<p>High School: ~2.0GPA
First year CC: 2.54
After this term: 3.0</p>
<p>Expecting 3.5 GPA by time I officially begin Chemistry coursework.</p>
<p>-My major will be chemistry (likely biochem).
-I am in Oregon, attending PCC.
-I’m expecting REU opportunities after my first year.</p>
<p>Goal: Get into a private school, mostly grant-funded, with a good studentrofessor ratio and under grad research opportunities.
Schools:</p>
<p>Willamette University
Lewis and Clark
University of Portland
Reed College
George Fox
Top Tier Schools:
Caltech, Ivies, UC Berkeley, + others (Despite my poor history, I’ll still apply)</p>
<p>I have a very good friend who is UC-Berkeley Under grad and Harvard grad Alum, taught at Yale, and that is currently Philosophy Chair at Willamette. My dad is University of Portland Alumni. Could either of these relationships assist me in getting into either of these schools?</p>
<p>What can I do to stand out positively despite my high school gpa and my rough start in college? I’m going to bust a** trying to get scholarships and summer REUs.</p>
<p>I hope to become involved in ECs like volunteering at the chem lab in OMSI, or doing a Biology co-op.</p>
<p>(Sorry for dupe, I may have posted in wrong section prior)</p>
<p>For the prestigious schools, your chance don’t look good. </p>
<p>A lot people who go to CC because of the poor HS GPA, but your first year college GPA is still not impressive enough especially when you are pursuing a science degree. Also, when you are applying for schools, they want to see the ECs you’ve already done instead of those you want to do.</p>
<p>What you can do: Work as hard as you can to get your GPA up where you say it is heading.</p>
<p>Many schools give some (who knows how much?) preference to “legacy” applicants (ie, applicants whose parents/grandparents/siblings have gone to the school. As such, your father having gone to UoP could help. I don’t see how having a friend who went to Cal/Harvard and is currently a prof would help you. If he had taught you and could write a recommendation… maybe. But just having him as a friend… I don’t see it. He could certainly put in a good word for you with the Admission Office if he so desires, but I don’t know if he’d want to nor whether it would carry any weight.</p>
<p>Even with a 3.5 cumulative transfer GPA, applying to Ivies, CalTech and Berkeley is probably a waste of application money. For the Ivies, a 3.5 is hardly competitive, and unless you have a far-out hook, like you are a male cheerleader from the Philippines or completed a 4 year stint with the US Marines or some other great hook like that, the Ivies are unlikely. CalTech is extremely competitive and I suspect a 3.5 isn’t good enough, and Berkeley OOS student with a 3.5 is definitely not going to cut it.</p>
<p>Many transfer students don’t like the reality chat - but you need a few safeties in your application list - some places where your GPA is considered strong and competitive AND that you could afford with the average aid package that particular college gives out. </p>
<p>You may need to look at in-state publics as your backup safeties–because if you need tons of scholarships, transfer students don’t get much of the scholarship pie, and if you are applying to extremely competitive privates like Reed, a 3.5 (speculated, not even earned yet) isn’t merit scholarship material.</p>
<p>I’m not saying a good school won’t accept you–however, if you need significant scholarship aid, it may end up being a problem of being able to afford the private.</p>