<p>So right now I'm thinking about going to UC-Berkeley or Duke for college (I'm an HS senior). Stanford is sort of my ideal-ish school, but MIT is extremely good too. What kinds of things would I need to do transfer to one of those schools after my first year? In addition, which of Duke or Berkeley would give me a better chance of transferring?</p>
<p>I believe that I was just barely rejected out of Stanford and MIT (and a couple of other schools) because I got a C+ and a B in Quantum Mechanics and Organic Chemistry I, respectively (both college-level courses). </p>
<p>If I get A's in all five of the college-level courses I'm taking right now and 5's on all 10 AP tests I'm taking this year (so I'll be AP State scholar...), what else would I need to do to transfer to Stanford or MIT besides get straight A's at Berkeley or Duke (again, which one of those?). Would I need to write a book, become president of my local chapter of Mensa, secure a patent?</p>
<p>Umm...Stanford and MIT accept so few transfer students, I don't know what qualifications you'd need to gain admittance. However, one thing colleges look for is a compelling reason for transfer. Getting top grades at Berkeley or Duke and then wanting to transfer to Stanford or MIT because in your view, they are a better school isn't going to be really compelling. Now, if MIT or Stanford offered a different engineering/science specialty not available at Duke or Berkeley, you'd have a better chance.</p>
<p>Since Berkeley, MIT and Stanford for engineering/science are the top 3 schools, I think you'd have a better shot at transferring from Duke. Duke is not nearly as well known for having top engineering/science programs.</p>
<p>The biggest mistake you can make is going into college next year planning to transfer. Both Berkeley and Duke are amazing schools, go in planning to spend 3-4 years there and if you end up being unhappy try to transfer. </p>
<p>MIT and Stanford are MUCH harder to transfer into than it is to gain freshman admission, especially if you applied there before. It's highly unlikely that you will get into either school unless you have a significant reason to transfer, which you obviously don't.</p>
<p>Please don't spend what could be the coolest experience of your young life planning to leave, especially since the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you. At least make it a semester or two before you decide to transfer.</p>
<p>In my defense, I am obviously not going to a college just to transfer to a different one. I have thought about this, and I simply want to know from which college I would have better chances of transferring. The more important factors in choosing a college are the academics, the environment, etc., etc.
I appreciate the advice here.
About Berkeley: Why does Berkeley have such an amazing name/reputation but have such low rankings in USNWR except for business and engineering /and/ such a high admission rate and low admission requirements compared to other top schools?</p>
<p>On a related note, how easy would it be to transfer from Duke to Berkeley or vice versa if I decided I wanted to after the first year?</p>
<p>If you are in-state transferring from Duke to Berkeley would not be hard at all. Transferring into Duke would be much harder.</p>
<p>Berkeley has a low ranking because it is a state school, they can't give the individual attention and prestige that Princeton or Harvard, for example can.</p>
<p>
[quote]
About Berkeley: Why does Berkeley have such an amazing name/reputation but have such low rankings in USNWR except for business and engineering /and/ such a high admission rate and low admission requirements compared to other top schools?
[/quote]
Hmmm...maybe because USNWR uses factors to rank a college that favor wealthy privates...i.e. alumni giving rate, student/faculty ratio, average SAT scores, and admittance rates.</p>
<p>Berkeley does have low admission standards though, compared to other world-reknowned schools. Like, the average SAT score is like 1950, compared with Duke's 2200.
True, that transfering to Berkeley from Duke will be much easier than vice versa. In fact, transferring to even Stanford or MIT or UPenn would be slightly easier from Duke as well. Right?</p>
<p>Oh, and Berkeley !necessarily= liberals.... That is definitely more of a stereotype.... But whatever, more important to me is the student diversity, etc.</p>
<p>igor,
I really don't think colleges will really care too much about you taking all college level courses in highschool. Your bio has stereotype of overachieving bookworm (I'm basing this off what you have written thus far, not saying you could be an otherwise decent person, but I won't lie and say it wasn't my first impression) ; really just because you went ahead and took classes in 07-08 that you may have encountered in 08-09 doesn't prove anything beyond being ahead of the game.
By getting a C and a B during the vital admissions process isn't a reflection of you being unable to do college work, but could be perceived as a lack of common sense or maturity to make a slip up like that during the most vital time. Some admissions person might see it as a wide receiver about to catch a huge TD, but tries to catch it with one hand; or the guy who tries to put one too many things on his plate because he wasn't practical. Silly anologies, but I can't come up with a better wording.</p>
<p>I'd say get the hell over it, no need to feel like you want out of your college after spending so much time working just to get there. Why bother applying to Duke or Cal if you were going to be unhappy enough to be posting on CC Transfer forum a good 5 months prior to ever stepping on campus?
Stanford won't see an official transcript of those 10 AP's nor will they really want to care that you fulfilled intro level requirements in 7 different departments by cramming all of senior spring, especially if/when they cap the number of credits they will accept.</p>
<p>If you had significant extracurricular experiences, or a pressing interest in the wholistic college experience at MIT or Stanford which cannot be found at Duke or Cal, you might have a slim shot. You need to remember, these schools want admit transfers who bring something to the table that the school is lacking. Does stanford or MIT lack superfreak level engineers? I really doubt it, so what benefit do they gain by bringing you in as a sophomore?</p>
<p>Don't waste your obvious gifts playing the transfer game if you have top schools awaiting you with open arms, and world begging for productive & intelligent young minds.</p>