I’m a Computer Science undergraduate at UMass, Amherst. I’ve completed two semesters with this university, and currently have a 4.00 / 4.00 GPA. My SAT score was 1400.
Would it be advisable for me to seek a transfer at a higher-ranked university? Do I stand a chance at one of the top fives (such as UC Berkeley, MIT and Georgia Tech)?
U.Mass Amherst has a superb computer science program. I have worked with many graduates from U.Mass, and I have worked with graduates from MIT, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. I have worked with excellent CS graduates from all of these universities. The top students out of U.Mass are just as strong as the top students from anywhere else. They are also very successful in their careers.
You can try to transfer. Do not count on succeeding. Usually to transfer into a top university you need both to be an outstanding student, and to have a strong reason to want to transfer. Even with both your chances are low. I feel that you might be lacking on the second part of this.
As a CS major, given that you have already completed a very strong year at U.Mass, I would not transfer out of U.Mass unless you were literally transferring into one of the top 5 or 6 programs in the world. The three that you mention plus Stanford and CMU would be close to the full list of schools that I would even consider. Even then I probably would not transfer. Also, I would not transfer if it meant taking on any additional debt.
I would instead try to make the best of your four years at U.Mass. I would specifically try to maintain your 4.0 (or close to this) while looking for good internship opportunities. Getting to know your professors might make it easier to find good internships.
By the way, congratulations on your very strong start at a very good university.
Why do you want to transfer ?
Typically, the best reason to transfer is because one’s preferred major is not offered at his or her current school.
Anyone with a perfect 4.0 GPA has a reasonable chance as a transfer applicant.
In the world of computers, prestige and rank doesn’t benefit you. 99.99% of what you learn will be on the job. After about 2-3 years of experience, employers don’t even ask where you went to school. I would just stick with the school you’re at. There’s a serious shortage of tech jobs in the east and west coast. You will not have a problem finding a job.