Hi everyone, this is my first time posting on this forum so I hope this is in the right place.
As the day I move in to college rapidly approaches, I have begun second guessing my decision. Though I’m happy with the school there are a few things that make me uncomfortable (a little too close to home, not much school spirit, etc) that have led to an increasing uneasiness.
Because of this I’m considering transferring after I finish my first year here. Hopefully I won’t need to but knowing I have a shot at getting into other schools that I perhaps might not have been able to as a senior if things don’t work out would definitely make me feel better (I’m the type of person who likes to have a back up plan).
So anyways I’ll get to it:
School: a top 100 (low 70s) private research university.
HS cumulative GPA: 3.23 unweighted and 3.78 weighted.
ACT score: 30
- I took a lot of AP classes and will be starting college with 21 credits (got mostly 4s and 5s).
- I feel that my high school grades don’t accurately represent my intellect as I was dealing with undiagnosed ADD, depression, anxiety, and stress at home.
- My main extracurriculars in high school were writing for the newspaper and model UN.
- In college I plan to be very involved in clubs like radio, school TV, and newspaper in addition to a work study.
- I am going to be majoring in communications so ideally I would be transferring to a school with a strong communications or english program.
Assuming I maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher, what schools (listed or otherwise) would I have the ability to transfer to after my first year in college? Should I wait until my second year to transfer?
The list of schools I would be interested in transferring to (open to suggestions):
- University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- University of Wisconsin Madison (applied and was rejected)
- Georgetown (applied and was rejected)
- Carnegie Mellon
- Northwestern
- Emory
- UNC Chapel Hill
- Boston College
- NYU
- Syracuse Newhouse (applied and was put on waitlist, opted out)
- Cornell
- Brown
- Oberlin
- Middlebury
- Macalester
Thank you and please let me know if you have questions.
I can immediately tell you that should apply after your sophomore year.
Also, a 3.5 college GPA won’t get you into most of the schools listed on your list. 3.8+ is what you should be shooting for. I’d also suggest retaking the ACT for a better score. On the subject of your projected college grades, you need to ask yourself honestly: will I be able to significantly change my study habits to realistically reach my target GPA? If not, you may need to look at some less selective schools.
What’s wrong with other similarly ranked schools, or schools nearby?
“… I was dealing with undiagnosed ADD, depression, anxiety, and stress at home.”
Are you getting treated for this now? You definitely should look into getting appropriate treatment. The university that you will be attending should have a counseling service than can get you started on the right track. Getting this handled effectively is your most important task in the short run.
Expect the university that you will be attending to be significantly more difficult than high school. Attend all classes, sit near the front of the class and pay attention, do all homework and try to do homework early, take every class seriously. If you do well at any “top 100” or even “top 200” university then you will have great opportunities going forward, regardless of whether this means getting a job or going to graduate school. Straight A’s in any “top 100” university will give you an excellent chance at graduate school in any of the schools on your list above that have graduate schools, and at many other top schools.
If I were to really work hard and maintain a 3.8+ my first year would I have a shot at any of those schools? If I continued to maintain this through my sophomore year which schools would I have a strong chance of getting into?
Though I will not know for sure until classes start I anticipate being able to significantly improve my study habits due to finally being prescribed medication for my ADD and registering for classes that I am legitimately interested in, and therefore more willing to work hard in.
There are not many similarly ranked schools I can think of that I felt would be a better fit, but if you have any suggestions I’m very open to them. If you are asking why the school’s proximity to home is a problem, it’s because I didn’t initially anticipate how trapped/bored I would feel staying in the same general area where I grew up. I realize it’s a bit silly and while I can power through it, not being in a new city is definitely going to take away from the overall college experience for me.
Yes I am currently taking medication to treat my ADD, and my anxiety/problems at home have also significantly improved.
If you maintain a 3.8+ (and take up some meaningful, relevant extracurricular activity, as well as retaking the ACT), you have a good chance at all those schools (or rather, as good of a chance as you’re going to get, since Ivy League schools / top 5’s are hard for any student to get into).
Keep in mind, assumptions are dangerous. While it’s great to aim high, you need to have a backup plan in case you don’t hit the mark. Apply broadly.
@DadTwoGirls is giving you some great insight. Transferring aside, graduating with a 3.8+ GPA will open up tons of doors for grad school. It’s something to consider, assuming you can bear 4 more years in your current area.
Ivies aside, do you think a 3.8+ GPA and an ACT score above 30 is required for the slightly less selective schools and/or schools with more openings for transfers such as Wisconsin, Michigan, UNC, Boston College, and possibly Emory/Georgetown?
Not that I don’t fully intend on aiming for a 4.0 but as @DadTwoGirls said college is certainly more rigorous than high school, so if my GPA ends up falling in the 3.5-3.7 range it would be helpful to know if I would still have a chance at the schools I just mentioned (as well as what other schools I should realistically be looking at).
3.8+ / 32+ ACT is optimal for Emory / Georgetown / Boston College. For example, check out Georgetown’s average acceptance rate:
http://transferstalker.■■■■■■■■■■/uploads/1/0/6/0/106094795/georgetown-university_orig.png
You could get away with a 3.5-3.7 for UNC / Michigan / Wisconsin. I’d still retake the ACT.
I want to clear up college rigor for a moment. While raw difficulty increases (since you would be progressing into more complex courses), I think what students find much more difficult is how “hands off” education is. There is no compulsory class attendance, a substantial amount of free time and in some cases, no hand-holding homework assignments.
