What are my chances of getting into my dream school?

Transfer Students
1

Hi everyone. An update from the last post I did not get into my top choice school. While this was very expected, I am still very much interested in those colleges especially William and Mary. It was always my dream to go there and become a tribe but my grades had paved another path for me. I am planning to try and transfer as a second year student. My high school stats and why I had those stats are down below(from my previous post)
High school GPA: 3.35 (taken a significant amount of AP courses as well)
SAT : 1350
Extracurriculars:
Model UN
Debate
Future Health Leaders
Health Occupation Students of America
Awards and recognition:
Toshiba Exploravision International honorable mention
HOSA Debate regional champions
Coming to my intended college stats:
College GPA: 4.0
Extracuriculars:
Debate
Model UN
Student government
Health Occupation students of America
I also plan to shadow doctors in the area
Also the college I will be attending in the fall is Virginia Commonwealth university. I would really like to transfer out of VCU because I really do not like the university but that is only based on my personal opinion because I would rather prefer a more traditional campus but the main reason for my transfer is because I would like to have another shot at my dream school. Many may think how are you going to acheive a 4.0 gpa in college when you could’nt even do it in high school but I have had alot of things happen to me that just prevented my entire academic potential.
Please read the following from my previous post:
Hi I am a student in the NOVA region, where everyone is very smart and just really really talented. Like everyone has a 4.0 . I admit that I’m jealous and my gpa is a literally nothing its 3.3 and my SAT score is a mere 1350. We immigrated to the United States 4 years ago. When I first started, I had to learn everything by myself.Below is my common app essay. I applied to JMU, VCU, William and Mary, UVA and Virginia tech. What are my chances.

Moving around has been a constant in my family. Almost every 3-4 years we would move. This greatly affected my
education and many other aspects such as the environment I grew up in. It was hard coming from a non native
English speaking family when I first moved to America in 8th grade. Life as I knew it had completely changed
gears and my entire world became upside down. I had learn how to communicate and understand how things
worked. It was also very difficult on me especially because I was bullied for having an accent at the time since I
had just moved. I was the little brown girl that was easy to be picked on. I was fat shamed and ridiculed because I
was different from the rest of them. It broke me on the inside.The experiences I went through have made me
stronger, but at what cost. I put up with abuse from multiple aspects of my life because I didn’t know any better. I
believed if I were to fight back I would stoop to their level. Now a 17 year old, I cannot bear to be touched. This
deep seeded fear that I will be hurt once more, that one day that love will run out. Trust is obsolete to me, my
subconscious rules it all.
We moved again from Nevada to Virginia.The Virginian education standards were incomparable to the Nevada
system. Everyone was in some race rushing to meet their ends and the difficulty of the classes was another level. I
struggled to keep up, and worked very hard to keep my grades up. It had taken me over a year to adjust to the
difficulty levels and understand the expectations. The summer following 9th grade was the most difficult period for
me. My grandpa was diagnosed with colon cancer and it had metastasized to the nearby organs. He had fought
cancer for a year, it was the most painful experience for me and my family. He passed away the following year. I
was devastated and wasn’t in any shape or form able to do anything. My grades had taken a swing and spiraled
out of control. After almost 8 months, I realized it was time for me to move on with life and accomplish my goals
and look at things with a different perspective. That year I was taking AP Biology and pushed myself and worked
so hard that I had won honorable mention in Toshiba Exploravision, a international science competition .I learned
so much that year and even ended the year with honor roll. This was a major accomplishment for me because I
had challenged myself and had taken 3 AP subjects. I developed a serious passion for science and the human
body. I even did an independent project on “Somatosensory abilities acquired through a prosthetic spine”. This
passion along with personal events voiced my career path that I plan to take. Having so many medical incidents
happen to my family, makes me want to help people and help lessen the same pain that they would be going
through. Doctors help save lives everyday. Even one person helped is one more life that has been saved. I want to
go to college to continue my passion for science with better resources and professors. I would be the first person
in my family to go to college in America. It is a matter that is dear to my heart and people around me as I continue
on the path towards becoming a doctor, right here in America.

2

Well, that essay certainly did not help you. It’s a litany of complaints with key words that might garner attention and consideration. You did not give a school any reason why it should accept you other than to help out a poor soul.

You are first generation and URM?

