UCI freshman transfer to UCLA / Cornell - Chance?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
, , , ,
1

I’m currently a freshman at UCI as an international student, I wanna transfer to Cornell or UCLA [may be other university] for my junior(3rd year). Because after I graduate I’ll be working back in the country, which I know really care about university world ranking.

I’m majored in Biological Science, with a GPA 3.92. I’m not sure for my accumulative GPA in high school, but it progresses from 3.50 in 9th grade to 3.8 in 12th grade. I have a poor SAT score of 1350, so I’m looking for schools that don’t require SAT anymore because of pandemic.

My concerns are except for my GPA I’m only attended as a active membership of red-cross@UCI as my only freshman activity. I will work with professor for independent research and as a tutor from second year though. The gratest concern is that my Chem class grade score is moving down from A to A- to B+, all my other course are pass, A or A-

Do I have any shot at Ivies and University with better ranking than UCI [world ranking or biology major ranking]?

2

  1. Did you previously apply to these universities?
    If so, their admissions results are not going to change.

  2. In order to gain a transfer admission at those types of universities, that means that a current student has to drop out or transfer, and that is really rare at those schools.

  3. Those schools will wonder why you’re transferring. There has to be a really big, compelling reason for you to transfer. If it’s for prestigious issues, then no, you won’t be admitted.

  4. As an international transfer student, (other than UCLA) you will be paying significantly more money for tuition.

  5. Whatever research you do for a professor at UCI typically has to be in an area in which those schools are conducting similar research. Your extracurriculars, so far, are really not considered eye-opening, so I doubt that they will accept a transfer who doesn’t fit their needs.

  6. Will you be continuing to major in biological sciences? Some of those schools are pretty small when compared to UCI, so their spaces are limited for certain majors.

You can try to transfer, but your odds in transferring for prestige, don’t bode well.

3

Transfers by major | University of California gives transfer admission information for UCs.

Campus Major Admit college GPA 25-75 range Admit rate
UCLA Biochemistry 3.78-4.00 29%
UCLA Biology 3.82-4.00 13%
UCLA Ecology, behavior & evolution 3.75-4.00 16%
UCLA Microbiology - immunology - molecular genetics 3.78-3.94 22%
UCLA Molecular, cell, & developmental biology 3.85-4.00 29%
UCLA Neuroscience 3.76-3.95 20%
UCLA Physiological science 3.67-3.94 18%