<p>I am going to be a freshman at UCLA this fall, and want to transfer to Harvard...... what do they look at in a first year transfer?????????? what do i need to work on, i know i am going to do wahtever it takes to pull a 4.0 for sure.............but what else?????? what kind of involvment do they want? clubs, social organization or anything????????????? what type of classes(if that is relevant)?????</p>
<p>in high school i had a 4.2 gpa, ranked 5th in classof 500, was in ASB, writer for school newsaper, played football, soccer, track........ volunteered at a junior high for 3 years........ also i am a Gates Millenium Scholar........ all this plus the fact that i came to US three years ago and am from a low income family.........
and yeah i won an award that is given by my school to a few seniors every year for overall achievement and devotion to school, extracurriculars and academics, only six people got it this year...........</p>
<p>my negatives were my test scores, i am not a great test taker....... AP's two 3's, three 2's, two 1's. SAT math 660, writing 540, reading 510. ACT:21.........</p>
<p>any suggestion/advice is appreciated...................</p>
<p>Sry man, 660, 540, 510 are not harvard scores, although you could try to apply, but it'll be an uphill battle :(
your confidence is admirable and doing well getting a 4.0 is the way to go if you want to transfer. but you might apply to somewhere else beside harvard, i.e. Cornell (probably your best bet)
good luck</p>
<p>You should retake those SATs before you transfer. I've known some people that did considerably better, raising their scores +100 or so, by taking SAT prep classes. Try it, it might help you out.</p>
<p>Those SATs are the only flaws on your record. Raise your scores, and you will be a good candidate.</p>
<p>i have a full ride to any college in the country for the next 8-10 years, everything but the EFC is taken care of by the gates millenium foundation, so yeah i am all good financially, just need to get those scores up huh.......</p>
<p>but still i knew that part, i mean because i know it is harder to transfer than applying as a high school senior, so what kind of things should i do in college to stand out, to catch their attention, everybody who applies has "perfect"(high) stats, but what is that extra something that i can do to stand out among the thousand or so applicants.......................</p>
<p>In addition to likely needing better scores, you need to show the reason why Harvard is a match for your needs and what you would offer to Harvard. They don't "need" another highly qualified applicant; they have 10x as many as they can handle. They are interested in what you as an individual will bring to their community. Based on who you are, what your interests are, and what you have done.</p>
<p>So, participate in the activities which are important to you. Research Harvard to the point that you know specific reasons why it is a fit for you, what academic and other programs it has that fit your needs and how you can contribute. Demonstrate that fit in every aspect of your application, especially the essays. </p>
<p>The fact that you are a Gates Millenium Scholar is probably a big advantage (I assume). But I don't know why you want to leave UCLA, an excellent school, to go to Harvard.</p>
<p>well i haven't exactly started going to UCLA yet, i haven't even had my orientation, it isn't for another two weeks......... I might get accepted and probably still stay at UCLA highly unlikely but, UCLA is cool its just Harvard was my set goal, when i started school here in US and it took me very far and i am content with that, just that it would be nice to fulfill my goal....... i know it sounds old and corny, but i aint quitting and i aint letting a rejection get me down.</p>
<p>But thanks for the suggestions, that is exactly the kind of advice i was looking for, i know stats are not all they look at, i have to stand out first and be the few possibilities only then would they look at the stats to see if i qualify academically.......your suggestions are wonderfull.............. and i want to thank you very much for that........</p>