Should I apply to Brown and Cornell or stick with UCs?

Transfer Students
1

I am a second-semester sophomore at a California Community College who had poor grades in high school and did not take the SAT or ACT but quickly turned things around in college, to the point where I currently have a 3.68 and have been named to the Dean’s List at my college.

In addition to my strong college performance, I have also been involved in the political process for nine of my nineteen years, including stints on political campaigns of all levels, for which I have received local media recognition. I also published an ebook during my junior year of high school on the results of an exhaustive leadership studies project for which I spent the better part of a decade arranging and conducting interviews with major political and business leaders without any assistance.

I have plans to transfer to a four-year university this fall and have already received a Transfer Admission Guarantee from UC Davis, however, I wanted to see whether my academic improvement and long history of major-related extracurricular activity would give me a fighting chance of transferring to somewhere like Brown or Cornell, since they both do not require standardized test scores for transfer, or whether I should stick with UCs and non-Ivy League colleges like American University and GWU. If anyone has any suggestions on other colleges to take a closer look at for IR or Poli Sci, please let me know.

Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks!

2

It depends on how interested you are. It is a lot of effort to put in. Also there could be affordability issues. If you look in the Brown forum, there are usually threads for transfers and they are often really unique and outstanding candidates and some get in and some don’t. Not to discourage, just to inform. I really don’t think you can reach back to Jr year hs, but maybe…I think what you have been doing the last couple of years will be the most important. And your personal statements and focus on the college and the fit with your aspirations for your major.

3

if you can afford the money then apply to brown and cornell.

take the act or sat test