HS record weight? SMC-> Stanford/Cornell/Pomona/Hopkins

Khorton · 11-06-2009, 01:17 AM

So in HS my record was good enough to get me into mid tier UCs (SD/SB/I/R) and USC but there was a financial aid mishap and whatnot with my final choice (UCSD). So I chose to go to Santa Monica College. I have a good story behind the grades, rather wouldn't go into detail since for some reason I chose to use my real name for my username. Anyhow, the record and why I am afraid it's gonna hold me back:

GPA: 3.0 from Calif Acad Math & Science WEIGHTED. 2.7 UW.
SAT: 2240 (Cumulative)-Not gonna bother retaking.
SAT II: 760 MathII, 640 Bio. I'm retaking and studying this time. Pretty sure they will be 800's
ECs: Pretty short list, mostly volunteering and college prep programs. 1 internship

I will pull a 4.0 at SMC this semester, 4.0 overall including two other college courses

I just don't see the turnaround story going for me since it will only be a gap of 1.5 years between the time I apply for transfer and my highschool graduation. I've turned around academically, but how am I supposed to dazzle adcoms, really convince them that I have indeed changed. I'm also a Black male from Compton, a pretty terrible neighborhood 2.5 hours away from SMC by bus. I've neurotically reviewed a lot of Jack Kent Cooke Scholars profiles of transfer students and they seem otherworldly, inhumanly amazing. How do us mortals compete?

Random_Monkey · 11-06-2009, 02:47 AM

To be honest dude, being a black male from Compton with those kind of stats is probably going to be good enough story.

Lobzz · 11-06-2009, 09:18 AM

Whoa. A black male from Compton... Talk about how the environment was too difficult back then, and now that you're away from Compton, you can focus etc etc.

Cupertinotransfr · 11-06-2009, 06:53 PM

Dre went to Compton and found The Game in the slums.

Khorton · 11-07-2009, 01:15 AM

I still don't think the turnaround story is enough. Anyone have similar experience?

jptoor · 11-07-2009, 07:43 PM

This is simply anecdotal, but a friend of mine is at Stanford, and met a transfer from Riverside Community.

Riverside is not even that bad compared to areas of Los Angeles, but she said she used the turn-around story. Just saying. Worth a try.

It's harder than most people realize to overcome adversity like that.

east89 · 11-07-2009, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Dre went to Compton and found The Game in the slums.

He was selling that skunk with one hand on his gun. He was selling rocks when Master P was saying unnnhhhh.

Jokes aside, I believe Compton usually ranks within the top 15 most dangerous cities in the US, so that's definitely a huge hook which you could use to your advantage. Obviously, you must have really impressed someone since you got admitted to USC with only a 3.0

It's great to see a black male from such an impoverished area striving to achieve more than what was allotted to him in life. Good luck.

east89 · 11-07-2009, 09:31 PM

O wait, I just realized that you're applying to Stanford and Hopkins.

Neither of those schools are very transfer-friendly, so chances are pretty slim. I'd say choose some more safeties.

You should also wait another year to apply in order to mitigate your sub-par high school record. Depending upon which college you apply to at Cornell, you may have a great shot if you write some stellar essays and get involved with more ECs.

Khorton · 11-08-2009, 04:07 PM

Yeah UCLA is my safety since I'm going to be in the honors program at SMC and they have a 90%+ admissions rate to UCLA. I'm also looking at UCSD for bioengineering, it's supposed to be 'up there' with Hopkins.
I'm also definitely waiting another year to up my chances.

That Riverside CC-> Stanford story really gives me hope.

MinJae · 11-08-2009, 08:29 PM

Wow... UCLA a safety..

that's all my saying..

Random_Monkey · 11-08-2009, 08:52 PM

if your applying as a junior your hs record wont carry to much weight.

Khorton · 11-08-2009, 10:08 PM

SMC Honors program has a ridiculous acceptance rate to UCLA. I have a brother that graduated from there and then went on to Harvard Med, and a sister currently there; so I'm not worried about UCLA. I'd still consider it an accomplishment to get in, it's a great school.

Stanford/Hopkins/Cornell are the ones that intimidate me.
Applicant Profile : Stanford University
1.9% admissions rate for Stanford... I don't think anyone actually thinks they will get in.

Hopkins is 63/722, so like 8/9%. I'd prefer it if they required test scores, but I can see why tests that predict college readiness aren't too important to them.

Pomona and Cornell seem like the easiest to get into. But I don't feel too fuzzy about a 10% admissions rate.