Hello there!
Lately I’ve been considering transferring away from Cal Poly Pomona but I don’t really know where I should attempt to transfer too. Looking at admissions sites I see a wide variety of Top 50 Universities saying they would like to see a “3.3 GPA to be competitive”-- however, this seems a little bit misleading.
I currently have a 3.79 GPA and plan to major in Philosophy.
My question is, what schools do I have a realistic chance of getting into?
The first question you have to ask yourself is How much money can my parents afford?
Transfers get lousy aid. They don’t have access to the big merit scholarships and pretty much get the financial aid leftover from the freshmen.
At least the “why transfer” question is easy to answer - CPP isn’t the right place if you’re interested in Philosophy.
If you’re a girl, Scripps or Mount Holyoke; look into Occidental, LMU-LA (+ other Jesuit schools like Fordham, Santa Clara, Holy Cross, Creighton, Loyola-Maryland, Loyola-Chicago, St Louis University, GOnzaga…), and, if money is no object, NYU.
Do I actually have a shot at getting into NYU? I want to go on to graduate studies in Philosophy so obviously the only problem with NYU would be the cost. Other universities I’ve been looking at extensively are The University of Toronto at St. George, the City University of New York, Claremont Mckenna, and Pitzer. My one problem with Claremont Mckenna would be that they require SAT scores and mine are just over five years old. So, considering that NYU is an actual possibility-- how about these schools that are slightly more affordable?
Are you a California resident? If so, given your GPA, you should have good chances as a junior year transfer (is that correct?) into the UC system. You’re likely to find the UCs significantly different from Cal Poly, more affordable and with more depth in your proposed major than some of the colleges you’ve named.
the real question isn’t what schools will accept you. With a 3.79 you nominally qualify to be accepted at most schools in the country. The question is what do you want? Setting (urban, rural, suburban)? Class size? Location? Cost? Type of students it attracts? Advising system? Extracurricular items of particular interest to you?
To your direct question–yes, NYU would give you serious consideration.
I agree the UCs would be the best choice if you’re a CA resident and if you have sufficient credits (I assumed you only had 1 semester- worth of credits and only now realized you may be a sophomore planning to transfer for junior year).
I had always heard it is nearly impossible to get into UCs from the CSU system because of the priority they place on CC students. Is this not the case? And to clear up some confusion, I am a sophomore looking to transfer out.
Yes, that’s correct, it’s almost impossible to go from CSU to UC. However, philosophy is not such a popular major that your odds are shot from the get-go. 
if I were you, I’d apply as widely, in terms of UCs, as I financially can - obviously include UCSC, but why not a few others including UCSB, UCLA, and UCB? (You never know… I have a hunch, though, that there isn’t an overabundance of CC transfers clamoring to get into philosophy with all their entry to major pre-reqs completed.)
UCM would likely admit you:
http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2012/campus-humanities-center-expand-mission-private-gift
NYU has a premier program, but their main problems are 1° lousy financial aid and 2° no housing (and housing in NYC is VERY expensive, we’re talking $1-1,400 for a ROOM in an apartment not too far from the school!!!)
UCLA treats you the same I think. My daughter’s ex boyfriend got into USC from CSUF with 3.8. He had written lousy essay but has since graduated and got a very good job in the music area. He was not rich so I don’t know if he had to borrow to go to USC.
Hey everyone!
Sort of a delayed response here, but I’ve been doing a lot of my own research and narrowed down my search to a couple of schools and would really like some opinions. So far, what I’ve found is that Pitzer would most likely be perfect for me, but they seem quite selective (although, would they maybe take a philosophy major with not-the-best-GPA?). The other schools I want to apply to are UCMerced, UC Riverside, University of Toronto, and UMASS Amherst.
So, simply put, I’d like to know what everyone thinks about applying to these schools and whether or not I’m a shoo-in for any of them? Also, maybe help me cut a school or two off of the list so I can save a bit of money.
