My two cents passed down from my mentors that have transferred from community college to top Universities:
Of course you have a chance. It helps A LOT if you have a rigorous course selection. Not A 3.5
for just Psy200, Math100, ENG101, ART, ect… But with Calculus/Statistics I, II, or even III…
For a top top university(like the ones you mentioned), many will suggest you need a 3.8-3.9+ GPA. I would agree, or you can have a 3.5 GPA, with rigorous course selection, and an incredible story/experience.
Bottom line, if you have done something that really stands out, for example, incredible research publication(s), military experience, peace corps, ect… with a 3.5+ GPA at Berkeley, yeah, I would think you are getting into at least 2/5 of your top picks. Just having a 3.5 GPA won’t be enough…
@TransferStalker Ok, thank you! I’ll definitely look into the specific schools 
@ZxcSmith Thank you so much! Your insight is very helpful
If rigorous courses that you mentioned (like Calculus/Stats) are not relevant to my major, should I still take them?
Also, I’m a staff writer for a college publication/magazine (I write an article a week and promote them etc) and a student ambassador for a exclusively-freshman Fall semester study abroad program I’m participating in; would that constitute something that really stands out, or should I look into different experiences?
I also just want to extend my thanks to everyone on this post for being so helpful and kind! I’ve been very stressed out about this and it’s amazing to have such a great and helpful community.
@ZxcSmith @TransferStalker @thetransfercoach I don’t know if there is a concrete answer to this, but do you think my transfer admission chances to a school are improved if I was previously waitlisted? I am hoping to transfer to Dartmouth and I was waitlisted there when I applied for freshman admission. (The environment, location, size and their academic programs for my major are exactly what I want.) Unfortunately, they did not take anybody off of the waitlist because they did not have room in their freshman class at the time. Do you think that being previously waitlisted would increase my chances of being accepted, since I have more to offer now with my EC achievements and have proven I can (somewhat) handle the rigor of my current school? Or is that kind of irrelevant?
“I am hoping to transfer to Dartmouth and I was waitlisted there when I applied for freshman admission.”
As I understand it the only difference now versus when you were in high school are: (i) Whatever grades you had at the end of senior year of high school; (ii) Your one A and one B over the summer; (iii) Whatever grades you will get during the current semester; (iv) The fact that you will be a transfer student rather than a high school senior.
I don’t think that ii or iv will help you. For Dartmouth, i and iii would need to be pretty much straight A’s for it to make a big positive difference.
If you truly want to transfer to a smaller / east coast school then I think that you should also apply to some of the other schools that were discussed above.
I’ll be honest, I do not know the courses needed in your major; I would contact the admission office, at some or all of these schools, to see what they recommend. My major does not require further math and english courses, but I am still taking 2 semesters of Calculus, and 2 semesters of Physics. I’ll say what you already know; it’s a holistic review, for the admissions office at these schools, they want to know you can keep up with the rigorous courses at these schools and “having A’s shows your determination and commitment.”- Yale
I think you have good EC’s. If I were you, I would contact the admissions office and see what they recommend. They will let you know what else they would like to see from you.
Unfortunately, I don’t think being wait listed will have an impact on your admission. That is a completely different look of applicants. The transfer pool will be much harder to be successful in. When you think about it, it’s pretty easy to understand. As a 11th grade high schooler, you compete with AP course achievement with little EC’s, but the way you make yourself diverse is with your essays. As a transfer, you are now competing with people, even celebrities, that have life experience and academic success.
Main message: Contact admissions, and build a relationship to help guide a path!
One last thing, I’ll add to what someone said:
A lot do this path every year, with less than what you have. You have a great base to build on, and if you REALLY want this, you can make A’s, and have a 3.7-3.8 GPA when sending applications out.
I definitely agree with @DadTwoGirls. If you’re looking for a specific kind of vibe/academic programs, then I guarantee that Dartmouth is NOT the only school with what you want. There are a plethora of great institutions that are comparable to Dartmouth’s campus environment.
@DadTwoGirls Okay, thank you! Very informative as always I guess it’s just some wishful thinking on my part haha
@ZxcSmith Thank you so much! I will be sure to contact admissions and see what they say, regarding courses and ECs. Thank you for your kind words too! Hopefully I can boost my GPA this semester.
@TransferStalker I completely agree! In no way am I set on “only Dartmouth,” as there are definitely other schools out there with exactly what I am looking for (Tufts, BC etc)! I was just asking about Dartmouth specifically because they do happen to have everything I want and I was waitlisted there before