Withdrawing for a year prior to transferring

<p>I'm in a bit of a unique situation and I'm trying to ascertain how it will affect my chances. I completed two years at a four-year institution (ranked between #70 and #90) but was denied from entering the department of my choice last summer. </p>

<p>At that point it was too late to apply to enter another institution (aside from community colleges), and I didn't want to go further into my degree at my previous school if I knew that I couldn't graduate with the degree I came to get. I decided to withdraw for the year, and not the semester, because some of the schools I want to enter do not accept mid-year transfer applications.</p>

<p>Since October I have been interning at a financial institution and I have some light volunteer work. My internship is basically like a full time job, as I work five days a week (but am still classified as an intern). Granted, it's not some super prestigious company, but it is an S&P 500 bank holding company with more than 500 branches in the western United States. </p>

<p>Is this going to hurt me when my application gets reviewed? I haven't seen many people in similar situations, and as I have glanced at the applications, many do not offer significant opportunities to explain a scenario like this. </p>

<p>Here are my other stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.33 (positive trend, last semester at my university was a 3.55 with 21 credit hours)
Highest SAT M: 700
Highest SAT CR: 690
Highest SAT W: 740
ECs: Some high profile case competitions, student-led consulting projects, officer in political and humanitarian organizations like Oxfam</p>

<p>Why would having an internship for a year hurt you? It shows that you have been doing something useful with your time off. If the experience you have gained is relevant to your new major, even better (you did not mention that in your post).</p>