I am about to enter my second year as a Political Science major at UCLA. Here are my stats:
High School GPA: 4.35
SAT: 2350 (800 Reading, 800 Writing, 750 Math)
SAT Subject tests: Math II - 760, U.S. History - 670, Literature - 770
Took APs (Euro, APUSH, Physics C: Mechanics, Calc BC, Chemistry, Gov, Lit, Stats) and got 5s in all except Chemistry and Gov, which I got 4s in.
uGPA thus far: 3.90
Soft factors include a couple internships in high school, Academic Decathlon, editor of my high school newspaper, some student government work at UCLA, some volunteering on a gubernatorial campaign and a job as a faculty assistant at UCLA Law School.
When I applied as a first year after high school, I was accepted to Cornell but rejected from Brown and Harvard. I suspect this may in part be due to a weaker common app essay. I’m sure there were other factors as well.
I expect my uGPA to remain more or less the same; of course, it could raise or lower somewhat, but hopefully not significantly.
I would like to transfer to an Ivy for the 2019-2020 school year. My hesitation is that it is just so insanely difficult to be accepted. Do you think it would be realistic to apply? What are my chances of actually getting accepted, seeing as I haven’t done anything really extraordinary or exceptional? Is it more difficult to transfer than to get in as a first year?
Thank you for your help!