Transferring is a great option

Transfer Students
1

<p>I wanted to post this for people that are like I was senior year.</p>

<p>I don't know my HS record, but it was probably about 2.8 or something (UW). I had a 1730 SAT, 1200/1600 on the old system. I didn't even know what was on the test before I was sitting down to take it, and I had a fever (this was the first and only time I took it). No kidding! I was a terrible student (more so with class cutting and my low GPA), and I'm well aware of it.</p>

<p>I had to go to SUNY Stony Brook. For my grades, it was the best I could do. I got rejected from UW Madison (obviously). I think about 40 percent of my graduating class went to community college because of their bad grades. I knew when I was moving in that I wanted to do well and transfer out.</p>

<p>Anyway, so I spent 4 long semesters at Stony Brook. I'm finishing my 4th. I applied to UNC and a host of other schools with my 3.6. Had I not taken very hard classes, I don't think my 3.6 would have cut it honestly, but I was admitted! I'm headed to UNC this fall. I am (as you'd think) deliriously happy. It's not Yale, but it's still a huge huge step up from SBU. They even gave me a decent grant.</p>

<p>The lessons I've learned throughout the process:</p>

<p>-It's never too late with a bad HS transcript - you always have a chance to redeem yourself in college.</p>

<p>-If you're going to go to a commuter school, be a commuter!</p>

<p>-It matters (a lot) how hard the classes you're taking are. GPA matters, but it's just a number. College admissions officers know how to judge how hard you worked somehow. When you post "chance me" threads, don't just post your GPA. It's almost meaningless without the difficulty.</p>

<p>-Do everything you can and hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst (generic, but true)</p>

<p>-If you want to transfer, it's tedious and painful (and making the grades is hard) but the end result will be worth it!</p>

<p>If you have questions about the transferring process or what to do with a bad hs transcript, you can always PM me and I'll try to answer. I know how stressful and hard it is. I've been miserable for a long time, and now that it's finally over I feel like a million bucks. It's a great sensation.</p>

<p>Oh and if you're thinking about going to Stony Brook, I can tell you my opinion right now: DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO</p>

2

<p>i second everything, including the do NOT go to stony brook part.</p>

<p>my story:
2.7 HS —> also forced to go to stony, as the “best of the worst” of my choices, got a 3.49 (but only because of one bad grade) —> cornell</p>

<p>anything is possible!</p>

3

<p>hey taggart, mind telling us what hard classes you took over at SB? and congrats on vandy!</p>

4

<p>Its generally easier to get into schools as a transfer.</p>

5

<p>Well the whole “whether its easier to get in as a freshman or a transfer” is weird. Usually, for most top 30 schools, its easier to get in as a freshman (there are exceptions like Cornell I think but its not that much easier to get in there as a transfer). But then for non-top 30 schools, its usually easier to get in as a transfer. Again, there are exceptions.</p>

6

<p>^ cornell’s acceptance rates are grossly inflated by GTs and internals. to give you an example: human ecology says they took 12 out of ~50 applicants for spring '10. 6 were internals, 5 were GTs. 1 was actually a regular applicant. </p>

<p>but i still think transferring is awesome. it’s basically a second chance for people who were late in the college game and needed to get their stuff together. for others, they didn’t get into their dream schools and got another chance to show that they wanted to be there.</p>

7

<p>i’m junior in HS and my gpa ATM in @ 2.8 my dream school is howard…i might have a shoot at getting in but w/o barely any fin aid :(</p>

<p>i was thinking about going to an in state school (hahaha if i can get into the UMN that would be great) then transfer to Howard (#1 choice atm), gtown or GW or UVA after one year</p>

<p>does anybody know ehat 30 credit hours is equivalent to? I dont know anything about how this works… dso, does 30 credit hrs= 1year at a CC/college?</p>

<p>do you all think it would be worth for me to go a CC in VA?&lt;/p>

<p>would it be better for me to go to a virtually unknown instate school (since it would be a bad idea for me to study at home)or a CC if i plan on transfering</p>

<p>HELP! please :)</p>

8

<p>I transferred three times. (This isn’t as bad as it sounds. I started at a community college, from which transferring out is inevitable if one wants a Bachelor’s. At one of the other schools, I was just taking a few classes while trying to decide what to do next.)</p>

<p>I agree that transferring gives a lot of people a second chance. However, it’s important to put a lot of effort into your decision to transfer. You have to select the transfer school every bit as carefully as you would if choosing a college as a freshman applicant. Otherwise, you could be just as unhappy at the transfer school as at the school at which you started.</p>