As a transfer student, your 4.0 is going to count most heavily in the decision. The other thing that will make s huge difference is to come up with a truly good reason why you would benefit w&M over VCU. A student who is working on something with limited courses addressing it at current school, for example is what colleges like to see. Not that the student wants to go to a better school or they don’t like current school. Community college students who excel are often given strong consideration as transfers because they HAVE to transfer to move up in academia. You see very few lateral transfers among schools because there often is no point.

3

I believe that I am a first generation but not sure about being URM because while I am Asian, I’m not Filipino or Vietnamese. Thank you for your advice, really appreciate it! But I believe that I should really transfer to a school that I like rather that staying in a college that I don’t see myself in. I had to choose this college only because this was the only one that I had gotten into given my 3.3 GPA and 1350 SAT. But is there something else you could recommend me in this transfer process. Like the chances with the school as far as my high school GPA and college GPA would go and if I were to retake the SAT and earn 50 more points around 1400-1450 and how I could stand out in transfer applicant pool. It would also help if you were familiar with W&M and what it takes to get in as a transfer applicant with these stats. Again, thank you so much for taking time to helping me and reading through the entire page.

4

I think you have a lot to learn about what a top college like W&M looks for in applicants.

Your essay was off track, makes you seem less resilient, less confident, and they aren’t looking for an explanation of career goals.

So, not only did you “not give a school any reason why it should accept you,” by missing the point of the app essay, anyone can seem not interested enough in that college.

The principle is “show, not just tell.” This essay is all “tell.” And despite “telling” them how you want to “help people,” which is almost cliche, you have no evidence to show you have.

Filipino isn’t URM. You can look up what W&M considers first gen. You need to seriously read up on what W&M looks for, even what the transfer app process is, what you send. All this work needs to come from you.

VCU has its advantages, including pre-med prep. W&M is going to be a lot tougher.

5

ps. VCU is a 4-year research univ. It includes a med school, which means vol and research opps. It may be a great idea to stay there.

6

Although, I see what you are trying to tell me, I personally think I should not stay where my heart does not lie. It is only going to be rough on me. I only decided that VCU was a place to apply because with my AP credits, I would already have one year down but after visiting the school, it wasn’t where I could see myself, which is why I decided to give my dream school another shot. I know that I do not completely understand what William and Mary is looking for in a individual and that is why I have come looking for help. I am trying my best to keep up and do my homework. So far, I have looked at their website thoroughly and called them to ask and find out more about the transfer process and have also toured the school. One of the prompts of Common App was to to tell your story, that is why I had gone this route, hoping for the college to see who I am and how far I have pushed through and came along. Coming to a different country does result in culture shock and in my case had also led to bullying as well. My GPA does not define me and clearly does not tell my story. While it is the bitter truth, my story seemed to be what the college was not looking for. I am trying to rebuild myself and understand my mistakes. I really do thank you for letting me know where I am going wrong. And would really like for you to help me see what the college is looking for because I am trying my best as I do believe that I can make it happen and that I have the potential and rigor to attend William and Mary.

7

@Asparagusislife do you realize you could join VCU Honors College, and at end of second year, apply to Preferred Applicant Track for VCU School of Medicine.
“VCU Honors College premedical students may elect to follow the Preferred Applicant Track for Medicine, which offers an opportunity to apply to the Guaranteed Admission Program for Medicine at the end of your sophomore year.”
https://honors.vcu.edu/admissions/guaranteed-admission/

8

I strongly suggest you spend your time and energy making the most of what VCU has to offer.

9

I believe that a 3.3 GPA cannot make honors college first year and what good is a place I cannot be happy. I am not able to understand why people want me to stay where I cannot be happy. Yes VCU has opportunities but even if I get one how good is it when I’m not happy

10

And I’m here and on the internet and asking people about information because I’m not happy with where I ended up and I need to try to best to at least help my situation. It would be nice and kind of people if they can acknowledge that she needs help and she’s asking for it because she is not okay with any of this and not discourage me like this.

11

Abraham Lincoln said people are just about as happy as they want to be. If you go to VCU determined not to like it, you won’t. Go into it determined to get that 4.0 and maybe you will, but to do that you’ll have to enjoy your professors and classmates.

All the high school grades and reasons why you didn’t have a 4.0 won’t matter any more. For transfer students the most important stats are the college stats.

