<p>I live in CT and am a freshman at RPI in Troy, NY but am seriously considering transferring out. I have my heart set on California, and more specifically Stanford. As far as my high school record, my average GPA was 3.38 on a 4.5 weighted scale - I slacked during junior & senior years. As far as extracirriculars go for high school I played football for one year, and track & cross country for two years each. I was in the debate club senior year, and I also revamped the school's website (nearly) single-handedly for a web design course I was taking (it was the first year the class was available). In high school, my SATs were a 680 in verbal and 640 in math, which was a bit strange considering I've tended to be much stronger in math. On the SAT IIs I scored 680 for writing, 700 for physics, and 750 for math 2. This year first semester at RPI I got a rather poor 2.75 on 4.0 scale, not weighted. For the second semester, however, I've buckled down and am taking 21 credits and looking to get 3.5 or better GPA. I took the new SATs and got 640 critical reading, 700 writing, and 730 math. As far as clubs go, I do only capoeira but plan on also getting a work/study for the last couple of months I'm here. Next year I plan on staying here to take more computer networking courses the school has to offer and work towards a CCIE certification, often called the "doctorate of networking." Although I may not have quite achieved that by the time I apply, I should have at least the CCNA, CCNP, and A+ certifications - all IT related for those unfamiliar. I'll be taking 20 credits/semester and hope to bring my average GPA to a 3.5 or better, and may take the SATs a third time and try to break 700 in all 3 categories. I've also done a lot of web design work on my own, as well as some application programming and worked at Circuit City doing computer repair last summer but plan on doing repair/setup work on my own this summer. In addition to Stanford I'm applying to Berkeley, U. of C. Santa Barbara, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Is my shot at Stanford realistic as a transfer? How about the other schools? Also, where else should I apply if I'm looking for a good engineering school, preferably in California that has good balance and a good record? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention:
Senior year I also had a solo in the school musical (Grease) and did some community theater (Footloose) that summer which took up a LOT of time. This summer instead I just plan on doing web design/community service projects whenever available. Very involved in church (and have been for a long time) if they take that into consideration...</p>
<p>Not looking good...</p>
<p>Thanks for the opinion, that confirms what I was I thinking - I plan on trying anyway though just because it can't hurt and I'd really like to go to a better overall school. While I'm at it though, any recommendations that could possibly help my chances based on what I already mentioned?</p>
<p>The ECs are pretty solid, but from what I can tell about transfer applications, they don't care as much about your HS record as they do your college record...</p>
<p>Either way, though... Stanford is one of those few schools on a near-heavenly echelon. You can never completely rule it out, but I would bank on it.</p>
<p>Ali Baba is a good joint.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice.</p>