As the title says, I’m considering transferring out of Colgate University and would like to know my chances for certain schools as well as general information regarding transferring.
First, although I do enjoy Colgate, it is not a perfect fit for me. The atmosphere is not as academic as I would like and the social scene is completely dominated by fraternities which I am not fond of. Also, I believe that I would prefer a Finance or Accounting major which Colgate does not offer.
My GPA at Colgate through 2 semesters is a 3.8. Due to Colgate’s grade deflation and harsh grading policies, I am very proud of this and hope it will help me in transferring. In High School however, my stats were not as good. I had 4.0 weighted GPA (around 3.5 UW), with an immense upwards trend. As you can see I continued this trend into college. My SAT score was a 2100.
In college I have decent extracurriculars but I would like to keep those private in order to keep my identity secret.
Here’s a list of schools I’m considering:
Cornell
Penn
Dartmouth
Columbia
Georgetown
Notre Dame
Duke
UC Berkeley
USC(California)
Claremont McKenna College
As you can see I do not have any safeties because I would rather stay at Colgate if necessary. Are these schools realistic given my high GPA combined with the grade deflation at Colgate? I feel that it demonstrates that I could perform academically almost anywhere. Also, would I be better off transferring for Spring Semester 2018 or waiting until Fall 2018?Perhaps having more college work under my belt could help my chances? Also, should I consider retaking the SAT/ACT? I know that my score is a bit low for these schools especially if I was applying out of high school. Thank you for the help.
What’s your budget? Can your parents afford to be full pay?
I wouldn’t apply to UCB since admission to Haas is super competitive and your odds as a transfer are low.
If you don’t need any financial aid, you could apply for Spring 2018 wherever allowed, as it’d give you more time to settle in at your new university.
However your odds are extremely low since most universities listed don’t take many transfers.
At least yours would be lateral (sort of peer school) and you have a high GPA, so you have a shot .
How is a 3.8 indicative of grade deflation? Sounds like it could be more of a case of inflation. The Dartmouth fraternity scene would be even more intense than Colgate. Sometimes the number of transfers admitted is driven by the # in the current freshman class. ie; if that class was over enrolled, then less room for transfers. So check the common data sets.
If you apply for spring 2018, your college GPA will remain a 3.8 out of 2 semesters during applications. If you apply for fall 2018, your GPA will change depending on your fall semester, but an impressive GPA over 3 semesters is better than 2 semesters. If you can maintain a good GPA in the upcoming fall, it will be better to transfer in the fall since your HS GPA is a bit low.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a Spring transfer might be harder to adjust to since there is no transfer orientation and fewer kids transfer. Financial aid also may be limited in the spring.
Most of those schools are reaches because they are reaches for everyone. I think you have the grades to get into some of them, give that you write a excellent essay and have good extracurriculars. If you end up transferring as a junior, you don't have to bother retaking your SAT, but it can't hurt to, especially if you apply to Ivies like penn, Dartmouth, Columbia, and other elites like a Duke and Georgetown.
Colleges will recognize that Colgate is a good school and your GPA is certainly impressive. But the grade deflation aspect won't make you any more impressive than another applicant with a high GPA in the same way that it won't excuse a low GPA.
Two quick notes:
To Dontskipthemoose’s comment about a hard adjustment: colleges definitely have transfer orientations for Spring students and would offer you the same financial aid that they would have for fall admission.
To your concern with GPA: a 3.8 is nothing to worry about. I can’t tell if you’re trying to get people to compliment you about your GPA or if you are genuinely concerned about it haha. An average college GPA is closer to a 3.2, and coming from a school like Colgate, a 3.8 is fantastic. Don’t worry about it.
I just finished my year of college and am also looking to transfer in Spring 2018. I was on the same page as you in regard to not being sure if I wanted to transfer in the spring semester or wait until next fall. I’ve decided to apply for Spring transfer admissions because I would otherwise have to spend another entire year at a place that I’m not too happy at. College is expensive and doesn’t last too long so I want to make sure that I don’t spend another single semester unhappy with where I am (and having another year’s worth of debt for a place I don’t like is not ideal either haha).
That being said, transferring in the Spring limits the amount of schools you can apply to since they don’t all accept spring transfers. From your list, only Cornell, Notre Dame, Berkeley, and USC would consider you for spring admission. From what I’ve read on the internet (very credible, I know), these schools will still review your high school record and test scores but there is more emphasis on how well you have done at your current college (looking at your transcript and letters of rec from professors) and how transferring to their school is going to help you develop (EVEN MORE) career wise and as a person.
Here are some other schools I think you should consider that offer spring admission (and which I personally think are less fratty and have more academic environments): Wesleyan, Amherst, Hamilton
@springstart18 I wasn’t concerned about my GPA I was saying how proud of it I was given Colgate’s grade deflation and how I feel it will help me in the admissions process.
^ actually, financial aid is different from transfers at many universities and Spring transfers get the least of all.
If your main cause for transfer is the social scene, you’ll need to find universities where it’s less prevalent than at Colgate and ask for substance-free housing for the fall.
I’m guessing you applied and did not get into most of those schools our of high school. If so, you likely will not be accepted as a transfer student. Most of them take very few transfers. @magnetnh has a good suggestion to revisit schools you were accepted to in the past and consider applying as a transfer. Perhaps they will be a better fit for you than Colgate.
Colgate/Dartmouth/Duke/USC seem fairly similar when considered by social and general academic factors, so a transfer to another from this group should probably be driven by major-specific factors.
As a college student, you would be expected to raise your performance on the SAT, so I’m not certain what an improved re-test would indicate. Your 2100 is quite credible as a baseline in any case. More notably, your academic record at Colgate has been commendably excellent, and you should receive transfer offers from maybe a few of your current choices.