12

@Asparagusislife W&M has guaranteed transfer from VCCS. Need two year associates with at least 3.6.
https://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/how-to-apply/transfers/application-checklist/index.php

https://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/how-to-apply/transfers/vccs_students/guaranteed_admission/checklist/index.php
William & Mary has a guaranteed admission agreement with the Virginia Community Colleges. This statewide articulation agreement between William & Mary and all schools in the VCCS guarantees admission to those students who complete the following requirements:

After completing a minimum of 15 credit hours of general education courses at the community college and earning at least a 3.4 GPA, submit the Letter of Intent and the VCCS transcript one year prior to the desired matriculation date. Letters of Intent and transcripts are due September 1 for Fall matriculation and January 1 for Spring. Once the Letter of Intent is received, the Transfer Dean of Admission will send out a confirmation email and evaluation of the transcript. After submission of the Letter of Intent, students must remain continuously enrolled at their VCCS institution in all semesters not including summer until receipt of the associate degree.
Earn a grade of “A” or better in ENG 210 or a 200-level, writing-intensive English course.
Earn a grade of “B” or better in VCCS equivalent courses that satisfy College Curriculum COLL Domain and Proficiency Requirements at W&M:
1: MATH: Mathematics Proficiency (one course)
2: ALV: Arts, Letters, Values (two courses, at least three credits each)
3: CSI: Culture, Societies, Individuals (two courses, at least three credits each)
4: NQR: Natural and Quantitative Reasoning (two courses, at least three credits each)
VCCS equivalent courses satisfying these requirements are listed on the “Course Equivalents” document in the column titled “COLL” for the College Curriculum.
Earned a minimum of 45 credit hours required for the Associate’s Degree through VCCS, including transfer credits. These credit hours must have been earned after high school graduation.
Achieved a 3.6 curricular grade point average.
Submit application and transcripts by March 1 for Fall admissions and November 1 for Spring admissions. The application entails the Transfer Common Application and W&M Member Page, an official high school transcript, official transcripts from all colleges attended, and the Transfer College Report (document found within the Common Application).

13

So you do not yet have a 4.0 in college? Are you set to start this fall or am I misunderstanding?

You can’t predict a 4.0. and we can’t lay out for you just what W&M looks for. These colleges need kids who can put all the pieces together. Yeah, it’s a kind of test, the whole app process is. They want to see you self-assessed your match to what they want, not just what the potholes were. They want to see you took on more challenges, mastered them, had some impact, including on others in your wider community. And that you reached beyond the hs box.

All the following comes from a brief review of their website. For SAT, their mid 50th percentile is 1310-1490. Typical advice is to be siting at the top of that or above. Yours are near the bottom.

For transfer, they’re going to need your hs transcript. They’ll see the 3.3. More specifically, they will see grades in classes and if any lower than A grades are in courses related to yourmajor, that’s a risk. If you’re applying as a current freshman at VCU, you need to submit the SAT. As above, an issue. You can look at the list of courses they recommend for transfers and see how many of those are tough, which might make it hard to achieve top grades.

One of the tricky things is how top colleges look at applicants who seem not to match the minimum academic requirements. They can wonder what those kids DO know about the college, how hard it is, how much high school performance does affect readiness for that college’s challenges and higher bar.

When they say, tell us about your life, what any tippy top means is: include the triumphs! Not the simple back story. They want more than what you faced, what tore you down, why it was hard to get through hs. They want to see you “triumphed, despite.” Can you show this?

We’re not trying to be hard on you or cagey. Or mean. But W&M is an uber reach for you. Maybe you need to focus on another VA college?

And the mature view is to give VCU a fair try. Not “dreams.”

14

@Asparagusislife you can apply to VCU Honors College after first semester
https://honors.vcu.edu/admissions/continuing-students/

"Admission Requirements
VCU students who have achieved at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA in 12 to 53 semester hours of college credit are eligible for admission into the Honors College. Students with more than 53 credits may still apply, but will need to give a brief explanation about how they plan on completing the 21 credits of Honors curriculum.
If you are a current VCU student interested in joining the Honors College, you must attend one Honors College prospective-student orientation prior to admission. These informative one-hour sessions will take place on the following dates in Honors College Multipurpose Room 1303 at 701 W. Grace Street.
September
Tuesday the 10th
12:30-1:30 p.m.

