all just feeds into my anxiety. I will most likely finish this semester with something close to a 3.0. No idea about next semester. Pitt, for the school I'm applying to, has a minimum of 2.5 GPA. Of course, that's minimum, not recommended. My credits for this semester are 14, and I guarantee next semester will either be the same or more.</p>
<p>If I were denied entry to Pitt for Fall 2015, I would definitely just attend a community college for a semester or two until I get in, but that is very worst case scenario. Would it hurt me to apply for Spring 2015 as well, even though the chances of that happening are slim to none? The thing is, it's hard to visualize making it through the current semester, let alone the next one. Anything beyond that is flat-out not happening.</p>
<p>tl;dr What are my chances of getting in to Pitt as of now? What more can I do to get a significantly better chance, besides get my grades up? Does anyone have/know of any personal experience similar to my situation? Besides the obvious loss of credits, would it be better to just apply as a new freshman? I understand you shouldn't strive for just one school and nothing else, but it's just the kind of person I am, and I am intensely passionate about this. Also, where could I go for help writing my transfer application essay?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>