<p>Also, if you’re going to a school with intent to transfer, don’t write off your local community college. Many people don’t even consider community colleges because they mistakenly think that all of them are academically weak. However, many community colleges are academically solid, and some are quite good. Community colleges also typically have small class sizes, unlike the giant lecture halls typical of state universities. Also, most community colleges offer at least some campus activities. Community colleges are also usually cheaper than lower-tier state universities. I actually found community college more rewarding than any of the four-year universities to which I transferred in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. (*)</p>

<p>Curious, what’s so bad about Stony Brook? Specifics would be more useful to people considering Stony Brook than a general suggestion to not go there.</p>

<p>(*) For those of you familiar with my story, this doesn’t apply to my time at McGill, which actually postdates my Bachelor’s degree and was in pursuit of a different degree.</p>

9

<p>@eastafrobeauty:</p>

<p>I lived in Minneapolis, and I can say that UMN at Twin Cities is a great university that is fairly well respected. If you graduate from high school with a 2.8, you more than likely can get in if the rest of your application is solid and essays are well written, however, while such a GPA might get you into the university, it may be too low for certain colleges and/or programs within the university. </p>

<p>Also, MCTC is a great community college and doing a year or two there will almost guaranty acceptance into UMN since there is an articulation agreement. I say almost because it is contingent on maintaining a decent GPA. It could also be a good starting point if you want to transfer into Howard.</p>

<p>Since Howard is a private university, there really is no advantage to going to a community college in the state of VA or Washington DC as far as academics are concerned, but it might be to your advantage as you will be able to visit the campus more often and talk to admissions personnel and students. </p>

<p>A good thing for you to do would be to call Howard and talk to them about your options and what you may need to do or courses to take in order to prepare for transferring. Asking through email is acceptable in this day and age, but an actual phone call is more professional and shows you are serious. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>@TaggartNY:</p>

<p>I agree wholeheartedly. I am a transfer student myself (still waiting on some decisions), but considered Stony Brook at one point in time. I, too, am curious as to why this is a lame school?</p>

10

<p>@eastafrobeauty: One thing that jumps out of your post is that you think “it would be a bad idea for me to study at home”. Why is this? Is there a specific problem which prevents you from studying at home? Is your home chaotic? Are people you live with disruptive? Is there no place to study?</p>

<p>If you can’t study at home, is there somewhere else in your community where you can study? Does your HS have a place where you can go and study? Can you go to a public library? Is there a coffee shop, bookstore or even a restaurant where you could go and crack open your books?</p>

<p>If there’s some reason why you can’t study at home, that’s not just relevant to whether you should go away to school rather than sticking around for community college. It’s also relevant to salvaging the rest of your high school career.</p>

<p>Also, if there really is a specific and valid reason why you can’t study at home, it might be worth mentioning as a mitigating factor when applying to universities.</p>

<p>That said, there are actually advantages to community colleges over lower-tier state schools. In many cases, the community college will actually have better academics. In most cases, the community college will have small class sizes while the lower-tier state school will have giant lecture halls. The community college will also usually be cheaper, enabling you to conserve money for the last two years where it really counts.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

11

<p>@ crucial bbq-- I had Normandale CC in mind :/</p>

<p>@crucial bbq & take3–</p>

<p>LMAOOOO. yes…my house it just too chaotic and disruptive…parents (mom) gets annoyed if need to stay up late to STUDY or finish up an important assignment or project. (soph year had personal/health issues when the grades sarting slipping)(but then my jr year i had no reason…i just didnt care :frowning: ) now i REALLY regret my mistakes but i’ve learned from them…so it’s all good haha…</p>

<p><em>sighs</em> idk if i’d have a shot at the U (U of M) It’s nice but it’s HUGE haha which, is cool with me…i think i can bring up my gpa to a 2.9/3.0 by the time i apply next year…hopefully…</p>

<p>but ive heard someone (non URM) get in with a 2.3 and everyone gets in…but they seem to be very stats orientated :confused: they don’t include essays in the their apps anymore (there app could probably take me a week to fill out haha)…so im hoping my SAT will help compensate (havent taken the ACT yet but ii think i’d do awful on it :P)</p>

<p>plus…theyve been sending me mail since my sophomore…i think cause im a minority(black) LOL.</p>

<p>p.s. that gpa includes a handful of D’s and F’s which is why ive lost my hope.</p>

12

<p>hahaha for everyone wondering why sb is such a bad school, PM me or taggart and we’d be more than happy to tell you</p>

13

<p>@eastafrobeauty</p>

<p>Yes, the University of Minnesota @ Twin Cities is a huge school. It has over 50,000 students and it is also the largest campus in the US, I believe. But, it is also the only public university in the area, so they are a little more relaxed with admissions. Like I said, you more than likely have a chance of getting into the university, especially if your major is undecided, but getting accepted into the university does not equal being accepted into certain colleges within the university or into certain programs/majors. You could do a year as undecided and then apply to a particular program. </p>

