Hi, I’m class of 2027 and an international student from Korea. I first went to Canada because we had family relatives there, However things got complicated between her and my mom and she decided to not care about me ( I was 14) Not only that We had multiple problem with mental health and etc. ( it was Vancouver so it’s gloomy all the time) So I transferred to School in private California, the counselor there recommended me to repeat 9th grade as it’s much easier to fit in and better for college app ( I didn’t had As in Canada) I had pretty good time there, made many friends and had a good year, but my parents recommend me to go to “ top “ boarding school in United States. I should’ve said no but I said yes. Now this is a downfall. I had worst time there, mentally, physically. It was an art boarding school in California and it was Worst Worst time of my life. I had to get out of there. SO I transferred AGAIN. And guess what. Now I have worst host family of my life. they fed me the worst food known to man and even though we paid for meals, I pay about 600$- 800$ every month for DoorDash. I need to change my homestay but there isn’t good options here. I’m genuinely thinking about transferring again to OC for my dad’s friends house. But I’m afraid that I won’t getting into any university after having hard time in United States. I will probably have to repeat junior year again ( 9-9-11-11-12 )Which is weird on my transcript. SO my questions are
Does transferring affect college app? Even though I had reasons?
I will apply for art-related major, will it be easier for me to get in?
Is it reasonable to transfer again?
Is it normal for some students to just have bad luck of finding good fit?
Yes, I ( nor my parents) don’t want to go to some random college in suburban, I’m targeting ucs, and nyc schools, art schools too. I just don’t want my transferring history to be viewed as “ floater” even though I am a floater..
Your recurs will be your record. Schools -.not you - will decide whether or not they should admit you.
Lots of students want something. It doesn’t mean it will happen.
But many kids transfer 3, 4 times and get into college. Your academic record matters most. At some schools your ECs will matter and there’s likely a suffering there.
Guess what - schools aren’t random.
You know what’s a like school to UCLA? A U of Arizona. As selective -no. But huge successes and well regarded in so many areas, just like UCLA. And a relatively easy in. Lots of similarities there.
Maybe NYU doesn’t happen but New School does.
But maybe NYU or UCLA do happen.
All you can do is live your life the best that you can given the circumstances you face.
Then you apply and see.
So there’s nothing really for you to gain from posting here, no differently than if you attended one school for four years.
Many target schools but end up at another because it was that other that accepted them or gave them a good scholarship, etc.
And if you don’t want suburban - you apply urban - lots of schools of varying selectivity on urban campuses. VCU, for one, is a top art university and is very urban. The school - not sure about VCU Arts - is not overly selective - as one of many examples.
So are you going to continue to transfer, in order to pay for a school that will give you those “A” grades?
First thing for most students, is to get your mental health in shape. You need to be mentally strong in order to be academically strong. Most UCs use a quarter system calendar. It is rapid. It requires adjusting to more information which is compacted into a finite timeline.
Jumping around repeating years and classes is not a good sign of your academic strength. Get your mental health in order first.
If you decide to major in art, be prepared to stay in that major. Trying to “game” the system because you think it’ll be easier to get in, is not a good strategy.
The target schools that you’ve chosen are tough and competitive. As an international student, the schools aren’t required to accept you. You are not a California resident, so you will not be prioritized and if accepted, you will pay full fees.
well money isn’t problem, and now I am more stable in terms of mental health, my parents decided to split literally right after I went to Canada, and they never showed things like that before so I was just shocked. I’m applying for art major because I’m pretty talented I think, I will be exhibiting my work in Hong Kong art Basel. I get that repeating years aren’t good signs, however I did pretty good jobs of learning and doing things. It’s just that I sometimes failed to catch up and that affects my grade a little. Also, I really did not transfer for grade, if I stayed in boarding school I would probably had all As. I try to prioritize my mental health and social activities first. Sorry I feel like I’m trying to argue lol.. but yeah I think I’m in more ok shape right now, it’s just that I feel like I will regret if I graduate like this, and wasting my teenage years.
I understood, it’s just I usually imagine worst scenario than best, I think about just not transferring and thug this homestay out, and graduate with more stable transcript, or transfer and have better social, academic life, but repeating one more year and less stable transcript. Will college ask the reason of transferring? especially considering that I’m an international student? If so, Will they accept and comprehend MY reasons? ( lack of care in homestay, forced by parents, etc) I feel like when I’m writing essay of describing me, I will need to connect transferring and why/ what have I learned and gained from it. Right?
Most schools look at gpa, SAT, TOEFL and as intl that you can pay.
Some may hold it against. So what ? They’re not going to admit. Only they know.
You needn’t worry about this. Worry about finding a happy place and doing well. The rest will work itself out. Going to a UC or NYC school - and there are many - is not the best all and end all.
If you want to go to an art school they will want to see your portfolio. Look up “portfolio day”. That’s what you need to be working on for an art college.
If you want to go to a bigger university be sure to also search on that university’s name and “common data set” like “UCLA common data set”. Section C will give you a profile of admitted students, what their GPA is, test scores if considered, how important essays are when applying etc.