<p>Hi, I'm a sophomore at a small liberal arts college in the midwest. I feel really isolated in the midwest going to a college that's roughly 85% white (I'm Asian, the school is 1.3% Asian). Pitzer College is my my dream school, but I know my chances are so low. My GPA is about a 3.6, which is compiled with some community college classes, as well. I have confidence in writing good essays and having a good interview, especially because I love the idea of Pitzer's five core values. I personally really connect with social responsibility and student engagement. Growing up in a blue collard community and growing up half Japanese has provided some difficulties down the road, which I think has developed me into a caring individual regarding social issues. I engage in the community because I think under privileged students and citizens deserve an equal chance and if I can help give them that possibility, I always will. </p>
<p>I currently intern for an organization that helps with autistic adults through my school and I participate in two clubs for gender equality and fight for social injustice. I am also an intern for a poetry review book, where I read several submissions and pick the best ones to appear in the annual poetry book (some of the best submissions have been from people who are in jail, which I think are really neat). Finally, I am a peer mentor in English and Political Science for the Japanese foreign exchanged students.</p>
<p>I don't think I really have that much to offer, but I want honest opinions on how low my chances (or high) of transferring into Pitzer College. I know academics are really important at Pitzer and a 3.6 isn't super high, especially coming from an average liberal arts college. I have had my struggles as a student with racial remarks and isolation, which I can't use as an excuse to my grades, but I think they build character and a story that Pitzer may be interested inI don't know. I will not be providing my SAT score or my high school transcript because I didn't score very high and I have 30 transferrable credits (my high school grades were much worse than my college grades). </p>
<p>Please, please, don't troll me. I just want real opinions. I really appreciate your time. Thanks.</p>
<p>Hey there! To preface, I am an Asian female freshman who’s currently attending Pitzer college. First of all, you have a good GPA and your extra-curriculars make me think you’d probably be a good candidate in terms of Pitzer’s mission statement/core values. And secondly, I completely understand that you are feeling isolated at your small liberal arts college in the midwest. As I’m sure you know, Pitzer college is located about 30 minutes from Los Angeles by car (with minimal traffic), and 45 minutes by train (which is easy to catch as there is a station right across from Pomona College). The city of Claremont, in which Pitzer is situated, is especially small, and in my humble opinion, gets old very quickly. That said, I’m from a big metropolitan city. My point is that Pitzer, as well as the rest of the 5Cs, can feel very isolating for some.
It’s obvious you’d like a school with more diversity. Diversity comes in many forms and that’s very evident at Pitzer-it’s not all about racial diversity here because Caucasian students clearly make up the majority of the school’s population. To me, it still doesn’t feel very racially diverse to me. With societal hierarchy it kind of makes sense. I think you need to go to a big metropolitan city like New York, Seattle, or San Francisco for full-fledged diversity.
As for Pitzer’s core values, there are classes you must take to fulfill each of Pitzer’s core values (you can choose from a pretty good selection for each core value). But that said, there is little to no apparent activism of any kind that takes place directly on campus. You need to go to the career center to find an internship that will fulfill that personal value.
Like I mentioned before, your GPA looks really good. I know a transfer that had a GPA that was 3.1 from some university in California and I also know a freshman who got in with a GPA of 2.9 who got in. I think that your chances of getting in depend on how you stack up to the other transfer applicants-it’s all relative.
And lastly, I’m not sure if you are getting any financial aid, but I do know a transfer who got about 40,000 in financial aid so if money is an issue, you should still apply.
I know my opinions are subjective, and I’m actually thinking of transferring out (for some of these reasons and a few others), but I hope this will help you make your decision. </p>
<p>Feel free to contact me through messages/email/facebook if you need any other help :).</p>
<p>Best wishes!</p>