transferring from georgetown

Transfer Students
1

<p>I'm currently a freshman at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. I'm taking 18 credits this semester, plan on getting a job, and plan on doing a couple extra-curriculars (question about that later).</p>

<p>I'm looking to transfer to Brown, Columbia, Yale, UChicago, and maybe Harvard. Brown and Yale are definitely at the top of the list.</p>

<p>Half Ethiopian, half Korean (I kid you not) male from suburban NJ
SAT: 690M, 790V
SAT II: 800 writing, 800 literature, 660 Latin
APs: 5 in Bio, 4 in Microecon, 4 in Macroecon, 4 BC calc
GPA: 3.77 (don't know if that's weighted or not, the system was kind of convoluted at my high school)
High school extra-curriculars (bare-bones version): I play violin and viola, Junior State of America, ACLU of NJ internship, misc. volunteering for political campaigns</p>

<p>I want to transfer from Georgetown because I don't like the huge party/drinking culture at this school, and because I want more diversity. Not only ethnic/socioeconomic diversity, even though that is something lacking here, but also in terms of academics: Everyone here is into politics, and I want to be in a place where there are people who are brilliant at physics or philosophy or poetry. In a nutshell, I want a more intellectual/bohemian sort of atmosphere. Will adcoms see these social concerns as a legit reason to want to transfer, or should I present it as purely an academic thing?</p>

<p>Also, when putting together a transfer application, am I really expected to have leadership positions in my college extracurriculars? Most clubs are run by upperclassmen, I don't really get how I, as a freshman, am supposed to be elected an officer to any club. How should I demonstrate passion/involvement?</p>

<p>final question: do i have a shot at brown or yale?</p>

2

<p>
[quote]
I want to be in a place where there are people who are brilliant at physics or philosophy or poetry.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Have you visited the philosophy department? You will find others who not only share your perspective, but wish to perpetuate an intellectual ambience on the premises.</p>

3

<p>"You will find others who not only share your perspective, but wish to perpetuate an intellectual ambience on the premises."</p>

<p>Yo nspeds, ya gettin' too dang eloquent fo me. sayyin, tone it down dude. writin's bout precision. fo straight up!</p>

4

<p>
[quote]
I want to transfer from Georgetown because I don't like the huge party/drinking culture at this school, and because I want more diversity. Not only ethnic/socioeconomic diversity, even though that is something lacking here, but also in terms of academics: Everyone here is into politics, and I want to be in a place where there are people who are brilliant at physics or philosophy or poetry. In a nutshell, I want a more intellectual/bohemian sort of atmosphere. Will adcoms see these social concerns as a legit reason to want to transfer, or should I present it as purely an academic thing?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Replace "Georgetown" with "Juniata" and politics with "pre-med" and you have my exact situation. We also have matching SAT 1 composite scores (I was 680m/800v)</p>

<p>I was told I had a pretty good shot at Brown, and your school is much more prestigious then mine, so you probably have a better shot then I do.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

<p>I'll be checking this thread to see if there's any other input.</p>

5

<p>bump...........</p>

6

<p>You missed an amazing lecture today in the philosophy department; a professor from UChicago spoke on 'Socrates and Psychoanalysis'.</p>

<p>I will admit that the undergraduate attitude has much that is lacking in terms of intellectual content, but if you converse with the right people - graduate students and professors - then you should have no problem.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Brown, Columbia, Yale, UChicago, and maybe Harvard

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You might want to omit Columbia from that list; I hear that students are highly competitive. That attitude does not seem conducive to the sort of intellectual cooperation you desire. Dartmouth may be a worthy addition.</p>

7

<p>If you are not totally wedded to the idea of staying east, Pomona has the type of environment you seem to be seeking. Great for humanities, very intellectual, cooperative as opposed to competitive, and right next to CMC where you can find many politically-minded kindred spirits without being surrounded by them. I would definitely consider Pomona.</p>

8

<p>I actually got into CMC, but decided not to go because I thought the social environment would be just as bad as it is here at Georgetown. CMC was cool though, because they sent me a letter saying that they would keep my application on file if I ever wanted to transfer there.</p>

<p>Do you go to Pomona?</p>

9

<p>No, I don't.</p>