Friday the 13th"… etc

15

Everyone here is telling me that it is impossible for me to ever think of even getting in. I have not given up just yet, I will go into VCU with a positive attitude and see how it turns out but on the sidelines I will still atleast have an essay ready and if I don’t like it even after 3 months that is November, I will start to get everything ready and try to take this impossible “test” because, “it is not where you start but where you end up”@twoinanddone and @lookingforward I will come back with an update. It would be very nice if you would be kind enough to assess my situation and express your opinion based on the GPA I would receive and the SAT that i plan to take again and attempt to score 50-100 more points because that would put me higher on the SAT range.

16

@Hippobirdy while that is an option my parents have said that they won’t like it if I went to community college( NOVA) and would not even consider paying even half the tuition. It is a prestige issue when it comes to Indian culture that prevents them from seeing the opportunity i could receive from NOVA. Therefore it not an option for me.

17

@Asparagusislife You would need high GPA and a professor’s recommendation is recommended by W&M to transfer. It is not clear that W&M accepts SAT after high school. You would want to check with Admissions https://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/how-to-apply/transfers/faqs-OLD/index.php
Consider that it would also be prestigious to be accepted to VCU Honors track after 1st semester (see https://honors.vcu.edu/admissions/continuing-students/ ). You will need a professor to recommend you by December 1.
Once in Honors, you could then apply to Preferred Applicant for Guaranteed Admission to Medical School. If accepted, you might be invited to interview at end of sophomore year for Guaranteed Admission to Medical School.
https://honors.vcu.edu/admissions/preferred-applicant-track-medicine/

Premed friend is thrilled to consider this opportunity, which would include research junior year with School of Medicine - see https://honors.vcu.edu/admissions/guaranteed-admission/gmed-requirements/
“Complete a one-semester (60-hour) clinical mentorship with a faculty member from the VCU School of Medicine during the third year of undergraduate study, to be completed no later than the end of the sixth semester of undergraduate study.”

18

No posters have been mean to you, they are just sharing facts and reality and have given you some very good advice. It will be difficult for you to engage and be part of the VCU community if the minute you set foot on campus you are intent on transferring. Even if you intend to transfer, apply to VCU honors after your first semester, make friends, get involved in research and other campus activities.

The more space you put between your HS GPA of 3.35 and transfer app, the better. Getting a 4.0 at VCU will be challenging your first year and even if you do, the HS transcript will carry significant weight in the admission decision if you apply to transfer to W&M then. If you apply before you have completed one full year of college, you also need to submit your SAT, which is well below the class of 2023 median of 1470 (haven’t seen mid-50% yet) https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2019/class-of-2023-admitted-students-to-visit-campus-saturday.php
If you apply after two years at VCU with a high GPA, your HS GPA will carry less weight, and you don’t need to send your SAT score…but W&M will have it because you applied before. It is typically difficult to gain admission to a school after having previously been rejected.

Here are William and Mary’s transfer numbers for last year: https://www.wm.edu/offices/ir/documents/cds/cds1819_d1.pdf
I expect that a significant portion of the transfers are from CCs that have articulation agreements with W&M…that is something you need to find out…how many transfers come from other 4 year schools, what is the acceptance rate, and what are the commonalities of successful applicants?

Make sure you also attend a W&M transfer day: https://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/how-to-apply/transfers/prospectivetransferdays/index.php

Good luck.

19

“If you have completed less than a full year of college coursework when you apply, you must submit SAT or ACT scores.”
https://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/how-to-apply/transfers/application-checklist/index.php
(This link doesn’t include “old” in the address.)
I think we’d all support better if this wasn’t just about W&M.

You have a lot to learn between now and semester start. What help can you get in revising that essay? Will your former GC or a hs teacher help you wade through what’s good? And on the website, it shows the course requirements.

Are you a US citizen or Permanent Resident?

20

Here are more in-depth comments.

In general I think it is a terrible idea to start one college with the intent of transferring out. This will stand in the way of your making meaningful friendships, developing relationships with professors, and getting involved on campus. Then if your transfer doesn’t work out as planned you will be really stuck. I’d go to the college you enrolled in with the intent of staying all four years. It is fine to throw in a couple of transfer applications but don’t count on it working out.

Typically for transfers after only one year of college schools will look at the HS record. I don’t believe your HS grades will help you in terms of transferring into a more competitive college. I would also not bother to retake the SAT – that is a test meant for high school students and it is highly unlikely that anyone will be impressed by a college student taking a HS exam even if you show improved scores. You should ask if colleges you want to transfer into will even consider SAT results for tests taken while in college.