"What are my chances??" Games - FOR TRANSFERS!

Transfer Students
61

<p>To VColeman: You are ideally positioned to be accepted by most of your schools.</p>

<hr>

<p>Should I wait another year before trying?</p>

<p>Current freshman, male, mixed race (non-URM), attending a university ranked in the top 120 (USNWR)</p>

<p>Schools: Northwestern, Wesleyan (list not final)</p>

<p>HS GPA: ~3.2UW (top 20%), non-competitive HS</p>

<p>4 out of 7 APs taken (didn't take AP Computer Science, Spanish or French)
rigorous schedule but probably won't be marked as "most rigorous"</p>

<p>34 ACT</p>

<p>College GPA: 3.7</p>

<p>Did not take any SAT Subjects or AP exams because I didn't feel adequately prepared (and thus, I was unwilling to spend a lot of money on them) and quite frankly, just didn't feel like it. In hindsight, I probably should've prepped ?</p>

<p>ECs (will be very vague to maintain anonymity):</p>

<p>Most of the following share a common theme (certainly the research stuff and citywide position):
-Finalist (top 10) in a national humanities competition
-State recognition 5x for research (involvement since 6th grade)
-Gave a lecture at a specialty library (televised throughout city)
-Voted one of the 50 most influential people of a certain background in a major city
-250 hours of community service (all tutoring/mentoring inner-city kids)
-Citywide director of a major program launched by an internationally respected activist organization (this EC is very intensive)
-Three newspapers did an article on me-- 2 of which appeared on the front page, so the people in my town pretty much know who I am
-15/hr a week job to fund my education
-Voted "most philosophical" in the senior class-- does that count? I think that by that term, they also meant intellectually demanding and inquisitive</p>

<p>Teacher recs:
HS Guidance Counselor: I asked her to write a rec, and she voluntarily discussed what she might write about. She's thinking of using an anecdote from when I sang "I'll Remember" by Madonna solo during graduation and she cried. She said my performance was so moving and powerful that it reminded her of everything I stood for, and how it made her brokenhearted that I didn't achieve my ambition like the other "top" kids that I took most of my classes with (I started out #1 in the class and slipped over the years--the rest in "the group" all ended up in top schools). Basically, she will use that incident as a framework for discussing how she felt about me as a student and as a person. This recommendation should be good, because we're close and she cried twice about my situation.</p>

<p>College Professor 1: Lecture class but I developed a really good relationship with the professor by going to her office hours. She's also intrigued by my research and so I work with her on the actions/policy recommendations to give a particular city department. She actually saw me in the city newspaper before I even step foot on campus, so she was excited to have me in her class. I elected to take a class again with her next semester (this time, a smaller class)</p>

<p>College Professor 2: Don't know yet which professor to hand this rec to. But the rec should be good as well.</p>

<p>Supplemental rec: an academic mentor who's known me since 6th grade. She said she might talk about the day we first met when she visited my school to give a speech, after which my teacher asked me to help carry her stuff back to her car. This moment was when we first chatted. basically, she will talk about her first impressions of me and how I've changed since then, because we've been close ever since. As a "veteran" student, I now help out at the organization which sponsors the competition.</p>

62

<p>shoebox - the rest of your guesses sounded fine to me. my whole point was focused on yale, which still has a 3% transfer rate. It is the hardest ivy (and one of the hardest colleges) to transfer into, which is why I said it should be the highest reach for anyone.</p>

<p>
[quote]
simply because im pretty sure they have higher transfer rate than most ivies (i may be wrong on this however, it may be cornell im thinking of...in this case, yale will be a high reach)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Cornell is actually very difficult to transfer into, in most cases, since most people's majors fall into the College of Arts and Sciences, which has around an 8% transfer rate. The transfer rate varies dramatically depending on the school. CALS, for instance, has a 50% transfer rate, but as I've said, most people's majors will force them to apply to CAS and face extremely slim chances.</p>

<p>I would guess that the easiest ivy to transfer into was Brown...but after last year, UPenn is the easiest now...but only by a small margin.</p>

<p>tisthetruth</p>

<p>You may as well try. I think you'll probably get into Wesleyan but be rejected by Northwestern...you probably need one more year of college grades for them.</p>

63

<p>Schools: University of Michigan, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina
Major: Business Management</p>

