<p>I am about to start my sophomore year at one of the Penn State branch campuses. I would like to apply to Stanford, UC Berkeley and UCLA as a transfer student.</p>
<p>My overal GPA is 3.90, I'm part of a couple of clubs and organizations and I'm an honors student. I also served active duty in the military for 4 years after 9/11.</p>
<p>I would like to know which of the above mentioned schools would be best for me to transfer to and continue my Political Science degree (BA). I understand the UC schools try to pick students from CA community colleges rather than students from other states. In addition to that the IGETC is normally required. </p>
<p>Could anyone please tell me what my chances are for each of these schools? I would definitely like to transfer to Stanford however I believe it is extremely competitive and selective. Would UCLA and Berkeley give me a shot? How can I make my application stronger (I only have 4 months or so to submit a transfer application.</p>
<p>Last but not least, I never took the SAT or ACT test since I was exonerated from Penn State due to prior military service. </p>
<p>Thank you for your help,</p>
<p>Jim</p>
<p>Your college GPA is very strong at a 3.90 and your active service I’m sure will be seen as impressive. Are you hoping to attend UCLA or UC Berkeley THIS coming fall? because I’m not exactly sure but almost positive it’s too late to apply those schools for the 2012-2013 school year. </p>
<p>In terms of Poli-Sci, lawyer? Any of those schools would be just fine. UCLA and UC Berkeley accept people from all over the world not just Californian residents, although you may not get the same Cal grant opportunities BUT I assume your military service covers your schooling. Stanford Law is known to be excellent, but so is UCLA and UC Berkeley so you really can’t go wrong. </p>
<p>I think you have a pretty good shot. Good luck!</p>
<p>And if you have enough college credits over 30, then it won’t matter if you took the standardized tests</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply more funner, I am applying this November to transfer a year from now. The idea is to finish PolSci and do a Masters degree (east Asian or Latin American studies). I’m fluent in Spanish and I’ve been taking Mandarin Chinese for a year now at Penn State. I’d like to transfer to Stanford but they only take less than 2% of the students that apply (transfer). Any suggestions as to how to have a strong application? Also, I am currently serving as a reservist in the armed forces. As far as Cal Grants I’m not sure how that would work out. I am currently considered an out-of-state student at PSU, my home of record is CA… So, let’s say I get into a UC school, would I be considered a CA student or an out-of-state student???</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Well a year of Mandarin at Penn State looks pretty good on an application, so I would definitely apply to all the schools you are looking at. But if you are from California, then I am almost certain you would still be considered a CA resident. But regardless, doesn’t the military cover your schooling?</p>
<p>In terms of having a strong application, I think you are off to a good start, because colleges love all that cultural stuff like being fluent in spanish and studying mandarin haha you should apply and just see what happens.</p>