Unique situation, chances pretty please!

Transfer Students
1

<p>So I've posted this thread about a million times in different versions on the individual university threads and haven't recieved much feedback. At the moment I am under serious pressure with 5 exams in 3 weeks along with filling out these apps, I'm unsure about whether I have a shot with 2/3 of my list so I'm considering multiple factors to refine and possibly not waste my time applying to those I have virtually no chance at. I probably seem like such a collegeconfidential weed at the moment, but I'm desperate for some input!! </p>

<p>Basically, I am a second year undergraduate at the University of Sheffield in the UK on a MSc Zoology degree program. However, I'm a NY resident and achieved my HS diploma and all in the states, just decided England would be better for my education. Unfortunately, now heading into my second semester, I have found myself completely unable to continue financing my degree here, as my sponsorship fell through.
I've done some research and considering the courses I have taken, Duke University, UC Davis, Columbia, and Boston U seem to have the best options (thinking of U Maine as a safety?). The thing is that since I didn't take a liberal arts year, I have already taken the majority of biology degrees basic courses offered at cheaper, easier to get into schools for my major (SUNY Env Sci, U Vermont, Colorado State, etc.). Columbia (grandma and great uncle attended) and Duke are my dream schools but I really have no clue as to my chances as my situation is quite unique. </p>

<p>Just a bit of a background for you to better assess:
High School:
In high school I was consistenly in the top 10(from 7 to 8)/315.
My school didn't offer many APs (though I had a full honors courseload), but I did take AP US History (4), AP Biology (4), AP English (3), I took AP Calculus but not the exam. Overall average was around 97 percent, graduated in the top ten of my year.
SAT score - 1860 (640 R, 590 M, 630 W, 8 on essay)
SAT Biology 570, SAT Math 620, SAT Chem 550 - I srsly suck at standardized testing.
I scored well on most of the NY Regents (99 on English, 100 on American H, can look up scores if they're important, but are they?).
HS Extracurriculars:
National Honors Society
Environmental Awareness Club
Intern at Environmental Protection agency
Recieved a full scholarship to Oxford Royale Summer Program to spend a month at Oxford Uni
Spent a week in Thailand on an Elephant Conservation Program
Attended biology classes at the American Museum of Natural History
HSSRP working with dung beetles explained later </p>

<p>University:
First year of university I achieved an upper 2.2. degree (around 59 percent/ 80 percent). I don't know what the equivalent of this is.
This year I am really trying hard to achieve a first and so far I am (72/80 percent). In terms of courses, I've taken all of the basics. Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology, World Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Comparative Physiology, IT and lab skills, etc. etc.
Extracurriculars: Active member of the Conservation Volunteers, People and Planet, and Ethical and Environmental Committee.
Aside from this I have a considerable amount of research experience. I have spent three years at the American Museum of Natural History in a variety of capacities. I participated in the High School Science Research Program assessing dung beetles for the IUCN (the authority on providing conservation statuses such as endangered or vulnerable, etc.). Last summer, I assisted with species richness mapping for Vietnam primates. In a seperate paid position at the museum, I was a tour guide for the Hall of Ocean Life.
This year at my university I am helping out with the Global Cactus Assessment and compiling information again for the IUCN, inputting information directly onto the SIS database.
Additional info: I am multiracial (Black Carribean and White). Come from a single mom household, have an EFC of 0. I am a vegan with strong ideals concerning the connectedness between climate change and anthropogenic processes that I intend to mention. From a young age, I have dreamed of working with orangutans in Borneo, as well as other conservation projects. </p>

<p>I know my research record is much better than my academics and I intend to emphasize this in my application. </p>

<p>Gosh, I'm getting tired of posting this, any input from someone with knowledge of international transfer situations would be very much appreciated.</p>

2

<p>I’m wondering hos you would finance many of the schools on your list. UC Davis is $50K if you’re not from CA and won’t offer aid to out of state students this year, BU gives significant money to few transfers, Vermont isn’t cheap OOS…</p>

<p>For Duke and Columbia, your SAT scores will make it very tough.</p>

<p>I would have to say SUNY schools look like your best bet for both schools you can get into and a reasonably priced education.</p>

3

<p>Hmm, but I was wondering if they had a more holistic approach for transfer students, and potentially take my research experience, good recs (I intend to get), great essay, into consideration and not just focus in on the SAT? I mean it was a year and a half ago. </p>

<p>Any other schools you can rec then that have good bio programs? I don’t think I would be happy at a SUNY, nor intellectually challenged, especially considering I’ve covered a lot of my field already.</p>

4

<p>Can anyone on here since my situation seems to difficult to chance give me any recs for good safety schools that have somewhat of an intellectual, challenging atmosphere???</p>

