<p>You mean that their stats are comparable? Yes, they are. But that technically just means that he is one among many that are hard to distinguish, and that an admissions committee might well be arbitrary and capricious in choosing whom to admit. That’s just the admissions process, though. I wouldn’t discourage someone from applying merely because there’s not a sure shot or good shot of acceptance. </p>
<p>Yes, if OP’s stats elicited a chuckle, I’d probably say that it’s best to save one’s money and apply elsewhere/stay put. But aside from the low math score (which can be rectified with some challenging college-level math courses), OP seems pretty solid. He hasn’t cured cancer, but neither did my classmates at Georgetown or in law school.</p>
<p>I did admissions at one of the private schools to which the OP is applying; we never harped too much on the difference between a 3.7 and a 3.9. A sub-500 SAT score would give us pause, but a good college grade int he field/retake made up for it. OP’s stats would definitely have made us look at essays and ECs.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t find his circumstances unusual at all (no offense, OP).</p>
<p>I’d still say wait for Cornell, unlike the other people in this thread. If you look through the transfer threads to Cornell, applicants with 4.0s and better stats have been rejected from the CAS. The transfer rates for other colleges vary, but if you’re going to stick with your current field of study, be prepared for an arduous process.</p>
<p>Anyway, if you want help, narrow down your list like I said. Its nice to want prestige, but what is there outside of the school’s status that makes you percieve this school as one you nearly cannot live without? A large part of transfer applications is the essays, and while one may be able to eloquently state that they want a highly ranked school, it’ll still come across as you just wanting prestige. Generally speaking, schools want to know exactly why you fit in with the school and add to the already strong student body. </p>
<p>Also, I’m not sure what state you’re a resident of, but take financial aid into consideration. For the most part, public universities (with the exclusion of UNC, UVA and perhaps a few others) aren’t too generous with financial aid for out of state students, so take that into account. See if there are any schools in your home state which are appealing to your desires. You may want to look into GWU as a safety as well, since you’re already in the area.</p>
<p>OP, your posts here have shown that you have pretty good writing skills. I think you should do a lot of research on the schools you’ve listed (and other schools of similar caliber with good transfer programs, such as Vanderbilt, Emory, WashU, Rice, Northwestern), figure out the ones that you really think you’d love to attend, and apply only to those. Try to limit it down to, say, three schools–the three that you think you have the best chances at based on your research and that you think would serve your academic goals the most.</p>
<p>Use your writing skills to your advantage in your application. Make sure to include the very best essays you can write. And don’t complain too much about your current school (it’s very tempting to do so); instead try to create a creative, convincing argument as to why the schools you are applying to will better help you complete your academic designs. Treat the essays as your opportunity to present the best argument you’ve got as to why the application readers should admit you. I did this when I was writing essays to transfer and had a bit of fun with it (well, about as much fun as one can have writing application essays…)</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that spring transfers are possible at a number of schools. Sometimes all you need is just an extra semester instead of a whole year to improve your situation. I know Cornell (as you can see by the massive thread here), Rice, WashU, and Michigan (a great public school) accept spring transfers, and there are definitely others. </p>
<p>I disagree. OP’s unweighted HS GPA is low for these schools. He has a shot, I’m not arguing with you about that. But if he applies next year, more weight will be placed on his (outstanding so far) college work, and less on his mediocre HS GPA and that 490.</p>
<p>OP, I think you should apply to these schools (and the ones listed above), and I wish you well, but I think applying for Spring or Fall 2011 would be in your best interest except for a couple schools.</p>
<p>Really don’t see any harm in applying again if the first attempt doesn’t pan out. Last I checked, OP isn’t barred from applying for fall/spring 2011 if he’s rejected everywhere for fall 2010. People here are acting like it’s a huge deal.</p>
<p>Of course, if you’re hurtin’ for application fees, then make some wise choices. Otherwise, cast a wide net.</p>
<p>My HS GPA was even lower for the schools I got into, and I got in as a sophomore transfer (w/ maybe a semester’s worth of solid college grades under my belt). The HS GPA/low SAT is not dispositive and the negative presumptions they create can be rebutted, even in an application for entry in fall 2010.</p>
<p>For the record, the OP said that he’ll most likely have a college GPA of 3.7 – that’s a great GPA for college. And he’s already at the most elite African-American institution, so it’s not as though the 3.7 comes from an obscure, non-competitive school. I think he has a decent shot at most of the schools on his transfer list. The only glitch in the process will be a possible C in Arabic – that will kill many applications. Even a B- won’t be too bad if the other grades are full As.</p>
