I am currently in 12th grade, and my transcript will not get me to my dream schools. Certain factors prevented me from performing well in my freshmen year, leading into my sophomore year. I made the honor roll last year to bring my GPA up to a measly 3.0, currently have all As, and have also tested well on the SAT and other standardized tests, but my first two years are laughable to selective schools. My goal right now is to attend whichever decent college I can get in to for a year or two before applying to transfer into Ivy Leagues, but I don’t know how heavily they will weigh my first two years of high school. Does it depend on how long I wait, or will it always be a factor?
You never really know - You’re asking for chances based on a college record you don’t yet have. But, love the school you enroll in - most Ivies are more selective for transfers than they are for freshmen. If you don’t love the one that accepts you this time, build your transfer list with both match and reach schools.
You high school grades will NOT be a factor for graduate school. One possible plan might be to go to a very good in-state university, do very well (continuing your junior year success), and then go to an Ivy or other top university for graduate school.
I know people who have dug themselves out from deeper holes and done very well. It takes a lot of work and some time, but you can get there. I also know people who have done very well with a degree from their good in-state university.
Why do you want to go to any ivy league school? Is there one in particular that you think is a good fit?
Most people, even those with excellent stats, don’t go to Ivies. Even people with perfect grades and SATs are rejected. You need to drop the idea of a dream school and focus on schools that are more in line with your current stats. If you find that you do well in college once you get there, and still feel that you need to transfer, you can reevaluate at that time.
Most Ivies will look at your high school record regardless of when you try to transfer.
Agree – why the obsession with an Ivy school? There is a huge variety in the Ivy schools in terms of size, location, academics offerings etc. so there is no real reason to clump them all together as “dream schools” (except for the prestige factor I guess). Anyway, transfer rates into Ivy schools is low so you can’t count on it happening. Instead I’d focus on finding colleges that matches you academic stats, appear affordable, and that you would be happy to attend. In terms of if each college will look at your HS record, you can check the website of each school to see what is required of transfers.
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.
The short answer is yes, poor HS grades will make it nearly impossible to transfer to an Ivy League college.