I’m currently a Computer Engineer freshman at RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), and I am considering transferring. I do not like the social life, campus, location, or classes here, and I feel as though I am overall unhappy with my choice.
However, I feel as though I have not been performing as well as I should be in classes. First semester is about to end, and I predict my GPA will end up being around a 3.3, as I took 20 credits and a rigorous courseload. However, I hope to combat that with higher second semester grades, research, a club leadership position as a freshman, and contributions to an open source project. Also, as another reference, here are some of my high school stats: (3.7 UW, 1560 SAT, 3 leadership positions on varsity and clubs, National Merit finalist), and here are some other extracurriculars: (AI organization ambassador, AI Software developer company intern, summer camp counselor).
I am hoping on applying transfer to schools like UChicago (CS), Columbia (Arts and Sciences for CS-mathematics), Cornell (CS), UMich (CS), Harvard(CS), Yale(CS&Mathematics), and UPenn(Coe for either AI or CS). Yes, all very competitive top colleges.
Would my first semester GPA make transferring much harder/impossible? Are there different schools I should consider?
Is it the case that you would like to move out of computer engineering and move into either computer science or computer science and mathematics?
Yes, I don’t think I particularly enjoy Computer Engineering-- I’m hoping to transition out of it into pure CS, and potentially mathematics because I really enjoy math. I’m also hoping it will be a good reason to justify transferring, because I haven’t found the right major here.
If you try to transfer as a sophomore, both your high school and college records will matter. 3.3 college GPA seems like it would make your transfer targets unlikely, and 3.7 HS GPA would not really help for your transfer targets.
A site such as this might help you screen for colleges that seem receptive to transfer students:
You will see that acceptance rates may be substantially different for transfer applicants than for those applying as first-year students. Harvard, for example, accepted just 1% of its recent transfer applicants according to the site. Nonetheless, opportunities can be found elsewhere. The University of Rochester, as a more accommodating example, accepted 39% of its transfer applicants.
Regarding your particular record, a 3.3 can be regarded as a good GPA in the context of a rigorous schedule at a rigorous school such as RPI. However, a GPA in this range would not seem sufficient for acceptance at schools with sub-5% transfer admission rates, such as some of those on your tentative list. And, unless I’m missing something, your second semester grades may not be considered unless you postpone your transfer goals until beyond the fall of 2025.
Did you apply to any of these last year as a HS senior? What other schools accepted you last year?
If you are certain you want to transfer you will have to apply to at least one affordable highly likely/safety school. Will you be applying for financial aid? What is your home state?
Big picture, your HS record will still be important if you apply to transfer for next fall. And coupled with a 3.3 at RPI (you won’t have second semester grades when sending in your transfer apps, although some schools might wait for that info before making a decision on your app), it doesn’t seem that applying to highly rejective schools is a sound strategy.
Doesn’t RPI have CS and math majors? Why would they not work? Or are you just done with RPI?
In HS, I was able to get into schools like URochester, UMass, and Purdue with scholarships, was waitlisted at UMich, and rejected from Cornell and Uchicago(Ed2). My home state is NY. I do have a guaranteed transfer option at BU with a scholarship from National Merit, so I am hoping to use that as an option to fall back on. I do think I will be applying for financial aid, though.
I do think I am done with RPI. The social and academic culture, paired with the location and some other aspects have made it an incredibly depressing freshman year experience for me, and I truly think that I will have a better experience elsewhere.
I would look at Rochester, UMass and Purdue then, although I doubt you will receive the same scholarship $. All you can do is apply and see. Do you like any of those choices better than the BU guaranteed transfer option? I don’t think the decision with one semester of college grades is going to be different at Michigan, Cornell or Chicago than it was earlier this year.
That’s a great option, if affordable and you meet all the transfer criteria.
What is your budget? At some schools, transfers will receive less FA than incoming first years. You can run the NPCs of the schools on your list to see which will be affordable. For example, I would expect zero in FA from Michigan if you were accepted. Cornell and Chicago will meet full need, but if you don’t qualify for need based aid you will be full pay. Do you qualify for need based aid?