5

<p>This thread should be posted as a warning to all students (and some of their parents too)who do not take into account financial advice/information when making a college choice. I clearly remember the OPs original post, in which she was given extensive advice on how to avoid EXACTLY the situation she now finds herself in.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/523415-advice-desperately-needed-unique-us-study-abroad-finance-situation-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/523415-advice-desperately-needed-unique-us-study-abroad-finance-situation-2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The most important issue for you cynthiahxp is one of finance. That is the first thing to get sorted out. Things like “an intellectual, challenging atmosphere” and “a holistic approach” will have to come second. </p>

<p>Also, your grades are really not that great. A 2.2 is in the bottom 50%. Hope that in the US they will not know that.</p>

<p>As you will be an unusual transfer, coming from a UK university but havinga US high school background, I strongly recommend that you contact the admissions office of you preferred US schools and explain your situation. They they can advise you of
a)the financial options open to you as a transfer student
b)grade and credit conversion from the UK
c)classes open to you considering how much of the Biology you have already done.</p>

<p>You are extremely unlikely to find anyone with much knowledge of international transfer situations similar to yours (and let’s face it, you would ignore them anyway. All previous advice has been rejected) so you need to to enquire directly with the schools about your specific situation. </p>

<p>Good luck</p>

6

<p>For me the issue was one of finance but more so a lack of family support, my situation drastically changed recently due to multiple deaths in my family, otherwise I would have been able to finish my degree. I appreciate you throwing my situation back in my face though? Really helpful advice? It’s difficult for a student who does not have that family backbone to get through college without any assistance. Maybe you’ve been fortunate enough to not experience this, good for you. </p>

<p>I already have contacted all the schools on my list about my situation and financial aid options. Columbia and Duke offer full financial aid to transfer students that are US citizens. I am taking the smartest possible route considering my options so I don’t understand why you’re attempting to make me feel bad about it.</p>

<p>In terms of my grades, I have a 59 percent which is nearly a 2.1. Also, a 4.0 and being in the top 10 percent of my HS class is not that great? Again you’re attempts to throw a negative spin on things…</p>

7

<p>If you already know it all, why are you asking us?</p>

8

<p>Well I wasn’t asking people with attitude problems, such as yourself.</p>

9

<p>There is nothing “quite unique” about your situation. You have low SAT scores and low grades from a mediocre school (I am unfamilar with the UK grading system, but 59% out of 80% does not sound good), and some high school-level work experience. Your “research record”, by which you refer to your work experience, will not get you “holistic review” of your app, unless, of course, publications in Nature or in Science are underway, in which case, definitely apply to top schools.</p>

<p>So, Duke is probably out. You may get into Columbia as a legacy, especially if your relatives were significant donors. But I think your most realistic choice would be SUNY.</p>

10

<p>Just because there’s a legacy in the school doesn’t mean you’ll get in, unless your grades were a bit above mediocre. Precipitiously, this applicant must explicitly clarify in her essay what she learned and the reason for wanting to transfer other than financial situation. If she’s aiming for bigger schools like Michigan, I’d say she would have a slightly better chance of being admitted. However, I cannot accurately identify the level of transfer for this applicant as it is not mentioned in the post. State University of New York would be an optional-match for the OP (Go to Binghamton), unless you are luckily admitted to such selective schools. Looks are deceiving, but they really aren’t. One point made is that Duke University will be tougher than Columbia since it’s much more rigorous despite of the rankings (Duke isn’t top 10 by the way, even if they have higher stats to get into than Columbia.)</p>

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<p>Drek’thar - The University of Sheffield is ranked 5th in the United Kingdom for Biological Sciences [University</a> Rankings League Table 2010 | Good University Guide - Times Online](<a href=“The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines”>The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines)</p>

<p>So it would be more like mediocre grades from a top school in my field. Also, two of the research experiences I mentioned were post-high school…
Nope, grandma was not a significant donor and neither was my uncle unfortunately. I actually wouldn’t technically be considered a legacy either as this title is reserved for the children of alumni. </p>

<p>HopefulEagle86 - Thanks for the advice. I mentioned that I was a second year finishing up my first semester. I am planning to emphasize my desire for more of a liberal arts approach inspired by traveling, (How seeing Percy B. Shelley’s grave and the Colosseum made me truly miss Literature and History classes), rather than focusing on the negative, financial aspects. I understand that Duke is more competitive, an ao told me about 20 out of 500 students are admitted, making my chances extremely slim I think. The only school that has a somewhat decent program in my desired field out of the SUNYs is SUNY-ESF, which I will apply to. </p>

<p>As someone who intends on applying to a graduate program, research opportunities are important. Unfortunately, SUNY-ESF lacks a faculty engaged in large scale macroecological processes and the more “charismatic” vertebrates, hence why it’s not my top choice.</p>

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<p>I think all of those advices above are really good.
As someone mentioned above, unless your research is published it’s not gonna help you out that much for Duke and Columbia.
You need to realize that there are lots of people applying to those schools with great high school records, 3.9+ gpa from top 20 schools, and some research experiences.
Thus to make your research experience unique, you need to have it published or prove that your research experience and results were more productive than those of others. I mean, lots of applicatns do undergraduate research!!!
(I’m not trying to discourage you here, but to help you out in how to make your research stand out from other applicants)</p>