Something I did forget to mention that might help me is that I do co-own a small business here in Southern California, however it has just about nothing to do with philosophy.
Thanks in advance!
@mikemac @BlindCaesar with a 3.79 you would qualify, but that isn’t all that goes into your chances of being accepted, so I think it’s still a valid question… It would be wrong to assume that a 3.79 GPA applicant will automatically get accepted over a 3.5 GPA, for example… It’s hard to say for sure what someone’s chances are unless you know more about the prospective school… Consider if you’re in the right area, if the school you’re applying to gives priority to it’s local area first, if the school has a selective acceptance rate for not only transfers overall but in your prospective major, the number of units you transfer with by spring, whether or not you have all or most of the pre-reqs for your major done by the time you finish the spring semester vs what is in progress, if the courses you took articulates (things may transfer in terms of GE credit such as GE Breadth and IGETC, but the particular major may have requirements that go above and beyond so if you have absolutely every major-prep course done you have the best chance). Each school uses an algorithm that awards points to certain qualifications, and while GPA is definitely up there, there’s always more that goes into it. This is not even considering the obvious: quality of personal statements, essays, extra curriculars, community service, recommendations, etc (if applicable)
You could honestly probably get into UCB. Top philosophy program and whatnot. The average GPA accepted is ~3.6 (they don’t provide stats, but I’ve done a good amount of research, and this seems to be accurate from what I know).
Which philosophy courses have you taken thus far? The prerequisites are Intro to Symbolic Logic, Ancient Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy. (I should add - almost no CCC’s have these prerequisites articulated in CA. Many Philosophy majors transfer without having completed any prerequisites. It’d be a good idea to take similar classes if you’re interested in transferring, though. UCB’s requirements are different from UCLA’s, but they are somewhat similar.)
(really, you could likely get into any of the UC’s with careful planning. there are some logistical things that you would have to focus on - namely how you will fulfill GE stuff - but I think you have as good of a shot as anyone).
Feel free to message me if you have questions. I have decent knowledge regarding what departments are like at the various UC’s. I’m a Philosophy major, currently applying to transfer to UCB ideally. I don’t think coming from a CSU is a massive disadvantage - you should just have a solid reason for wanting to transfer.
Because you’re interested in applying to UC’s, I think you should make a post here (people on this thread have transferred from CSU’s to UC’s):
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/
Another edit: Pitzer’s COA is 63k per year. Not at all worth it. UCLA would certainly be better, if you want to remain in Southern California. UCI has a good philosophy department (particularly in continental philosophy, I believe? not entirely sure).
If you’re a CA resident, the UCs are a good bet.
CPP is not devoid of philosophy, despite the school’s overall pre-professional emphasis. See https://www.cpp.edu/~class/philosophy/programs-and-advising/course-descriptions.shtml for a list of philosophy courses.
The schedule at http://schedule.cpp.edu/ indicates that it offers 7 to 10 different upper division philosophy courses each quarter, although it looks like 3 of them seem to be the same ones each quarter (340 Current Debates About Sexuality, 345 Confrontations with the Reaper, and 481 Race and Racism in Western Thought), probably due to popularity (none are required or “choose from this list” of elective core courses, but can be used as other in-major electives, according to https://www.cpp.edu/~class/philosophy/docs/CLASS_Philosophy_2014_Final_ALY.pdf ).
Note that sticker price is different from net price - depending on your Efc Pitzer could well be affordable. Look into Occidental, Pomona and, if you’re a woman, Scripps. Why not? And indeed add many UC s.
I would not choose UMass since you’re likely to have a high sticker price. You could always try Suny Binghamton and Suny Geneseo if you want east coast and not too expensive. But it’ll be hard to beat UC s. Merced is a safety and you should indeed apply to ucsb, ucsd, ucla, ucb. Apply widely because it’s hard to gauge what the criteria will be.
A 3.79 places you in the running, then you have to increase your odds by expanding the number of targets.