Transfer chances (Ivy)

poserr
Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:26:15 +0000

To either Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, other Ivies, etc.

I well aware that they accept an extremely small amount each year. I wanted some opinions and tips.

Basically, around age 14 I dropped out of the first week of high school. I struggled with suicidal issues. I was unhappy and came out as transgender. Even so, I still was depressed for a couple years. I had such strong depression that some days I would only sleep. I gave up on keeping track of what day of the week it was. I only wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. On top of that, I was given all sorts of medications, admitted into psychiatric facilities, and forced to participate in outpatient programs. I was in no shape to go to school.

Around 16 years old, after some hormone replacement therapy, I started getting some confidence and decided to get a job. I worked for a year at a dog daycare. It was a demanding job. I was promoted to supervisor in the first 6 months. I made $10/hr. I saved every paycheck and gave it to my parents to deposit in a bank account. I saved diligently because it was the only way to get transgender related surgery; insurance doesn’t cover it. I saved up $15,000. But my parents had spent my money, I found out later. That’s another story…

I got my high school diploma through a small program run by an older man. He was a handwriting expert who worked with the court system. He believed in getting to college as soon as possible, in the cases of dropouts like me who were really behind. So he formed a school without a building. We met several times. He gave me GED type testing. I passed the program and a few months later received a legitimate, registered, high school diploma.

That fall I went to a community college. With no history of grades whatsoever, I figured I had to start somewhere. It’s now my second year, and I’m nearly 20 years old. I have a 4.0GPA and take college level courses. It can be difficult in certain areas such as math, science and history, because I only ‘really’ obtained a middle school education. However, I learn fast and keep myself motivated.

I’m looking to take my SATs next year. Would SAT Subjects help? Are they worth it? I’m willing to put in the effort. I plan on getting at least a 2300 on the regular SAT. Testing is my strong point.

I’m a professional level flute player. And currently teach myself piano. I’m an artist as well. I don’t know if they’d be interested in seeing my work. I can create even more advanced pieces if I put effort into it. I paint on sidewalks, doors, on programs in the computer. Whatever I feel like doing.

Probably the only thing that makes me stand out in a positive light is a science breakthrough I achieved involving bones. I have no idea how to publish it, but perhaps they’d just acknowledge the results (myself being the test subject). I have xrays and records. I pretty much have pages and pages I wrote about why it works, how it works, the results, proof of results, etc. It has not been done successfully before. Do you think they’d be impressed? I did it for myself, not for a contest or anything like that.

Biology is my major and my passion.

It’s been my dream to get into the Ivy League since 6th grade. I honestly didn’t know my life would get all trainwreck-y.

I know transfer rate is already extremely low. What do you all think? I’d apply for the 2014 fall school year. What would you recommend I do to improve my chances?

I don’t know if they really do look for more diversity, but I am black and male (transgender female-to-male). It seems kind of cheap. But perhaps that would help. Who knows.

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