HS record weight? SMC-> Stanford/Cornell/Pomona/Hopkins

Transfer Students
1

<p>So in HS my record was good enough to get me into mid tier UCs (SD/SB/I/R) and USC but there was a financial aid mishap and whatnot with my final choice (UCSD). So I chose to go to Santa Monica College. I have a good story behind the grades, rather wouldn’t go into detail since for some reason I chose to use my real name for my username. Anyhow, the record and why I am afraid it’s gonna hold me back:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.0 from Calif Acad Math & Science WEIGHTED. 2.7 UW.
SAT: 2240 (Cumulative)-Not gonna bother retaking.
SAT II: 760 MathII, 640 Bio. I’m retaking and studying this time. Pretty sure they will be 800’s
ECs: Pretty short list, mostly volunteering and college prep programs. 1 internship</p>

<p>I will pull a 4.0 at SMC this semester, 4.0 overall including two other college courses</p>

<p>I just don’t see the turnaround story going for me since it will only be a gap of 1.5 years between the time I apply for transfer and my highschool graduation. I’ve turned around academically, but how am I supposed to dazzle adcoms, really convince them that I have indeed changed. I’m also a Black male from Compton, a pretty terrible neighborhood 2.5 hours away from SMC by bus. I’ve neurotically reviewed a lot of Jack Kent Cooke Scholars profiles of transfer students and they seem otherworldly, inhumanly amazing. How do us mortals compete?</p>

2

<p>To be honest dude, being a black male from Compton with those kind of stats is probably going to be good enough story.</p>

3

<p>Whoa. A black male from Compton… Talk about how the environment was too difficult back then, and now that you’re away from Compton, you can focus etc etc.</p>

4

<p>Dre went to Compton and found The Game in the slums.</p>

5

<p>I still don’t think the turnaround story is enough. Anyone have similar experience?</p>

6

<p>This is simply anecdotal, but a friend of mine is at Stanford, and met a transfer from Riverside Community.</p>

<p>Riverside is not even that bad compared to areas of Los Angeles, but she said she used the turn-around story. Just saying. Worth a try. :)</p>

<p>It’s harder than most people realize to overcome adversity like that.</p>

7

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<p>He was selling that skunk with one hand on his gun. He was selling rocks when Master P was saying unnnhhhh.</p>

<p>Jokes aside, I believe Compton usually ranks within the top 15 most dangerous cities in the US, so that’s definitely a huge hook which you could use to your advantage. Obviously, you must have really impressed someone since you got admitted to USC with only a 3.0</p>

<p>It’s great to see a black male from such an impoverished area striving to achieve more than what was allotted to him in life. Good luck.</p>

8

<p>O wait, I just realized that you’re applying to Stanford and Hopkins.</p>

<p>Neither of those schools are very transfer-friendly, so chances are pretty slim. I’d say choose some more safeties. </p>

<p>You should also wait another year to apply in order to mitigate your sub-par high school record. Depending upon which college you apply to at Cornell, you may have a great shot if you write some stellar essays and get involved with more ECs.</p>

9

<p>Yeah UCLA is my safety since I’m going to be in the honors program at SMC and they have a 90%+ admissions rate to UCLA. I’m also looking at UCSD for bioengineering, it’s supposed to be ‘up there’ with Hopkins.
I’m also definitely waiting another year to up my chances.</p>

<p>That Riverside CC-> Stanford story really gives me hope. :D</p>

10

<p>Wow… UCLA a safety…</p>

<p>that’s all my saying…</p>

11

<p>if your applying as a junior your hs record wont carry to much weight.</p>

12

<p>SMC Honors program has a ridiculous acceptance rate to UCLA. I have a brother that graduated from there and then went on to Harvard Med, and a sister currently there; so I’m not worried about UCLA. I’d still consider it an accomplishment to get in, it’s a great school.</p>

<p>Stanford/Hopkins/Cornell are the ones that intimidate me.
[Applicant</a> Profile : Stanford University](<a href=“Page Not Found : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University)
1.9% admissions rate for Stanford… I don’t think anyone actually thinks they will get in.</p>

<p>Hopkins is 63/722, so like 8/9%. I’d prefer it if they required test scores, but I can see why tests that predict college readiness aren’t too important to them.</p>

<p>Pomona and Cornell seem like the easiest to get into. But I don’t feel too fuzzy about a 10% admissions rate.</p>