applying as a transfer to caltech, berkeley

Transfer Students
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<p>right now I am a freshman in UT Austin. I am doing electrical engineering.
Yeah this college is quite good in engineering it stands among the top in the nation.
But the problem is that I dont like this place anymore. The main thing is i dont like the location. I would like to transfer someplace like caltech or berkeley .
n in fact berkeley n caltech is more prestigious . I have a gpa of around 3.75 for the first semester . I have done well in APs in my high school . I can write really good essays. Do I have a shot in these schools.</p>

<p>A prior thanx for replying.</p>

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<p>wow, 3.75 in engineering is pretty good. However, if my memory serves me correctly, UT A is one of those schools that has guaranteed admissions for anyone in the top 10 percent of their high school. I have no idea what the competition is like there. I know the retention rate is really low, like 40-45 percent leave after one year.</p>

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<p>I know that the transfer rate to Caltech is quite low; at Berkeley it may be higher. But your GPA is excellent and as long as you’ve done well in core requirements I don’t see why you shouldn’t have a shot.</p>

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<p>Do you have any idea how many students go to UT?</p>

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<p><a href=“http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=2321&profileId=0[/url]”>http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=2321&profileId=0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Now let us apply your anecdotal percentage:
2,718 to 3,057 students leave.</p>

<p>Does that make any sense? If that many students leave, then the administration has something about which they must worry.</p>

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<p>um, nspeds, UT only has about 60-65 percent retention, i was overly exaggerating, but that is the truth.</p>

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<p>i think berkeley only accepts junior transfers, am i right?</p>

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<p>I do not understand. You say that you ‘overly exaggerat[ed],’ but then you inverted your previous post and provided the exact same information, which is supposedly the truth.</p>

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<p>2,718 to 3,057 students are not leaving, that much is certain.</p>

<p>Next time, provide a link or some sort of substantiation for your post. Otherwise it is just hyperbole, which is useless and even deleterious to the success of some students who frequent this forum.</p>

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<p>i highly doubt that me saying that UT has only 60-65 percent retention is deleterious to others.</p>

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<p>To clear this up:</p>

<p>" With a student population approaching 50,000, first year retention rates at 85%, and concerns about the sense of community on campus, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs determined that first-year students needed a more seamless integration of their experiences inside and outside the classroom. The FIG model, successfully used by our several of our peers, was adapted to meet the unique needs of students at the University of Texas at Austin."</p>

<p>85% retention is not bad – it would have to be pretty good, because part of the USNews rankings, which UT Austin does relatively well in, are based on retention rates.</p>

<p>To the point of the post: yes you have a shot. A 3.75 is an admirable college GPA anywhere, and in engineering it’s excellent, especially first year (aren’t those the weeders?). However, you have two big things working heavily against you, at least at Berkeley: you’re apparently out of state (unless you’re out of state at UT-A and happen to be a Cali resident?), and Berkeley only takes transfers with 60-89 transferable semester units.</p>

<p>Still, it’s probably worth a shot!</p>

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<p>That sounds much more accurate than bball’s figure. Thanks, undecided, for the post.</p>

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<p>thanx for the reply.</p>

<p>so does that mean berkeley takes transfer only in the junior year . </p>

<p>n can u help out with caltech. I know I have to take an entrance exam for caltech . but i dont have a sample question and I dont know on what levels of calculus and physics are they gonna test on. I appreciate ur help. </p>

<p>thanx again</p>

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<p>I can’t find the precise text so I won’t say it with 100% certainty or any authority, but to my knowledge, yes, Berkeley only takes junior-year transfers, nothing higher and nothing lower.</p>

<p>I don’t know a thing about CalTech, though, so I’ll defer to others on that point. Good luck.</p>

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<p>To my knowledge (not 100% sure), I have had a friend who applied to Caltech, and this what I remember what he told me…</p>

<p>Math portion (Diff Eq, Mulitvariable Calculus, Linear Algebra)</p>

<p>Physics (Mechanics, E&M, relativity)</p>

<p>I am not sure if you’d have to take a 3rd test…</p>

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<p>I will be applying as a transfer to Caltech next year as well. You only have to take a math and physics exam. A chemistry exam will also be required if you are interested in majoring in Chemistry or ChemE. It says what will be on the transfer exam here: <a href=“http://admissions.caltech.edu/admissions/transfer[/url]”>http://admissions.caltech.edu/admissions/transfer&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>This most likely means all of the calculus that you have available (which is only 3 courses, semester each for me) and those specified physics topics (which for me would be 3 out of 4 physics classes).</p>

<p>mosharma has direct evidence of what will be on the test from a friend who applied. I am sure that what he said sounds about right because I am following an agreement between my college and Caltech and they will have me finish those topics by the time I will take the exam.</p>

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<p>till now i ve only taken multivariabla calculus, though i have registered for diff eq next semester . i think i can manage physics . can u guys tell me when is the exam i mean there must be a deadline by which the exam should be taken. i think i cannot manage diff eq on my own if the exam is while in the spring semester.
n is relativity coming too. i guess that will be hard .</p>

<p>thanx for the reply .</p>

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<p>They must have it by April 1st. That link I posted says it all…</p>

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<p>sorry i didnt see that sentence first time i followed the link .</p>

<p>i was just wondering r u applying for the junior year or for the sophomore.</p>

<p>is it good to apply for the junior or for the sophomore do u happen to know which one is prefered the most</p>

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<p>Hmmm…that’s actually an interesting question…and one that I think you should post on the Caltech board…where there are several Caltech students who will have great input on this stuff…I would think that it would be Sophomore because they might not think you are at the same level as their students, but that’s probably just for my situation where I will be applying from community college. Hmmm…not sure…do you have to pick which year you are applying for?? Or do they assign it to you when/if they admit you?</p>