<p>Hey I'm a freshman at a large, 4 year state university. I've spent a few months here and decided that this isn't the place for me. I like the people here and my classes are okay, but I'm worried about the lack of personal assistance. For example, there's only one pre-med advisor for like 2000 pre-med students. Also, I honestly feel like I just didn't apply to as many reach schools as I should have during high school. Could any of you who have more experience with the transfer process give me some advice on what kinds of places I would have a decent shot at getting into or some information on what would make me more competitive in the transfer admissions process?
I know transfer admissions is a lot harder than undergrad admissions...</p>
<p>Stats(high school):
GPA: 3.7
AP Classes: 8
AP Exams: 5/5/5/4/5/5/5/4
SAT: 1600/1600
SAT II's: 780/750/740/730/710
National AP Scholar, Track Letterman, District Honor Band, Black Belt in Martial Arts, Mu Alpha Theta President</p>
<p>Stats(College):
In the Honors Program at my school
GPA: 3.61 (I joint-enrolled 12 classes in high school for 38 hours worth of credit)
Member of a community service program involved in helping kids with AIDS
Research apprentice (working 10 hours a week) on a project in ecology which is being funded by the Macarthur Foundation.</p>
<p>Any suggestions from previous transferee's would be very useful to me =)
P.S. I'm applying as a freshman transfer. Is that okay? The school would just decline my joint-enrollment credit right?</p>
<p>Chezman, which school are you currently attending?
And could you be more specific about what type of schools you intend to apply to (state/private or public/what major)?
From your stats, I would say you have a good chance at most universities, but beware that some schools only accept students after 1 or 2 years at their original college.</p>
<p>I am attending the University of Georgia right now. I'm looking to attend a smaller private school, maybe Emory, because it's close by. I'm not 100% sure about where to apply though; that's what I really need the most advice about. I don't want to apply to a bunch of places where I'll just get rejected. I'm only a freshman and I'll be applying as a freshman transfer (i.e. I'll be starting as a sophomore). My joint enrollment classes were all classes I took purely out of self-interest, so they're not directed towards a degree, although they do fulfill my core and electives. I'm planning to major in Genetics, Microbiology, Biochemistry, or Biophysics (if the school offers it). oh, I can't apply to transfer in as a junior because i don't have the prerequisites that most schools recommend students finish before they apply to transfer in as a junior. Thanks for any advice you can give!</p>
<p>I believe you are right taht dual credit courses won't "count" as to what your college standing will be, so soph status as a transfer makes sense. Others may know more about this.</p>
<p>Your stats are outstanding and your reasons for transfer are valid. You have a good chance at many places. but - will you need financial aid? it is harder to get as a transfer at some (many?) schools. </p>
<p>Go ahead and choose reach, match and possibly safety (unless you just want to use staying at UGeorgia as your safety) schools, just as you would have for freshman apps, based on schools strong in your fields and with other characteristics you like (smaller, obviously, but also following your preferences for urban/rural, geog area, etc).</p>
<p>What will make you more competitive?
Besides maintaining your GPA at highest level
Get good prof recommendations
Write good essays and reason for transfer and reason for choosing each school (research the schools carefully enough to be able to cite specifics)</p>
<p>Sorry I don't have specific schools to recommend; just want you to know that you can "go for it" with your reaches, but add some good matches as well. If you outline more of what you are looking for in a school, might make it easier to suggest specific ones.
Good luck</p>
<p>Thanks jmmom. I won't be applying for financial aid. Well my question is would schools such as Emory and Vanderbilt be considered reaches for me or do I have a good enough shot at them to consider them matches? I'm not sure how to gauge my chances. I'm not worried about a safety...I don't mind staying at UGA if nothing works for me. Hmm...let me think of some things to add for what i would want in a school...
I would prefer an urban setting
I don't really care about geographical location
Strong programs in the Biological Sciences
Accepts a fair number of transfer students (I'm not really sure what schools are known as transfer friendly...)</p>
<p>I don't think they would be major reaches (Emory and Vandy). My S got into Vandy (Engineering) as a transfer with lesser stats than yours. YOu could even try JHU. Tulane is strong in biomed and chem engineering, so maybe also biochem; you might get merit $$ there. </p>
<p>Your stats are so strong as to SATs, honors college GPA that any place can be within your reach. (Only thing I can't tell is where you stood wrt hs rank). Some schools are just reaches for everyone due to low acceptance rates. The only way to gauge that is to go to collegeboard.com or USN&WR premium online edition (have to subscribe) and check #transfers accepted/app. Some you can find common data set and see a little more re transer stats.</p>
<p>Rice, Northwestern, Case Western might be others to consider. Tufts, Lehigh (but Lehigh is not urban).</p>
<p>Wow these are all good suggestions. I'm looking into all the schools you guys recommended and I'll probably end up applying to 3 or 4 out of the 8 you both have given me. Thanks so much for your help! Oh, and my class rank was in the 20's weighted and in the 50's unweighted out of a class of 352 kids. I think it was like 23 and 51. My school unfortunately only sent out unweighted ranks to colleges... That was actually the main factor in my decision not to apply to a bunch of reaches as a high school senior.</p>
<p>As an app from the University of Georgia with a good GPA and amazing test scores, I don't think Emory or Vanderbilt are reaches for you. If you are looking for "reaches" for yourself, you'll probably need to look at the ivies/MIT/etc. as your stats are stronger than most.</p>
<p>I think the key thing for you chezman is to choose schools you would be genuinely excited to go to, but also to choose some "safer" (not safe, but less lottery/elite/reachy) that you would prefer to where you currently are.</p>
<p>If UGeorgia is your safety and you would not be crushed to end up staying there, you can just go for the reachiest of reaches. But if you really want some options once all the decisions are in, be sure to choose some with higher than single-digit transfer acceptance rates (preferably some 40% or higher acceptance rates). Then you will really have options and won't feel stuck at UGeorgia. If you stay there, it will be by choice.</p>
<p>I gotchya. Right now I think I may apply to one private school which is pretty easy to transfer into, one which I feel I have a good shot at getting into (which right now is Emory), and 3-4 reaches. Once I figure out what those reaches are I'll post to keep you guys updated. Thanks for all your help =)</p>
<p>I am actually in a similiar boat as you, chezman. </p>
<p>I too am a freshman at UGA, in the honors program, and am looking to transfer elsewhere. I am simply dissapointed with the Honors program. However it may be touted publically, the teachers and students lack the vitality for it to even be closely desribed as something similiar to an ivey. Quite frankly, all that, in my honest opinion, is bunk.</p>
<p>I am looking at a few private schools as well, though my desires are quite different. I am applying to Wesleyan Unviersity, and, contigent on my acceptance, if I still want to leave UGA come spring I will have the option there. I am going to apply to some other schools as well, but I am still deciding on which.</p>