So you ended up at a school that you now believe is not the right fit. How are you preventing a repeat of that problem in your transfer approach?
Don’t assume that getting into a super-selective school with brand cachet will bring contentment. (There are unhappy students at those schools, too.) Each of the schools you’ve named have different cultures and characteristics, socially and academically.
I recommend setting aside prestige for a bit and reflecting on the kind of environment where you will thrive. You also need a more balanced list. Based on the info you’ve provided, I don’t see you being successful with the schools you’ve named.
Purdue CS is already closed for transfer students for Fall '25. (Closed Programs - Undergraduate Admissions - Purdue University)
(And honestly, I don’t think the vibe for CS or math at Purdue would be much different than at RPI. My D felt they were very similar).
Thanks for sharing, so early to be closed for transfers!
Pretty typical for Purdue for the popular majors…
Scroll down to transfer students. Listed closed to transfers for Fall '25 are:
Ag and Bio engineering
AI
CS
Data Science
FY Engineering
Integrated Business Engineering
Math and CS
Nursing
If you might like to change your collegiate environment in a broad sense, the CS plus math offerings at some LACs may be well-suited to your academic interests.
I’m tagging on to this spot on point.
Our son was a Rensselaer Medalist. As such he was automatically granted a large scholarship and applied. When we visited and talked to students on campus, the primary reason everyone cited for attending was the money. Otherwise his opinion was the same as yours *before making a decision to move forward.”
So, restating @Metawampe’s great point, what are your plans for knowing your next school will be a good fit before you apply? Selectivity has little to none to do with it.
If you have met the requirements for the guaranteed transfer to BU, the school is affordable, and you would be excited to attend then you are in good shape. Just be sure you continue to meet all of the transfer requirements set forth in the agreement (classes, grades, etc.) next semester.
The other colleges you mentioned are highly unlikely admits with a 3.3 GPA this semester – but if you want to give a couple of them a shot nobody here will stop you.
And I have a friend whose daughter just transferred out of BU after freshman year because she didn’t like the culture. This was after doing extensive research coast to coast while she was in high school. She’s now at Tulane.
This girl’s experience of course means nothing for @jia2, but it is a cautionary tale for the school which is currently the first option. To @Metawampe’s point be careful about the next step and do your homework.
lehigh
I would be very surprised if you were accepted to any of these schools with a 3.3 university GPA and a 3.7 high school GPA.
20 credits is a LOT. University is generally more difficult than high school. Upper year classes are going to get even more difficult. I am wondering if you would enjoy university more if you were not quite so overloaded.
I would agree with you regarding these subjects (I was a math major in university, and took a fair amount of CS, but avoided CE).
However, I thought that RPI was quite good for both mathematics and CS. I do not see how this is a justification for transferring. I did just look at the RPI web page and saw both majors, for any of a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD, which suggests that they have a good range of courses available. I also saw a good range of subfields of mathematics.
These schools are also good for math and CS. There is no guarantee that you will get in again, nor that you will get the same scholarship as a transfer student. It might however not hurt to ask. I do not know how you can be confident that they will be a better fit compared to RPI.
This might be your best chance. It might not be easy to figure out whether BU would really be a better fit for you. Finding a good fit can be a challenge, and I do not know whether any of us can be sure until after we attend a university for a while and see how it goes.
What is the social and academic culture at RPI? Is it a highly competitive school, or a party school, or is there something else that would make it a bad fit? What do you expect will be better elsewhere?
If you don’t mind me asking, where are you now? Did you get a transfer into the university you were looking to go to? Have things improved at RPI?
Transferring to highly competitive schools can be challenging, especially with a first-semester GPA of 3.3. However, your strong high school records and gaining higher grades in your second semester, along with leadership roles and extracurriculars, can strengthen your application. Admissions committees often look for improvement and commitment to your field. It’s also wise to consider a mix of target and safety schools to increase your chances of acceptance. Schools with strong CS programs but slightly lower competition might include Georgia Tech, University of Washington, or UC San Diego. Focus on expressing clearly why you want to transfer and how it aligns with your goals.