<p>OP: Your transfer application will probably be much better in a year if you can keep up your academics; however, if you’re unhappy at Howard, then by all means go for it. You always have the option of applying to other schools next year or staying at Howard. Study like crazy for your Arabic final and whatever else you need to hand in before the end of the semester. </p>
<p>I suggest that you apply ONLY to schools that you consider better than Howard. Unless you’re incredibly unhappy there, a lateral move might be worse than staying.</p>
<p>No one making a big deal here. The OP asked, “With my current credentials, what are my chances?” and many users replied, “doubtful” or “not very good.” Then the OP asked if he should wait another year and apply for Fall 2011, and we simply replied that it seems like a more feasible idea.</p>
<p>Flowerhead, it’s a great accomplishment that you were accepted at magnificent schools with lower stats. However, you can’t possibly claim that your case is the norm for transfer applicants to these selective institutions. Your example shows that stats are not the only decisive factor in admissions, but in majority of the cases, it will usually be the applicants with superior stats (gpa, highschool stats, test scores) that will be successful in transfer admissions. Of course, the OP has a chance at these schools, but by that logic, an applicant with a college gpa below 3.0 also has a chance as well, albeit a very slim chance. Simply put, the OP asked for his chances and ways to reinforce his application, and we answered his questions from the most realistic perspective.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound completely pessimistic, but I really believe that the OP can strengthen his application for the future by adhering to many of the advice offered by other users.</p>
<p>Huh? I just told you that, in my experience as an admissions office for one of those “magnificent institutions,” his numbers wouldn’t hold him back (assuming some presumptions are rebutted, and assuming he isn’t applying to Yale or Stanford). It would really come down to what else he has to offer aside from the numbers.</p>
<p>Again, his shot isn’t good, but I think it’s still worth an application fee. That’s all he has to lose.</p>
<p>Knights09: What do I want out of a school besides prestige? I must admit that I have convinced myself that attending a school with a “name” will be a panacea to all of the problems I have with Howard. That is not a very convincing case for admission - I will be the first to admit that. It’s not that I cry every night because I find myself in a penitentiary of a college. Rather, I feel underwhelmed and less than stimulated here. I have this feeling that I am wasting my time. I hope I am not being repetitive, but here are my reasons for wanting to leave Howard:</p>
<p>1) I want rigor. I have never made lower than an A on papers that I have written for my honors literature class when in high school, I considered it a miracle to receive an A in AP English. I also have made A’s on my term papers for my political science course - papers that, at times, have been written mere hours before I submitted them. I’m not sure if that means I’m overprepared or that the academic standards at Howard are low.</p>
<p>2) I want talented, passionate classmates. My sister introduced me to some friends of hers who are graduates of Stanford, MIT, and Georgetown. I had a lovely conversation with the Stanford guy about the finer points of The Iliad and The Odyssey and we compared two translations of the poems. I want classmates like them who really care about the education they are getting. At this point, the only people I can find to talk about intellectual things are my professors. It would be nice to have friends like my sister’s who are passionate about things as opposed to people who care more about what they are wearing to class or which organization is going to get them into grad school.</p>
<p>3) I want my degree to count. There are always rumors about Howard losing accreditation and students even protested outside the administration building because 1500 students were purged from the school’s system. It would be nice to live and learn without those anxieties.</p>
<p>4) I want to get out of bed for something besides my classes. I’d like to be able to participate in things like debate and student government and English societies without worrying about trying to secure funding. I am on the debate team here, but we can’t even go to actual debate tournaments because we aren’t benefitting the school. So we spend more time trying to raise money than in forensics activities.</p>
<p>I guess this doesn’t answer directly why I want to go to any of the schools I’ve listed, but I hope I’ve given you a better picture of what I am trying to convey about my Howard experience.</p>
<p>East89: When I visited Georgetown and Columbia, I made a point of trying to speak with regular students (not tour guides). I feel like there are questions that I should be asking, but that I am not aware of. What should I be asking so that I can really get a feel for the social-intellectual atmosphere as well as a feel for what the school can do for my academic goals?</p>
<p>Dreamer, My b/f transf from Seton Hall to Cornell (ILR) as a sophomore. He didn’t have 2 send his SAT scores. They required his HS & current college transcripts.
He had a solid B+ average in HS and wasn’t into alot of EC’s. His college GPA was 3.7.
I would try Cornell, Brown, Gtown, Duke, Virginia & Texas.
Best of Luck!!</p>