Transferring from a Calif State University

Transfer Students
1

<p>We all have stories here, that I'm sure of. So let me get to the point.</p>

<p>I sucked in high school. Somehow, I am the only one at my CSU (California State University) that is willing to admit this. Everyone else at the University boasts how <em>suspiciously</em> wonderful they were in high yet they still ended up getting the same mediocre College education that I, the average high school nincompoop, am undertaking. Moreover I somehow get better grades than all of them (in college, not necessarily high school).</p>

<p>This, among other reasons, weight my decision to transfer. I have thought about this intensely, my admission essay will be probably my best essay written. Thus bringing me to my resume:</p>

<p>**HS:
-2.8-3.0 GPA
-No Extracurriculars whatsoever
-ACT score: 24, this is a sub-par ACT score for those unfamiliar with the #'s
-No AP's</p>

<p>College:</p>

<p>-4.0 GPA</p>

<p>-52 Units, entering sophomore year. Thats 26 Units per semester**...2 of which were Credit/No credit (labs, field trips). Limit is 22 units at my college, but lets just say I am very devoted to getting what I want.</p>

<p>-Economics Major</p>

<p>-Highly researched coarse curriculum. Integrates the many foundational skills we find in an American liberal arts curriculum. Consists of courses in math (Calc III, probability w/ a calc III prereq, linear algebra, applied analysis), quantative analysis, Accelerated academic literacy (english comp and lit), natural sciences (biology, and geology), symbolic logic and proofs (calc II prereq), cross cultural subjects (foreign lang: Italian)</p>

<p>-Did some volunteering for the mayor of the neighboring city. I helped walk precincts, man the phones, just little things.</p>

<p>-President of the Athletics club of our university.</p>

<p>-Hopefully I will have a really good recommendation from the former chair of the math department, working on another recommendation from the Econ department (which, by the way, sucks at my school).</p>

<p>**QUESTIONS:
I still have one year left at my CSU, many good or bad things could happen...any input on what I should do in this time?<br>
So I am doing alright in College, but my high school transcript still haunts me. Especially my standardized test scores. Should I retake ACT/SAT II?</p>

<p>I am looking at transferring to these schools (in order from most difficult to least).</p>

<p>-UChicago -- Recall that I am an Econ major
-Yale
-UPenn
-Brown
-Stanford --My Mother is on the faculty list
-UC Berkeley
-UCLA
-UC San Diego</p>

<p>Any thoughts? Suggestions? Grind me all you want, but I assure you, I have grinded myself more than you can ever imagine. Ever since my H.S graduation, I have been fueled by hate, hate of my former self, to make things right. As long as you are constructive, throw me in the gutter if you want, I need everything I can take. **</p>

2

<p>First off, I applaud you on your dedication and hard work. Pulling off 26 units a semester is not an easy task to undertake at all, but you managed to get a 4.0 out of it.</p>

<p>For the UC schools, once you have reached 60 units you are considered a junior transfer. It is imperative that you NOT go over the unit max (listed somewhere on the UC site), or else you will not be able to transfer because you will be labeled as a senior and they do not accept senior transfers. Luckily for you, the UC schools do not look at your high school record or SAT/ACT scores if you have at least 60 units. </p>

<p>If you are transferring as a junior to the other schools, the adcoms will not weigh much of its decision on your high school record. You still need to show what you did in high school (grades, extracurriculars, SAT/ACT scores), but most of their decision will be based on your college record. </p>

<p>I'm not sure how well you'd fair with the Ivy schools, but you have a good shot at all of the UCs as long as you keep it up your sophomore year.</p>

3

<p>Hmm, it's interesting that they wouldn't accept me based on units, I would think it would go by year. As long as the unit maximum is at or above 100, I should be good. (I plan on taking 24 units each semester, for the next two semesters).</p>

<p>It would seems that if an admission officer saw that I retook the ACT, I would appear as a candidate who has consolidated with his past, and is now bound for the future. It seems like retaking the ACT would merit a more sentimental value, rather than a quantitative standing point.</p>

<p>I am very nervous, I honestly have no idea where I stand in this whole thing. I am doing this thing alone, without any "Princeton Review's" or insider advantages.</p>

<p>--If UC's don't even look at my High School transcript, I should be in the clear than, correct? My College transcript along with my EC's are almost as good as it gets (I could use a little more EC's though, but as an econ major, what other kind of relevant EC's are there?)</p>

<p>--Note that I am a resident of California, and attended a California public H.S</p>

4

<p>I forgot to mention, someone in my family graduated from Yale law school...if that means anything.</p>

5

<p>I have heard the maximum is at 90 credits for the UC's. I don't know why you are intent on taking so many credits each semester. Read all the requirements for each school, but a lot of those may not allow you to be admitted based on too many credits. </p>

<p>I don't believe that there is a 'year' that they go by. If you have 100 credits, you are a senior, and seniors are not allowed to transfer because it is too far along (90 is allowed because you would be a rising senior and take your whole senior year at the UC). I just graduated HS in 07 and already have 65 credits, so I am a junior even though if I went at traditional pace I would only be a soph.</p>