<p>so heres my honest opinion.
Duke and Columbia will be reach…
and others, you have decent shots.
but i think you should apply all of those college, since you never know about the admission</p>

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<p>Thanks ohilkyusat, I am definitely applying to all and possibly even more, so I have more financial aid packages and transferred credits to choose between.
I wasn’t trying to sound pretentious about my research at all, just pointing out that I have taken initiative and show drive in my intended career. I believe my work with the Global Cactus Assessment will eventually be in the IUCN Red List book for Endangered Species, but whether I will get a lot of credit for it is a different story…
Do you think I would have a better shot at Cornell over Columbia?</p>

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<p>If you think #5 in UK is a “top school”, more power to you.</p>

<p>You shouldn’t be concerned about research opportunities. All top universities run summer research programs for undergraduates (including those from other schools). Here are a couple of examples. You have to be competitive though.</p>

<p>[Summer</a> Undergraduate Research Fellowships … S U R F … <caltech> …](<a href=“http://www.surf.caltech.edu/]Summer”>http://www.surf.caltech.edu/)</caltech></p>

<p>[DMS</a> / Diversity / Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP)](<a href=“http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/Diversity/shurpintro.html]DMS”>http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/Diversity/shurpintro.html)</p>

<p>[MIT</a> Department of Biology: Summer Research Internships and College Outreach](<a href=“http://mit.edu/biology/www/outreach/summer_research/undergraduates.html]MIT”>http://mit.edu/biology/www/outreach/summer_research/undergraduates.html)</p>

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<p>I think you are going to have to construct a list very carefully. Start with schools you can afford with no aid other than what you might qualify for in terms of Federal and state grants.</p>

<p>Schools of the caliber of Duke and Columbia are highly unlikely. It doesn’t matter how long ago you took the SATs–they matter. Some schools will allow you to retake, check with the schools you decide to apply to. </p>

<p>There just isn’t much aid out there for transfers. And as it doesn’t sound like you do that well thus far in college, getting much seems unlikely too.</p>

<p>I think you need to figure out how to love a SUNY and just hope that something you like more luckily happens.</p>

16

<p>Drek’thar…Why would you say I shouldn’t be concerned with research opportunities? I am looking to have direct faculty members I am at least somewhat interested in working with, so that I can be involved throughout the year. As I said before, I am definitely applying to graduate school so the aforementioned is necessary, for the experience AND for recs. </p>

<p>Thanks for those links though, it is a good point that I should consider the fact that other students may have done some of these programs and try to make my experience and the skills I retained stand out.</p>

17

<p>Your graduate school plans will not work out very well for you if you keep doing “research” at the expense of studying. If you’re getting 59/80 in your classes, you should be studying, not doing “research”, because, at this point, you can contribute very little to “research”, which is also very well evidenced by your lack of publications.</p>

<p>So, forget about “research” for now and concentrate on being a better student. Because that low GPA of yours will keep you out of top graduate programs.</p>

<p>I cannot overemphasize this - if you’re looking for become a research scientist, you need to first and foremost excel academically. What you’re trying to do now - doing something you call “research” without studying - may make you a qualified lab technician, but will not make you a good researcher.</p>

18

<p>Lack of publications? It is VERY unheard of for an undergraduate in their first or beginning of second year to be published, especially when as an intern you’re only assisting someone on a project and it’s nearly impossible to gain access to the funding and credentials necessary for a published paper… I am pretty sure that Columbia and Duke will not see my experience as completely insignificant and worthless additions to my application because it was not published! </p>

<p>My low GPA was a testament to my inability to do well on completely MCQ style formatted exams (hence my low SATs and a number of my first year exams), something I know I need to work on but this had nothing to do with extracurriculars…</p>

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<p>I don’t see why so many people on here speak with so much authority and overstep the boundaries of advising. I posted this thread for some advice concerning my chances at certain schools, not for you to tell me everything I have done is insignificant and wrong. You would think from what some of you are saying I am a high school drop out who has done nothing with her life for the past few years. Geez.
None of us are perfect and to be honest if drek’thar and cupcake were so well-versed in how to do well in life and college you’d be out there living it and studying rather than putting people on forums down. </p>

<p>(Sorry, this is a build up from reading some of the negative comments on other advice-seeking threads)</p>

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<p>Yes, lack of publications. Many applicants to top graduate programs have at least a couple of publications. You get included as a non-prime author if your contribution to the project was significant. If you didn’t get included, it means that you were working without significantly contributing. </p>

<p>You are spending time on what you think is “research.” But you are not doing research, you are working as a lab tech. Working as a lab tech is fine, as it provides hands-on experience, but it should not be done at the expense of academics. Academic excellence is crucial for becoming a good research scientist. You can always get hands-on experience later, but you cannot get “good grades” later, you get only one shot at doing that.</p>