Hello I am hoping to get an honest response to my chances of getting into either Yale or Columbia and also to get some advice as to how to better my profile so that I may successfully do so. If I do not get into either of these schools I am hoping to go to WashU or UIUC.
My high school was pretty poor performance with 3.0 GPA and 28 ACT; I also have two years of 2.4GPA at CC with a lot of W’s.
I am currently at a State University and have been here for almost two years and have a 3.8+ GPA. I am a physics major and I am currently in Physics I, Calculus II, Organic Chemistry, Metaphysics(philosophy class), Genetics, and a Physics Lab.
I am also teachers assistant to the Physics department chair and I am currently working with another physics professor to write a program that does biophysics calculations.
Even though I feel like I have a lot on my plate I know there are a lot of other people out there who have similar schedules and still have time for EC’s and other activities- so I still feel like I should be doing more.
I am hoping to write essays that revolve around how and why I decided to turn my life around. (Used to be very overweight problem child, kicked out of schools, had a lot of problems- until I eventually decided to focus on school and better myself)
I also have a website in my portfolio (I took a coding bootcamp at Yale last semester) and I have a summer to kill so I am hoping to get involved in an internship.
I am planning to get involved in one or two clubs this semester (Chess Club and maybe Archery if I have time), as well as run for a position in Student government for the following year (hopefully financial officer).
If I can successfully complete this goal as well as maintain my 3.8GPA, do I have a chance of getting into either of my choice universities?
If not, what advice would you give me to increase my chances of doing so? Any input, criticism, insight, etc. is appreciated
Trying to understand your situation…You have two full years of CC and in your second year at a state U?
How many college credits do you have?
What is your cumulative college GPA?
Why do want to leave your current school? (it sounds like things are going well?!)
“I am currently at a State University and have been here for almost two years and have a 3.8+ GPA.”
I think that you have finally found a place where you are doing very well. I think that you should keep working hard where you are, and get the most that you can out of your studies at your current university. Attend every class, always pay attention, keep ahead in your work, and strive to fully understand the material in addition to getting great grades. Look for research or internship or coop opportunities if any are available to you.
If you want to consider getting a master’s degree or PhD after completing your bachelor’s degree, that would be the time to consider applying to a range of universities including some top ranked ones.
Right now I think that applying to Yale and Columbia is a waste of effort. I also think that given how well you are doing at your current school it would be a risk to transfer anywhere else.
I understand what you guys are saying and you are right; However I am more looking for advice on how to do what I am trying to accomplish as opposed to just advice on my general life situation. I agree that attempting to and focusing on transferring into a school like Yale and Columbia is a risk, but it was also a risk when I decided to come here and my life has become so much better because of it. If my life goals include trying to progressively better myself and challenge myself to become the best I can be, why not try to put myself in an environment that is going to accelerate my growth in my desired direction.
Coming to my current my school put me in an environment and around a set of people that made me want to be better and do better, and going to a school with higher academic rigor and with students who are more intelligent and ambitious then that is going to change me and cause me to be even better and more successful as well.
To clarify my credits situation, I have less than thirty credits from CC and virtually none of the credits are a significant contribution towards my progress towards my Physics degree. Regardless of the amount of credits I have I must complete Physics 1-3 and Calculus 1-3 plus Differential equations to be considered a junior for the major of physics.
Once I finish this sequence of classes at the end of next year I am going to apply for several different schools, and I am going to one of them. I came to the school I was at literally by default- I didn’t look into or apply to any other schools. I basically just came here because it was convenient and I was tired of working full time and living in my home town.
So either way I am going to transfer schools and I am really looking for advice on how to improve my prospects as a student; I understand that it is a risk and it may seem unnecessary but I would rather spend the next year of my life pushing myself to reach my goals instead of just accepting that I won’t reach them and going through the motions. Even if I don’t get into Yale or Columbia there are still other places I can go to where I should still improve my behavior and involvement as a student, and I was mostly just looking for experienced advice as to what the best way for me to do that is because I know I don’t have all the answers.
Knowing how many college credits you have is critical to understanding your situation. You will have to complete two full years at any school you transfer to. Further, some schools will not offer you admission if you have greater than X credits.
Here is what Yale says
So you do need to figure out how many Yale credits your current schooling will translate into. https://admissions.yale.edu/transfer-details
Columbia says
https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/transfer
I am sure you can research the other schools on your list accordingly. No one is telling you not to apply, but you need to understand your situation and how it fits with any potential transfer school. All schools have transfer admissions officers that can help you convert your credits. For your ‘why us’ essays you have to demonstrate an understanding of why the transfer school is the place that can offer you what your current school can not.
Lastly, if you are certain you want to transfer than you need to balance your reach schools with some schools more likely to offer admission. But again, in terms of academic performance it seems like you are doing well where you are.
Good luck.
How many credits do you in total? I think that’s why people are confused. You can’t have 2 full years at a state university and a semester at a CC.
There are a lot of pieces here, but I am going to start with the most practical and time sensitive: go down to the physics department today and ask about summer jobs / internships. This summer is not one you have “to kill”, and you can’t just 'hope to get involved with an internship". They are usually competitive, and the application window is now.
Your uni should have paid research opportunities available, and some research experience this summer will help you apply for an REU (or similar) next summer. And those experiences will be key to figuring out where you want to go with your physics degree, and for helping you get there. Plus, if you still want to transfer it will look good on your app.
In considering where to transfer, pretty sure you aren’t eligible for Columbia (see @Mwfan1921’s post), but even if you are, have you looked at the graduation requirements? they have a heavy Core curriculum.
As for wanting a school with “students who are more intelligent” and to go to a place where you could “still improve my behavior and involvement as a student” - the physics students will be just as intelligent where you are as the ones elsewhere, and you can improve yourself anywhere- that comes from within. Physics is a comparatively ‘flat’ major, in that the core requirements are standardized- the differences will be in the range of optional courses offered, research priorities, and/or theoretical focus. Physics profs got together to make sure that a physics major from any accredited university would provide solid preparation for any physics grad school. That doesn’t mean that Thermodynamics 1 at Columbia (or anywhere else) is exactly the same as Thermo 1 at your university- but it does mean that if you and a Columbia grad ended up in the same grad school classroom you would both have enough prep to handle the class. And it means that, if you transfer, your core physics requirements should transfer straight across.
Just statistics alone will tell you that the odds of transferring into one of these two colleges is quite slim.
Yale: 1,361 transfer applicants, 24 admitted (per common data set)
Columbia admits less than 10% of transfer applicants https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/transfer
Consider Purdue University in addition to your already listed University of Illinois. Both universities offer valuable degrees in your areas of interest.
It sounds like you’re a senior transfer. Neither of these schools accept senior transfers, so you’re pretty much wasting your time. Also, transferring at your stage is past the point of being risky. It’s academic suicide. You’re so far along in your degree that most of your credits won’t transfer…and you’re going to run out of financial aid before you graduate. I would say that you’re doing great where you are. If I were you, I would just graduate and apply for a nice graduate program. That’ll be worth a lot more.