<p>Also note that most if not all of those private universities you listed will not take more than 60 credits for transfer. It would be wise to slow down a little bit in my opinion if you are intent on transferring.</p>

<p>With all that said, you would be a very impressive applicant based on numbers including the ridiculous courseload, but like I said, too many credits may also make you ineligible to transfer at all.</p>

<p>edit...found this on yale's website: "• If you have received a bachelor's degree (or the equivalent) or if by the end of the current academic year you will have completed more than two full years toward the degree, you are not eligible to transfer to Yale, nor may you apply through the freshman admission process. (You may not voluntarily relinquish credits in order to qualify for consideration.)" </p>

<p>^^Considering 60 credits is 2 full years you are pretty much screwed if you take more than 8 more credits unless they really mean by how long you have been in school, but I am almost positive they do not. Yale is not a very realistic school for anyone to transfer to though considering the acceptance rate, a lot of it comes down to luck. You may have this same problems of not being able to apply to some of the other schools you are considering, and like I said, you probably won't be able to transfer at all if you have 100 credits.</p>

6

<p>I know this may sound ridiculous, but the reason why I take all these courses is because I love to learn. Weird, huh?</p>

<p>As long as I get accepted, I don't care if any of these units transfer. One unit at one of the universities listed above can teach me more than 100 units at my current university. So, I will use this as my ratio for how many unit I care to transfer (1 unit transfered for every 100 units taken). As long as I get accepted, I just need 1 unit to transfer.</p>

<p>I also graduated H.S in 07</p>

<p>Forgot to mention that a 4.0 puts me on the presidents list, for both semesters. But a 4 gpa is a 4 gpa, so I guess presidents list is redundant.</p>

7

<p>hermanns, thank for your time. I will have to call into Yale's office of admissions on this one. I have read those same vague lines on many websites (Upenn for instance). This infamous sentence leaves us to assume whether a "full year" is just an academic year, or 30 semester units. Until we know, these are just assumptions without any real basis.</p>

8

<p>Unfortunately, even if you don't care if the extra units don't transfer, if you're classified as a senior then they won't let you transfer.</p>

9

<p>One unit at one of those universities teaching you more than 100 at your current is quite an exaggeration. In reality, they teach mostly the same material if you are comparing similar classes at the freshman/sophomore level. A lot of what separates top schools from lower tiered ones are the resources available. Don't get me wrong though, yes, you can learn more at a top school, but if you think it will be 100 times better you are probably going to be disappointed. </p>

<p>I do hope you get into a great school though, just don't screw yourself out of the opportunity by taking too many credits next year. Maybe get a job while taking a normal full courseload. Work experience will help your application anyways, and will be a new, different kind of learning experience anyways. Everything can't be taught in a classroom. I am going to be working almost full time next semester (transferring spring 09).</p>

<p>Also, I am not just assuming that about Yale. I have read it before here on CC, and that is how I interpret it based on their wording, especially with this statement: "You may not voluntarily relinquish credits in order to qualify for consideration". Definitely call them to confirm though.</p>

10

<p>Jk_91, I will look into more deeply on what classifies me as a transfer.</p>

<p>Hermanns, I would explain in more detail my logic behind the 100:1 thing, but that is part of my admissions essay. (not literally the 100:1 ratio, I would never write that in an admissions essay, but how an education elsewhere would be more efficient than my current university's).</p>

<p>I will call Yale to confirm, and get back to you on that. It is a good question regardless of my situation. I'll probably cut down the units my last semester, as for the prospective university will not pay much attention to my last semester.</p>

<p>I already have a job as a tutor employed by the university. I can tutor English (though my spelling sucks, and I use the word suck too much), math (anything under calculus III I can tutor), GE biology, and most geology.</p>

<p>In high school I had dirty jobs such as grease monkey, golf ball jockey, soap dispenser contractor, car detailer...but as I matured, so has my work experience.</p>

<p>I'm also involved with my schools Formula SAE team, an international mechanical engineering competition in building and racing a semi-full scale formula race car. I am good at finite analysis, more specifically the connection between metallurgy geometric algorithms that optimize the characteristics of that particular metal.</p>

<p>Point is, I have many things to do besides school...but if I can do both, why not?</p>

<p>Thank guys.</p>

11

<p>To answer your last question once again...because it will most likely prevent you from transferring anywhere at all. 100 credits is senior standing and seniors do not transfer. It does not go by how many years you have been in college, plenty of people graduate early because they have enough credits not because they did four years.</p>

<p>Considering Yale said you cannot relinquish credits, that would mean if you were admitted they would have to accept your 100 credits (or whichever have a yale equivalency), so you would be a senior at yale immediately after transferring. That is not going to happen... You won't even be able to transfer to a UC, so you would pretty much be screwed. If being at a great school is so important to you, back off on the credits.</p>

12

<p>yes, I definately see what you are saying about my credits. It will undergoe very heavy consideration.</p>

<p>Anyways, are there anymore ways I can improve my chances anybody? </p>

<p>Where do you think I'll get in?</p>