Cornell First-Year Looking to Transfer

fairratings
Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:58:34 +0000

I’m a first-year economics major at Cornell, and after my first semester here, I can pretty confidently say that I want to transfer. Many reasons for such a decision obviously, but some of the bigger ones are location, the over-dominance of greek life, and the lack of a specified international relations major (in which I planned on majoring before coming to Cornell).
Some of my top choices are:
Brown, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Stanford
I know this may seem like a ridiculous list, but these are the schools I looked into, visited (with the exception of Stanford), and loved the most. In Brown and Columbia’s case, I applied last year and got denied (which already worries me because I heard once denied, you’ll most likely be again). The rest I’ve never applied to before.

I went to a top boarding school in Connecticut, and maintained mostly A-'s with a few A’s and B+'s here and there (with the exception of my sophomore year, which was my first year at prep school and I struggled a bit with the sudden increase in rigor). So I received High Honors in every term except my sophomore year.

Here are my statistics in general. Please note that my high school did not calculate or notify an official GPA to students and colleges, so the numbers are very approximate (and unweighted) that I got by punching in my grades in the calculator:
-SAT I: 2330 (CR: 780, M: 750, W: 800; Essay 12)
-SAT II French w/ Listening: 800
-SAT II Math 2c: 790
-SAT II Chemistry: 750
-HS Senior GPA (Unweighted): app. 3.7
-HS Junior GPA (Unweighted): app. 3.6
-HS Soph. GPA (Unweighted): app. 3.3 (The adjustment slump I mentioned above is pretty clear isn’t it? At least I consistently improved, which i hope will shed some positive light on my application)
-AP/Honors Courses I took: Micro/MacroEconomics, French Language, English Literature, Calculus AB, Environmental Science, French III Honors, Geometry Honors, Bio II Honors, French V Honors
-AP Exams I took: Microeconomics (4), Macroeconomics (3), French Language (3), Environmental Science (4)

College Grades (First Semester):
-French 209/Intermediate (4 credits): B+
-Macroeconomics 112/Intro (3 credits): A-
-Writing Seminar (3 Credits): A-
-Hip Hop 239: Beats, Rhymes, and Life (3 credits): B+

Extracurriculars/Community Service:
-Resident Advisor/Prefect
-Tour Guide
-President, The Human Orchestra (my school’s vocal percussion club)
-Soloist, Jazz Clarinet and Tenor Saxophone
-A Cappella Groups (Vocalist/Tenor & Vocal Percussionist)
-Volunteer Clarinet instructor at an underprivileged girls’ elementary/middle school
-Model UN
-Participated in The Asian American Leadership Conference At Yale
-Volunteer Tutor/Caretaker at local public elementary school
-Intern, I translated and interpreted for a global electronics company and a travel agency
-Last but not least, I took the last 3 weeks of my senior year off to pursue a Senior Project (Independent Study) travelling across the country filming a documentary on Hip Hop culture and history. I definitely will send this piece in when, and if, I apply.

So, considering everything above, should I even bother applying to these top schools (Brown, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Stanford)? I know it’s a tough question to answer, but in your opinion do I have a shot, or should I wait out another year and transfer after my sophomore year?
Thank you in advance, and please let me know if you need any clarification/further information!