Transfer with a dreadful high school record.

iborpastan
Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:11:10 +0000

Ok, Since when is an 86 average “horrendous” ? There’s nothing unusual about making it into a 4 year school with an 86 average. There are plenty of decent state universities that would take that grade any day as long as your SATs aren’t genuinely horrendous.

That said, you’re right, if you do well in college, your high school grades don’t matter as much. If you intend to transfer into your state’s “flagship” state school from a lower state school, they probably won’t matter at all. However, for most selective private colleges and universities, they will be looked at. Adcoms always like to talk about how much they love upward trends, so in a way, it might give you an extra boost depending on your circumstances. For example, you might have had a genuine hardship that affected you deeply in high school.

I don’t know anything more about you. What is your top choice anyway? What do you do for fun? (yes, that matters :P), what about organizations you’re involved? Nowadays there’s so much grade inflation that it’s sad that at many schools an 86 average looks horrendous when you take a look at the big picture, while at a competitive high school, an 86 average may be perfectly decent.

There is nothing stopping you right now really. I read in my local paper last year about a woman who transferred into Oxford University from my town’s local community college. However, in cases such as those (or transfers into any super prestigious universities) it’s more than just about grades, as you probably know.

Consider why you want to transfer. I have a feeling, that especially for top schools, that’s an important factor. (most top schools have a supplement essay asking why you want to go there) Are you transferring simply because you seek out the prestige? If so, that probably isn’t a compelling reason. You may end up happy at your current 4 year college. However, if you feel like you aren’t being challenged there or that you don’t like the social environment while you’re there, or if you don’t like their program with the major that interests you, by all means transfer.