Transferring to WASHU, emory, or NYU as a pre-med?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi, so I am a high school senior who applied to 9 schools total: JHU, Duke, Boston University, WASHU, UF, USF, Emory, NYU, and Uchicago. I was extremely confident that i would get into all except chicago and duke. Basically I was extremely confident because I tailored my applications to the admissions process itself. My essays were great, and the only place I was lacking in was that maybe I am not interesting enough? I don’t really know. Anyways, I got rejected from all except UF, Boston and USF (who basically gave me a full ride). I was waitlisted by Emory and NYU.

Academics

-ACT: 32
-Weighted GPA: 4.6
-UW GPA: 3.9
-Rigor: 12 AP classes, 8 credits away from associate’s degree through dual enrollment
-AP scores: never failed an exam, mostly 4s and 5s
-Class rank: 6th out of 312

Extracurriculars

-350+ volunteering hours in various activities.
Most done through hospital volunteering/shadowing or tutoring through NHS. Hospital wrote me great recommendations!
-Clubs: NHS (treasurer), Science honor society, English honor society, chairperson and co-founder or leukemia and lymphoma society group at my school to raise money for leukemia research
-Sports: competitive cheerleading 3 years, 2x national champ. Varsity cheerleading 3 years, 2nd at states.
-Accepted into prestigious surgical summer program
-I don’t think this counts because it’s not in high school but I went on a trip to Costa Rica in 8th grade to help bring school supplies and plant trees.
-Another thing that probably doesn’t count is that I was 5th at nationals on uneven bars for gymnastics in 7th grade, and made elite (which is super hard)

Essays/personal statement

I thought my essay was killer, and I had several teachers who told me it was the best they’ve read of all personal statements.

Awards/ scholarships

-Rotary scholar award (prestigious in my community
-Melanoma scholarship from alumnus who beat melanoma ( first student to receive it)
-Principal’s choice scholarship (only given to 3 students)
-I consider my cheerleading accomplishments and my acceptance into the summer program as awards/achievements/hooks also.
-AP scholar with distinction

After going through the admissions process I have realized that my academics weren’t what was holding me back, it w as the fact that all the other applicants had the same stats as me but more. Throughout high school I didn’t really have access to any kind of international award competitions so I am lacking in that area, but I did the best I did in my circumstances.

So now I am curious, because it is unlikely that I will get off the waitlist for either NYU or Emory, what are the chances I get into WASHU, Emory, and NYU (my top three) as a transfer student if I go to USF? Will I be at a disadvantage? Is there anything I can do in my first semester at USF to increase my chances of admission? I was planning to reapply after a semester or two at USF to give me time to settle into the college lifestyle.

Also if it helps, I am a white female, and I am not a first gen college student. I will need to also apply for financial aid, because even though my parents make over 100,000 we can’t afford one of those schools without aid, and I’m only eligible for 6,000 in loans. Hopefully this won’t hurt my chances. Financial circumstances was the only reason I didn’t pick BU over USF.

2

If you couldn’t attend BU due to financial reasons, you might as well cross NYU off the list. NYU’s financial aid packages are notoriously terrible, and they only offer merit scholarships to top students.

Wash U is need aware, and 32 is only the 25th percentile of their ACT range. Maybe you can retake the ACT and get around 33/34. I think you have a shot at Emory, but you still need to make yourself stand out. I have seen a mix of people with similar stats get accepted and rejected. Essays are what will make or break you. You should explore other schools as well. You also need to have valid reasons as to why transferring meets your academic goals and needs.

Going to USF won’t put you at a disadvantage, but getting similar grades at a more prestigious university definitely helps. I honestly don’t think it’s a big deal though.

As for what you should do at USF:

  1. Get around or above a 3.8 GPA
  2. Join some clubs and activities you like and look to gain leadership positions.
  3. Maintain a good relationship with professors since you need to ask for letters of recommendations.
3

You must be in the honors college : take 2-3 honors classes as a freshman, trying to take classes with the same professor so they get to know you for recommendations.
However, DO NOT reapply to the same colleges. They don’t admit as transfers students they turned down as freshmen.
Choose some universities but try your best at USF. Most students don’t transfer so making yourself at home in USF 's campus and taking advantage of every opportunity is your best bet.