<p>Hey guys, I am new to the forum, I liked all the discussions so I decided to join.</p>
<p>I just finished my freshman year at Northeastern University with a 3.91 GPA</p>
<p>When I applied this was my info:
HS GPA: 3.2
SATS(old): 1230
some extracurricular work but not much</p>
<p>During freshman year of college i did not do any extracurricular work at all. But right now, summer is coming I was wondering what I could do, in order to improve my chances of transferring to more prestigious schools next year. I am talking about what type of clubs, societies, forums and organizations should I join?</p>
<p>Next year I am also hoping to do some research (biological or computer) at my university.</p>
<p>So, basically, please tell me if there are any things I can do to improve my chances? (retake the SAT?)</p>
<p>And as of right now....what would be the schools to look into (reach, safety)?</p>
<p>I forgot to mention which ones I am truly hoping to get into: Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Tufts, Duke, BU. If I start getting my extracurricular stuff together now, do you think I got a chance?</p>
<p>i don't think that retaking the SATs would help! it would just be a waste of time and money, think about this, you are a university student, yet you are taking a high school test? doesn't make much sense does it? even if you excel, it would not mean much, it's like albert einstein getting over 800 on iic, meaningless! i would suggest you to get some EC to your arsenal, and then apply, i will be applying for transfer too, and at about the same schools, did you apply to those schools before? i have been rejected once by them already, so i hope i have better luck next year :)
good luck with the ECs, don't worry about SATs</p>
<p>Yeah I would recommend that you definitely re-take your SAT's... Although not as much emphasis is placed on SAT's during transfer admission, it is still important in the sense that they support your overall cadency for admission.. Other than that your university GPA is excellent! Just make sure you write good essays and aim to get about 2100-2200 on the new SAT and you should be alright.</p>
<p>I am not sure if retaking the SAT is a good idea; SATs merely determine how a student will perform in their first year of school. Given your current performance at a school such as Northwestern, there should be no doubts as to your qualifications.</p>
<p>I don't know if this will help, but I applied to transfer this year (freshmen year). I had 1200 in my SAT's (better in SAT II's) and a 4.0GPA in my first semester. I got into NYU. Whenever I spoke to an Admissions person they said with that kind of GPA they would never look at SAT's. Obviously, you're looking at good schools so you will have competition. But that competition will be from other transfers, and your GPA looks great right now. They would also look at your high school GPA to get an overall sense, but I bet if you ask the Admissions Officers specifically, they'd say you don't need to retake. Let me know if they say otherwise, but it's worth checking so you spend that time/money on really interesting EC's. Good luck!</p>
<p>Your SATs won't really play a big role in applying, however you should consider doing the SAT2s and doing well in it.</p>
<p>Regarding your ECs, try and get some nice ones, your student government body is an apt place to start volunteering in, soon you'll get a nice post if you play your cards right.</p>
<p>GPA plays a big role, but you got to remember that you're measuring yourself against a pack of people trying to transfer, all will have similar if not stronger GPAs.</p>
<p>More important than any of the above are the recommendations you'll need, let your counsellor know you, visit every three weeks or so, talking to your professors after class and during thier office hours helps as they see your interest and determination. Also, talk to them after a few months about transferring and about why you want to transfer (VERY IMPORTANT), if they do not believe your reasons are genuine and not just for prestige, it will reflect in how they write for you.</p>
<p>My story is that I got in to Tufts with a 2.9 GPA, but I was very strong in my other areas, focus on your strengths and explain whatever other shortcoming you have in your essays.</p>
<p>There is a lot more, but I got two finals tommorow and I'm not prepared.</p>
<p>Nobody other than Don_K really suggested anything for ECs. What can I do this summer that is really productive? I am planning on volunteering at a hospital, like 10 hours a week, what else can I do?? Are there any leadership speeches at any major universities coming up? What types of clubs and organizations can I join? Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Also, a question: How do colleges look at doing internships over the summer? I am doing a summer internship currently working full time at a software company. Do they like that or no? Should I ditch it for more EC time? You people are pretty much my counselors, I am ready to listen for advice.</p>
<p>Internships definately help, don't be a bad intern and don't forget to pick up recommendations from your boss on the letterhead before leaving.</p>
<p>With regard to ECs, try and be diverse, someone interested in CS also doing a wide array of other things, say like sports or anything will look nice, as then you seem to be interested in learning new things and not just someone who does well in school and is focussed only on one thing.</p>
<p>Learn an instrument, start a band, do some independent research and write papers on stuff that interests you. All these things in my opinion can only supplement your applcation positivley.</p>