Transfering to an Ivy League or Top tier school

Transfer Students
1

Hello, I don’t want to sound basic but ever since I was a little kid it has always been my dream to attend an Ivy league or top tier school. I come from a very diverse educated background; my father is a professor who has a PhD in Nuclear Engineering and my mother is a teacher who has a masters degree. I have always grown up in a college setting, and I would say i’m relatively intelligent. When I hit high-school my grades were pretty solid until my dad decided to pursue a job overseas and left, when this happened I fell into severe depression and my grades plummeted as a result. I never studied, for any classes or my SATS and had horrendous attendance; this reflected my performance in high school.

Right now I am attending a Penn State branch campus majoring in Computer Engineering, I have been attending all my classes and studying; my grades are finally beginning to accurately reflect who I am, and I am on my way to a 4.0 this semester. My question for you guys is if I maintain a 4.0 this year is it plausible to transfer to an Ivy league or top tier school after this year even with terrible high school grades and SAT scores? If not this year can I in two years?

High School GPA: 2.7
SAT: 630 M 520 R 550 W 1700 TOTAL
AP CALC AB: 5 on exam
Extracurriculars:
Football 4 years
Wrestling 1 year
Track and Field 2 years
Boxing 2 years
History Club 1 year
Spanish Club 1 year
FBLA 2 years - 4th Place Regionally Public Speaking 1st year - 1st place regionally client services and 7th place in the state senior year
Bank Apprenticeship - 1 of 7 selected in the county for a prestigious bank internship locally
took mostly honors classes one AP class.

Penn State - Branch Campus
College GPA: 4.0 (4 more weeks left in semester)
Classes:
Calculus 2 98% (A)
Intro to Computer Science 100% (A)
Intro to Chemical Principles 100% (A)
English 95% (A)
American Studies 96% (A)

Next semester schedule:
Calculus 3
Linear Algebra (Matrices)
Intro to Chemical Principles II
Intro to Computer Science II
Physics Mechanics

2

Most of the super-selective schools are even more of a reach for transfer applicants than they are for frosh.

3

While your college grades are good, only your first semester GPA will count for transfer applications, which means that your high school grades will still be very important, especially considering the fact that you are taking mostly intro courses. Most top tier schools are probably still reaches when considering your high school grades and SAT score.

And to be completely honest, the story with your dad moving overseas for a job just seems like an excuse…

4

If you stick it out where you are and keep up the good work you could be a superstar. It will get you noticed for internships and research opportunities. You’ll also be able to get great, personalized recommendations for jobs or grad school. If that works out, a top tier grad school could well be in your reach…or get straight to work and maybe go back for an MBA or something later.

5

…and the more selective the college the more they look at the ‘why’ of transferring: they know that a lot of students are just looking to trade up to a ‘better’ label. You’ll want to look at specific colleges that have specific elements that are relevant to your academic career. If you decide to go that route, be prepared to do some serious homework.