<p>Current School: Michigan State University
Current GPA: 3.5
College Extracurriculars: Very Good</p>

<p>HS GPA: 3.7
SAT: 1950 (new) 1300 (old)
HS Extracurriculars: Very Good</p>

<p>Extra information: On my college transcript, I will have a W in a one credit class. Also applying for financial aid to these schools.</p>

64

<p>yeah i wonder if dropping classes hurts you. In my case, i found out both classes were not required for my major.</p>

65

<p>I'm currently a freshman/undeclared major and the University of Texas at Arlington. I'm hoping to go into Communications. I have an automatic transfer to UT Austin next year, but I wanted to apply to few other schools just to expand my horizon.</p>

<p>1.) UNC, Boston University, Emerson, USC, Syracuse, Rice (just for the hell of it)
2.) It was a good high school in Canada, I doubt it has international recognition.
3.) 1260/1920
4.) 3.7 unweighted
5.) No rank, guidance counselor told me I would be in the 10-15% range if my school did rank.
6.) I like to think they're pretty good. Right now I'm doing an internship with a production company that's making a reality TV show. I'll probably be able to get a the producer to write a letter on my behalf.
7.) My first semester I took 15 hours and attained a 4.0</p>

66

<p>brand_182 - yeah i wasnt sure about the transfer rates, but i know one or two of the ivies have much higher rates than others...except princeton, which im pretty sure doesnt accept any...but i agree, ivies are reaches, no matter who you are</p>

<p>pihiplyr -
michigan - low reach/match - depends on if your OOS or not...instate i think you have a solid chance, even OOS you have a great chance, definently apply as i think you're in
UVA - this all depends on if you're a soph or junior transfer...if youre a soph, you transfer into the College, and you're OOS, i'd say its a reach because its just plain hard for OOS kids....if you're transfering as a junior, i'd say its a bigger reach, because from what i know, McIntire is a tough school to transfer into, much less transfer to from the College, and it's even harder if you're OOS
UNC - depends on which campus, so i don't know</p>

67

<p>1.) Yale, Oberlin, Grinnell, Colgate, Macalester
2.) High school outside US, in asia
3.) SAT I - 2120, SAT II - Phyics 790, Math L2 800
4.) HS does not calculate gpa, its % in the national leaving exam - was high in my country though, can be compared to 3.8+ here
5.) 2/365
6.) Outstanding academic awards, decent EC's
7.) currently a first semester freshman--expecting 4.0</p>

<p>8.) things that do not benefit me--in the honors program of a not-so-popular state university, an international student requiring large financial aid...i am in the most competitive applicant pool</p>

68

<p>1.) Northwestern, Notre Dame, UChicago
2.) large public high school
3.) 650M 700V
4.) 3.8uw, 4.5w
5.) 15/450
6.) on chess team that competes nationally, will be tour guide. My HS EC's were mainly chess related and DECA awards/competitions.
7.) (assume 3.5)
8.) non-URM, current freshman applying for sophomore transfer, currently attend Emory University, was rejected at ND and waitlisted/rejected at UChicago last year, teachers know me but my recs by all means won't be special, plan on working my butt off on essays especially for UChicago, my curriculum matches ND's first year program FAIRLY well which is important to them, from somewhat unique geographic state</p>

69

<p>why transfer? academically, emory is a more respected school than nd.</p>

70

<p>
[quote]
academically, emory is a more respected school than nd.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No, it isn't.</p>

71

<p>run<em>4</em>fun: what is your rating?</p>

72

<p>Thanks everyone for the input, I think there was a really good subthread/mini discussion about how important the standardized test scores are for CC students trying to transfer because how competitive it is with students from top ranked universities.</p>

<p>The only thing I wanted to point out is:</p>

<p>-Stop calling me "him" -- I'm a girl!
-Im planning on sophomore transfer</p>

<p>Question for "run<em>4</em>fun" -- Why do you want to leave Notre Dame? I am just wondering because that is one of the places I am considering applying to.</p>

<p>Comment for "tisthetruth" -- Your ECs are phenomenal! I think you have good chances of getting anywhere you want to go but I agree that maybe you should stay another year if you can afford to do so.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

73

<p>vcoleman - ma'am :D well, if you're planning on going in as a sophomore, I think you REALLY need to KICK ASS on those standardized tests to have a fair shot at any of the schools you've listed (other than Baltimore).</p>

