Currently a sophomore student at a top 40 national liberal arts college finishing my fall semester with a 4.0 including an A in Organic Chemistry. However my cumulative gpa is only a 3.5(3.0 freshman fall, 3.5 spring). My first semester was at a different liberal arts college also top 40 ranked which was very similar but I transferred out due to a unique one time circumstance which has been resolved. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do which is why I went to a LAC but now that I know I want to persue a career in nutrition and health services I want to go to a larger school with more dedicated resources since my school does not have my intended major. Before this I thought I wanted to go into the medical field. My extra curriculars are just finishing my EMT certification, volunteering at a hospital, shadowing nutritionists, working part time as a caddie over the summer, and being a competitive division 3 student athlete for my current school which I don’t plan on competing after transferring. I also founded a school funded club at my current school with 60 members. My current school lists are UCLA, UCB, UVA, NYU, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Emory, and Villanova. What are my odds at each of them(my top pick would be NYU Steinhardt)? Do I have a strong narrative? Also what can J do in the next two months to further strengthen my application before I apply. Also money won’t be a factor, I won’t be applying for aid.
For the UCs, there’s info online about average transfer GPA and admit rate by major: Transfers by major | University of California
Apply and see.
Given grad school is probably, wouldn’t a pre health sciences major be ok where you are?
You can look at each Common Data Set Section D - for example, Vandy submitted near 700 of 3200 transfers - so much higher than out of high school. They don’t show stats.
Notre Dame had 1,064 applicants and accepted 267. They require a 3.0 but that doesn’t mean you get in.
But don’t forget, you might also lose credits which could extend the time to finish.
Good luck.
If you really want to transfer you should add some schools to your list that are easier to get into. The one nutritionist I know went to UConn. You don’t need a highly selective school for this major.
Being male (assuming based on user name) and full pay should help you.
What is the exact major you are looking for? I am not sure I understand why you need to transfer, there must be some health adjacent majors at your current college…one can be a bio or chem major and become a nutritionist. I expect your current school has those two majors. So then, I am left to wonder why you want to transfer, because you don’t need to. And you will have to cover that in your apps.
All of the schools on your list will be reaches but I agree with tsbna you can try. The UCs prioritize transfers coming from California CCs…did you attend HS in CA/do your parents live there? I also second the post that if you are certain you want to transfer, you have to put some more likely schools on your list. Good luck.
The above is an important factor when explaining one’s reason for desiring to transfer. Essentially, there is an unfixable issue at your current school that will not be an issue at any of your target schools.
Have you considered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) ?
Also consider ASU, Purdue, Ohio State, U Minnesota, U Texas at Austin, and Cornell.
I agree to add - not because OP won’t get into any of these.
I just think transfer admissions are too hard to understand.
There are nuances, like @Mwfan1921 mentioned about UCs and that holds to other publics - so a rate might be higher than it seems.
There’s no SAT, etc.
So I think it’s hard to evaluate. If a student said they got into the top school, I guess I wouldn’t be surprised. But if they said they got turned down everywhere, I also wouldn’t be surprised - because I simply don’t understand.
I do think - just thinking out loud - Villanova is likely - forgetting the 40%+ acceptance rate. I heard the words - FULL PAY 
OP talked about two top 40 LACs. Is that even a thing? Frankly, I don’t think it matters, even if you’re at #35 Franklin & Marshall or #96 Susquehanna. There are no top 40 LACs - that’s just for magazine sales and clickbait.
But if OP is then hoping for the same at a top school - then you lessen your odds.
I’d find a college with the programs to fit your desire and worry less about if it’s Villanova or Creighton, UCLA or Arizona, Vanderbilt or Butler. For a career in nutrition, I can’t imagine anyone is likely to care.
I just learned my derm went to Kentucky and then E Carolina for med school. Yet, I can’t get an appointment a year out. That’s how medicine is.
My wife has something with her liver and is going to see a nutritionist - doesn’t know where she went, doesn’t care where she went, etc.
So if you want to leave and your list might be great - but maybe expand it and go downward in selectivity - just in case. It may not be needed but transfer admissions are such an unknown for the vast majority I’d think.
Many more selective colleges are more opaque about transfer admissions than frosh admissions (California publics seem to be an exception). So it is not surprising that most people find transfer admissions more difficult to understand and predict than frosh admissions.
I meant at least according to the usnews ranking the lac’s I went to are ranked in the top 40, not that it really matters at that level but just perspective
I just did a search on College Navigator (the feds’ website) to see which of the schools on your list offered any of these majors:
- Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist
- Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other
- Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
- Human Nutrition
- Nutrition Sciences
NYU and UC-Berkeley offer a Bachelor’s in Nutrition Sciences. None of the other schools on your list do, so why are you applying to them?
If you’re a California resident, UC-Davis also offers a major in Nutrition Sciences.
This should hopefully pull up the 203 4-year colleges that offer a degree in one of the above nutrition fields.
I’m confused by your list. If your sole motivation for transferring is because of intended major, you’re missing a lot of opportunities by leaving of the large number of state schools that have great nutrition programs, or the more pre-professional schools (especially those that require an internship like NEU or Cincinatti). If you want T40 status, Cornell would be the program to shoot for.