I’m a freshman at a school I really, really don’t like. I don’t feel like I’m being challenged at all like this is easier than high school. I want to transfer out as soon as possible maybe to NYU or perhaps even a better school. I have a decent high school track record (mostly As and Bs, a lot of extracurriculars, all honors or advanced classes). I have good grades now (4.0 that I plan to keep), I do a lot of volunteer work, I write for the school paper, I’m a part of the leadership program, and I have a good relationship with all of my professors so I can count on them for a good recommendation letter. However, there’s a visible dip in my high school grades around junior year, I have a 1270 SAT, and a 27 ACT. I know it’s soon to transfer but I’ll retake my SATs and ACTS if I have to. I had a very hard time in high school for some personal reasons, so how can I show these colleges that I deserve to be there rather than the school I’m currently at?