<p>Or, you can also look into UW Madison, which is similar to UMN Twin Cities - although some would argue that Madison is the better school. Both are Big Ten, anyways, and as a Minnesota resident you can attend college in Wisconsin and still pay resident tuition. </p>

<p>I dunno, UMN Twin Cities website claims that they have some pretty tough admissions requirements, but I know plenty of C average students who have been admitted. Like I said, it is the only public in the region. </p>

<p>I know many people who went to this school, and others who went to St. Thomas, Hamline, and one lucky sole to MacCalester, and the only thing I would caution against UM Twin Cities is that many students get wait listed for required courses due to the sheer number of students.</p>

14

<p>When do you apply to other schools as a transfer? Usually their applications are due in January. So, in your first year, you cannot apply since you’re still in your second semester.</p>

<p>What about the second year? You apply in January, they reply in May. That means you have to transfer on your third year?</p>

<p>Can someone help me out with this? :frowning: (I am a to be first-year Fall 2010 Engineering major)</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

15

<p>To add…with the few Ds and Fs, I would suggest going to MCTC for a year or two to show you have what it takes to do well in college. The University of Minnesota will require a high school transcript unless you gain an A.A. degree from community, then it will not be considered. However, even if you attempt to transfer before earning your two-year degree, if you show improvement in grade with college-level courses, that will look really good and almost cancel out your Ds and Fs from high school (especially if they are in the same subject).</p>

16

<p>@nothing4me</p>

<p>Uh, most colleges place their transfer app deadlines between March 1 and March 15 for Fall admission with decisions coming out in May. Some even go until July 1. California is the only state that I know of that places the deadline in November for the the Fall of the next year! </p>

<p>I have never seen, nor heard of, transfer apps being due on January 1, but I guess it could be possible…at some school.</p>

17

<p>@ crucial bbq-- </p>

<p>hahaha i was at the U last week for a field trip (I take a CIS class thru the U of M)…then the week before that for an african night party thing …</p>

<p>uuuh i think applying into schools like for agriculture, and food sciences is the easiest and the carlson school on management is the most selective</p>

<p>i actually had CLA in mind…since i’m interested in taking political science (and maybe 1 or 2 classes in athropology :P) But does applying as an undecided really help??! do u think Afirmative Action will help me out?</p>

<p>oh, i dont think ill apply to madison :/(im not very fond of wisconsin) (and it’s more selective btw than the U haha)</p>

<p>ive even asked my non URM friends w/ great stats and other URM friends if they get mail from them and apparenly im the only one??! they invite me to events and remind me of things…recommend me to visit their campus etc. etc. hahaha</p>

18

<p>@crucial bbq. I guess MIT is one of those schools… Oh well, at least all the other schools have March deadlines! Thank you! :)</p>

19

<p>Transferring is an awesome option!</p>

<p>I have a very good track record in high school (not to brag or anything, just saying…) but my family couldn’t afford to send me to a university. By the time I finish at community college, I’ll have an AA, finished IGETC (I live in Cali), and have more than enough units to transfer over to UCI , my “dream” school lol. But seriously, I’m totally stoked :)</p>

20

<p>I’m having second thoughts about whether or not to transfer, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice.</p>

<p>I’ve been accepted to NYU, and I’m currently waiting to hear from Columbia (though I don’t hold out much hope for that). I’m from New York, hence the NYC schools. At the time when I applied for transfer, I had just been through some major, major personal issues and just wanted to be closer to home. My parents wouldn’t let me take time off from my current school (a top-20 school farther away from NY than I wanted) so my only choice was to apply for transfer. But now that I’ve actually been accepted, I’m not sure what to do.</p>

<p>Most people who apply for transfer seem to really hate their current institution, or else it isn’t fulfilling their needs in some way. Perhaps the department that they’re in isn’t strong, or else they want more prestige. I don’t have any of those problems with my current school. I don’t particularly care about the prestige thing, even though my school does have it – but I would like my school a lot even if it didn’t. I have a lot of friends here, I’m involved in a lot of ECs, and I looooove my academic department. I don’t think I’d be miserable if I stayed here next year. </p>

<p>I guess I’m just feeling guilty. I feel like I’m taking a spot away from someone who simply can’t stand their institution one moment longer, and just NEEDS to transfer. I’d certainly be happy if I got into Columbia, and I’m thrilled that I got into NYU, but I don’t absolutely NEED it to survive. So, is it selfish of me to apply for transfer, when I’m not even sure that it’s what I want?</p>