Transferring at these schools?

Transfer Students
1

I just finished my first year of SUNY Community College and I thought it went pretty well. I will give you my stats and see where I lay a good chance.

HS GPA: 85% (We didn’t use a point scale)
SAT: 1410 out of 2400 (I have seen that SAT scores don’t matter for transferring so I probably wont retake)

I never did any APs but I was straight A's and B's in pretty much all my Math and Science courses

Through my first year of CC:
CC GPA: 3.3 (I plan on rising this to a 3.6-3.7)

Courses I have taken:
Trig/College Algebra (B)
Calc I (I taken this twice. I gotta D first semester and an A second semester)
Intro to Computer Science (A)
Programming and Logic I (B)
English Comp I & II (A’s in both)
Literature Into Film (C - This class kinda sucked)
Macroeconomics (B)
American History I (A)

Courses I plan on taking:
Calc II
Physics I & II
Programming and Logic II
C++ Programming

American Literature I

Extras:
I have a part time job where work about 20 hrs/week since my Senior year in HS
I am an administrator for a programming website where we help out other people with programming problems (Stack Overflow)
In HS I played in AAU basketball and HS basketball
I have served in community service. I served at a local retirement home and helped the elderly people. I also did church work where I served at a homeless shelter.

I assisted coach a local CYO basketball team from grades 1-5

Schools:
Columbia
MIT
Cornell
Carnegie Mellon
Boston University
University of Rochester

2

SAT will matter less the more years you have completed of college or CC, but most schools will ask for them, especially at top schools. I think Cornell is the only one out of those schools that don’t ask for an SAT score.

As of right now, all of those schools are reaches, especially the first four. Getting around a 3.7 will boost your chances, but it still will be incredibly difficult. You should also look to add match schools and safeties. If you are a NY resident, a SUNY would be a good choice.

3

First year CC GPA 3.3. To raise that to a cumulative 3.6/3.7 you need to get a 4.0 in second year of CC. How do you plan on doing that?

4

I’m going to assuming based on your CC coursework that you’re a Computer Science major.

Keeping in mind what @Dontskipthemoose and @TomSrOfBoston have told you, @welchie98 , at this stage, you should remove some, if not all, of the four first schools on your list, and apply BROADLY. Your list of schools is far too small, and very top-heavy.

I do not want you to take this post the wrong way, however, one should always view their situation pragmatically.

First off, CS (and every other mathematics-based major) is a very, very competitive major, and coupled with your several academic missteps with your core classes (mathematics, etc.), your current GPA (which will most likely not reach a 3.6-3.7. You would have to get a 4.0 your second year, which requires a massive shift in your time, and study habits in order to achieve.), and your SAT score (which usually doesn’t hold much weight, but in your case, it is definitely not in your favor), your chances at the CS programs at those four schools is very, very slim.

So, what do I recommend?

I would immediately tell you to get rid of most, if not, all of your top four schools, as I stated above (you can perhaps keep Cornell). Then, broaden your school list. Check schools’ average transfer GPA, and average acceptance rate, to get a feel for what the school expects in a transfer applicant. You should shoot for at least 7-10 schools total. After that, of course, focus on your studies. If you can, perhaps even retake the SAT (which should not be your highest priority, but maybe you can get a higher score).

After you’re ready to apply to apply as a transfer, come back, with your updated stats, if you’d like to get chanced.

Anyway, if you have any more questions, feel free to contact me.

5

bump