I’m a transfer student with enough funding to pay for all of those applications, and the time to write essays. With a 3.8 GPA will this work?
For us to help you we need more information like SAT and ACT scores. Essay information, never post essays on her though, your extracurriculars your volunteer work. A 3.8 GPA is good but again we can’t chance you with the lack of information you gave us.
Could possibly even be a 3.9 … I will be pursuing my associates in music, and I’m quite good with piano and music theory. Grades should be optimal.
@prettygreat Well not sure what my SAT will be since I took the ACT and did poorly… will probably be hiring a tutor for the SAT since I have enough money to do that now.
Was thinking for the ‘why transfer’ essay making an analogy between Philip Glass’ Einstein on the beach and progression/education. I’m good with writing, so the essay should be good and even great depending.
ECs arent much because I tend not to like clubs, but I have a book club on the internet where we read things like Joyce and Wittgenstein and have skype calls each few chapters. I am in the process of doing research employing fields of linguistics and psychology to evaluate visual-spatial processes in creation of concrete poetry and should be done with it by the end of freshman year. May even start another research project… I really like doing research, and maybe it will compensate for my lack of clubs. I applied to a psychology summer research program at UT Austin but I’m not sure if I’ll get in.
I have an art and writing portfolio and will have piano compositions to submit as well. but I’m not exactly sure if they’ll like what I have.
LoR’s say I’m a mature, diverse student who brought a lot to class discussions and new perspectives, glad to help others or input a controversial topic if need be.
High school grades were nothing special nor were the ECs. 3.1 GPA no APs besides AP Lit senior year.
Going to be declaring a linguistics and English double major with a minor in psychology.
I’ve also built an operating desktop PC. Could I include that?
The highreach list:
Harvard
Yale
Brown
Wesleyan
Cornell
Amherst
Columbia
Bowdoin
Do Amherst, Wesleyan, or Bowdoin offer linguistics as a major or minor?
@merc81 Wesleyan does… I should perhaps choose other colleges, as linguistics is a huge interest of mine, not to even mention to ROI for linguistics grads.
How 'bout this list:
Harvard
Yale
Brown
Wesleyan
Cornell
Rice
Columbia
Swarthmore
But really this thread was meant to address the question: will pigeon holing work in theory and practice?
I would apply to UPenn but I do not think I would fit in there. It’s an extremely extroverted school and I think I would feel like an outcast.
Does this work?
Generally no. Not if you are coming from a less selective school and applying to a more selective school, especially if you don’t have a good reason for wanting to transfer. If you are going to be a linguistics and English double major with a minor in psychology, you will have to make a credible case for why you can’t accomplish your goals at your current school, without appearing to lack initiative.
Where I’ve seen transfers work: from a more selective to a less selective school (especially one that has a lower 4-year graduation rate), from a school that doesn’t offer a particular subject (like engineering) to one that does, from a community college to a 4 year college, from a school out of area to in area if there is family need or a health issue, from private to in-state public, from a school where acceptance was contingent on your ‘talent’ - like a recruited athlete or musician who is unable to play due to injury - to another school where the hook isn’t an issue. What I haven’t seen is a good student at moderately selective school X transfer to more selective school Y because they are hoping to ‘trade up’ in prestige.
But this is anecdotal - others may have a better feel of when transfer applications are most likely to be successful from a less selective to a more selective school.
@N’sMom I am at a community college right now. Thank you!
I think all those highly selective schools will require your HS info (Grades and Scores). Check it out yourself. Google the Common Data Set for each, section D.
Amherst doesn’t allow minors, only single-double-triple majors.
…but Amherst does like transfers who excelled in community college.
@“Erin’s Dad” Do you think I would be denied on the basis of my 85% average?
Unsure where you found that Wesleyan had a linguistics department…their “areas of study” webpage says otherwise.
@okon2122 I’m currently looking for linguistics colleges as well. I certainly understand the struggle of trying to balance fit with the environment with strength of the department. I’m not a transfer student so I can’t speak to that. But PM me anyway if you wanna talk about linguistics colleges (or linguistics in general, seeing as it’s super interesting XD ).
I don’t think Harvard and Yale accept transfers.
What were your high school test scores and GPA?
The ACT and SAT are for high school students. Don’t know how much weight schools give them when taken as a sophomore in college since the scoring would be less meaningful.
@mom2collegekids I didn’t take the tests in high school. Harvard and Yale do accept transfers, however very very little.
Yes very little. H <1% http://oir.harvard.edu/files/huoir/files/harvard_cds_2013-14.pdf?m=1420474747
Y ~3% http://oir.yale.edu/sites/default/files/CDS2014_2015_5.pdf
They also both look at HS info. Yes I think an 85% would be a non-starter for both of those schools. IMO you can find better options for your application $ as a transfer with a good college GPA.
If H & Y accept a few transfers, then I would bet that those are extremely specially hooked transfers…maybe athletes filling some empty spots or…maybe the child of a hired endowed chaired prof.