<p>Reason: You had a 3.0 +/ .3 in high school and you've only got one year of grades completed that are from a CC. Your high school grades, as of now, still play a big part in their decision, as do SAT/ACTs. </p>

<p>If you had another year of grades at your CC with a similar GPA, and competitive test scores, I think my chances listed earlier would stand. But as of now, I would say my predictions were a little too generous.</p>

74

<p>Sorry I confused you again. I am in my third semester at my community college so I will transfer fall 2007 with two years of CC behind me.</p>

<p>I just preferred to transfer as a sophomore rather than a junior because I wanted to have more time at my 4 year to complete the credits... Can you do that?</p>

75

<p>ahh that's better. lol - then ya, i'll stand behind my earlier chances.</p>

<p>I'm kinda doing the same thing...I say "junior" b/c I have two years behind me, but I know that they'll probably only take a year's worth of credits. I don't really mind b/c I want to spend 2 1/2 or 3 yrs at wherever I transfer so I can really get to know people and maybe study abroad.</p>

<p>So, in answer to your question, I wouldn't expect them to take more than half or so of your credits since you're coming from a CC like me. I may be wrong, but I think that unless it's a state school, top private unis are typically a bit stingy with their transfer credit.</p>

76

<p>A point about recommendations needs to be emphasized: it seems like a lot of you here think that recommendations from "really important people" will help. They will not. What you want are recommendations that give an excess of detail about who you are and your academic ambitions. The only real unspoken requirement on recommendors is that they must be at least a part-time professor, since usually professors (and not big donors, senators, congressmen, and presidens) are qualified to write about such qualities.</p>

<p>A detailed rec from a janitor is worth more than a one-liner from a congressman, and a detailed rec from a professor is worth more than both.</p>

<p>The only advantage I can see that can come from having a specific recommendor is if he or she actually taught at the school you want to attend. In that respect, the professor knows about the qualities at that school and can write about how you would fit in that school. Moreover, having recommendations from professors who specialize in what you want to do also helps.</p>

<p>And I mean no specific attack to you, but recommendors like this

[quote]
someone who donates to cornell and is the CEO of the company i work for can write me a recommendation

[/quote]
</p>

<p>don't go so far, and can be rather annoying.</p>

77

<p>Keep in mind that whether or not you have "junior" or "sophomore" status at your new school, if you plan on applying to a post-graduate program, your "extra time" will be a detriment to your application. Law schools and grad schools are not so fond of students who took the extra semester or year to complete their work (I don't know about med schools or business schools), especially when your competition comprises students who completed their programs in four-years with a comparable GPA and test scores.</p>

78

<p>hmm I didn't know that.</p>

<p>But if the school that I'm accepted to only takes 30 or so of my 60+ credits, I will be forced to spend around 3 years at the school I've transferred to.</p>

<p>I understand your point, but given the circumstances, I will be happy enough to be able to transfer into an excellent university. If, due to transfer credit reasons, I must spend more time earning my degree than most people, I will do what I must and hope that business schools understand my situation.</p>

79

<p>Just to clarify: you don't really "lose credits" when a school doesn't accept them. The school simply doesn't allow those rejected credits to fulfill the 120-hour requirement; however, the rejected credits still stay with you. When you send all your transcripts to the LSDAS or whatever, they will see that you've taken more than four year's worth of credits. </p>

<p>The credit-details are usually why students don't transfer into the highest-ranking school by default: sometimes schools like Georgetown will allow you to complete your degree on-time because they accepted more credit, while Columbia – which is reputable for being strict with credits – will force you to do an extra semester or year.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and Georgetown is very generous with transfer credit. All of my courses except a two-credit one transfered, and if I want, I can graduate a semester early! Rice is also very generous. I don't know about UChicago, since I turned them down before I received my credit-eval.</p>

<p>Most students simply cannot afford to pay for an extra semester or year at a top 25 institution. So credits mean a lot, not just in terms of walking with your class and being competitive for post-grad programs, but also in terms of being able to stay financially afloat.</p>

80

<p>thanks for that info...i'm not real familiar with the transfer credit process yet. so even if I technically overloaded on classes and graduated in 4 yrs. overall, business schools that I apply to will still see that I have more than the typical 120, so I will have spent more "class time" than required? Oh well...I ended up not liking Columbia anyways. :D</p>

<p>that's really good to hear about Georgetown.</p>