<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I’m going to enter UC Riverside as a sophomore, but do not really think that Riverside is the right school for me, so I’m planning on transferring to another UC, or to an out-of-state university, preferably in New England/urban area on the coast (I’m not fond of the desert/weird suburban/city area where Riverside is located). Before anyone asks, I am not a “UC Reject”, Riverside was the only UC I applied to because a) I didn’t want to stay in California, and b) my counselor told me that Riverside would be the only one I would get accepted to, and not to bother with the others.
Most of the schools I’m planning on applying to are based off my boyfriend’s recommendations, but they seem like reach/high matches to me, so I’d like to know your opinions about them, and if you have any recommendations:
-UC Berkeley
-UCLA
-Brown
-Columbia
-Boston University
-Boston College
-University of Pennsylvania
-Penn State
-NYU
-Georgetown</p>
<p>General academic information:
I was educated in the French system my whole life, so I’m bilingual, and have a French high school degree and an American high school degree. I had a 3.23 unweighted GPA and a master score (I believe that’s the right term) of 1780 on my SATs. Honors sociology, economics, political science, and French. Took French AP exam, got a 5. Took Latin in the 9th grade, and Spanish from 6th to 12th grade. No major extra curricular activities.
In college, my overall GPA is a 3.76. I hope to raise it to at least a 3.8 or more. I’m double majoring in political science (should be between 3.76 and 3.83, depending on what I get for my last requirement) and sociology (currently a 4.0, though I’ve only taken one requirement). If I transfer, I want to minor in Nordic studies.</p>
<p>Courses:
We have to take 5 courses in the sciences (2 done), 4 in social sciences (finished), 4 in the humanities (2 done/about to be done), 3 English courses (finished this fall), and one ethnic studies class, which generally doubles as humanities.
The only remarkable thing, so to say, about my course load, is that Spring Quarter, I took an upper division class in European Politics, at the professor’s invitation. I got an A- (quizzes killed me), and plan on reworking the research paper that I wrote (it was about violence against women in the European Union) and submitting it to the Undergraduate Conference of the European Union, which takes place in April every year at Claremont McKenna. Responses are usually sent around the deadline for transfer applications, so if I’m accepted to speak at the conference I’ll definitely put that on my applications.</p>
<p>Extra curricular activities/jobs
The most important extra curricular activity on my application would probably be my internship at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the summer before freshman year. I interned under the Secretary, and attended board meetings and digitized a lot of sensitive files for her. The interns were also placed into groups of 9 to 11 and asked to come up with a project that was environmentally friendly and beneficial to the city of San Francisco. My group had a lot of disagreements about what our project should be, who would do the work, when we should meet etc etc, but I held meetings and kept most of the group together. We ended up in 2nd place out of 11 groups.
This upcoming year, I will be a member of the Sexual Assault and Violence Education group, where I’ll be tabling and giving presentations to students groups about how to prevent sexual violence. If possible, I would also give a presentation of my making during fall quarter. I also want to become an escort at UCR, and helping out at the local woman’s center. If ASUCR (student government) plans on addressing sexual assault this year, I will definitely take an active role in it.
I am also on the Chancellor’s List (you get on it after being on the honor roll for three quarters in a row), and a member of UCR’s chapter of the National Honors Society. I plan on becoming a lot more active in it this year (all their meetings were when I had class, and tabling sessions fell on weekends when I had a lot of homework). They offer tutoring to the local schools, so I plan on doing that at least once a week.</p>
<p>Recs:
I have one solid one from the professor who taught the European Politics class (I had him for the two previous quarters as well), and a potential one from the TA from my Juvenile Delinquency class (I was one of the best students in the class). If I need more, and it doesn’t have to be from a professor, I think I can ask the coordinator of the sexual violence prevention group. If it has to be from a professor, I can ask the professor in charge of the honors program, as he’s also a Sociology professor, or my TA from the creative writing class I took spring quarter.</p>
<p>Essays:
I haven’t looked at them in detail yet, but I’m not too worried. When I apply myself, I can write pretty decent essays/personal statements, and my boyfriend is my best editor.</p>
<p>Other random information:
This summer I did not have the opportunity to do much but take 2 six week long summer classes that finish this week, because I'm getting surgery for my scoliosis. In addition, I'm taking and will be taking various non credit courses in French and English that relate to Political Science and Sociology, and will try to learn really basic Finnish. On my applications, I'm really going to push for my interest in European/Nordic (or Scandinavian) studies, as well as the want to be in a more competitive and urban environment. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!</p>