What colleges are at my level?

Transfer Students
1

I just want to know what range of schools I am currently in the running for. :stuck_out_tongue:

I will try to be succinct as possible with my profile thus far:

Demographics:

White/Jewish/Male

Currently, I am a second semester Freshman. I am looking to transfer after my Fall semester of my Sophomore year. (Maybe will finish Soph year, then transfer - what do you think??)

-----HIGH SCHOOL-----

School Type: Very competitive public (One of best in state)
GPA: 3.87ish weighted/4.00
ACT: 29 C, 32 E, 28 M, 30 R, 24 S, 30 W

Freshman Year Schedule:

French 2, Honors World History 1, Honors English 1, Biology, Drawing, Algebra 1, Gym

Sophomore Year Schedule:

Honors French 3, Honors US History 1, Chemistry, Geometry, Algebra II w/ Trig, Honors English 2, Gym

Junior Year Schedule:

Pre-Calculus, Physics, AP English Language and Composition (3), International Business Course, Gym, Honors French 4, Honors US History 2

Senior Year Schedule:

Calculus, AP Economics (Macro and Micro) VHS during Study Hall (3), AP English Literature and Composition (4), Gym, AP Statistics (3), AP World History (3), AP French (3)

Extracurriculars/Awards/Community Service/Etc:

-Volunteer tutor, volunteered on two presidential campaigns (one continued until my first semester of college), and volunteered on a mayoral/council campaign in my community
-A part of the drawing club during my freshman year
-Joined a soccer league outside my school (sort of recreational): Member from Kindergarten to Sophomore Year
-Student at a nearby drawing school (Third Grade-Sophomore Year) (Would have still been enrolled but it shut down)
-Member of DECA
-National Honor Society
-French National Honor Society (President)
-Founder/President of Republican Club at my School
-Honor Roll (Large Number of Times)
-Taught French on Wednesdays after-school with my French teacher to elementary school children in town.
-Most Outstanding Senior in French Award (AATF) - given to one student in school
-AP Scholar with Honor
-Won a UNICO scholarship award

Also completed 3 Mooc Courses.

  1. Crafting an Effective Writer: Tools of the Trade (Taught by professors from Mt. San Jacinto College)
  2. Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms (Taught by professors from Relay Graduate School of Education)

I completed my third class with distinction, but I was unable to obtain a certificate since I had to pay $49.

  1. New Venture Finance: Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs (Taught by professors from University of Maryland, College Park)

-----COLLEGE-----

GPA: 3.93/4.00

First Semester:
(Each class = 4 credits)
First Year Seminar Class (Success in Business Major) - A
History (College did not accept AP score) - A
Macroeconomics (College did not accept AP score) - A-
Math with Applications (Half probability, Half calculus) - A

Right now, second semester:
(Each class = 4 credits) Also, the grades listed are my grades as of now.
Business Law I - A
Social Issues - A
Management Statistics (College did not accept AP score) - A
Astronomy (Science gen-ed) - A

Classes for next semester (Sophomore Year, First Semester):
(Each class = 4 credits)
Intro to Marketing
Principles of Info Tech.
Microeconomics (College did not accept AP score)
Financial Accounting
Theories of Peer Mentoring (Fulfills Social Science req at my institution and needed for extra-curricular down below. Worth 4 credits)

My school accepted my AP Lit scores, granting me with 8 credits (two writing classes). Therefore, total number of credits between the courses I am taking/will be taking and the AP credits = 60.

Extracurriculars/Awards/Community Service/Etc:

-Volunteered on presidential campaign (Worked phone bank)
-Inductee of Alpha Lambda Delta
-Budget Analyst Intern in Budget Office at School (Position offered to me by my professor who saw my capabilities in and outside of the classroom)
-Peer Mentor for First Year Experience classes (will be starting next semester - recently hired. Underwent a rigorous interview process. Very few students selected. Help get first year students adjusted to college life, help out with first year experience classes, etc)
-Merit Scholarship recipient

I am hoping I like next semester and all-in-all decide not to transferā€¦ but I probably will. Would retaking the ACT help me get into better schools? Is there anything I should improve upon? Forgot to mention, I am looking to get an internship this summer as well. By the way, sorry, this was not succinct at all.

Thatā€™s me.

2

retaking the ACT may help, but I think that with a little more EC involvement (join a club you think youā€™d like and maybe get a leadership positionā€¦! accomplish some stuff!) you are in the running for a lot of schools. You can get a lot of better suggestions if you can explain what you donā€™t like about your current school, what you hope to have in your new school, and basic stuff like that. Itā€™s hard to just suggest a school to somebody based off of stats alone. If you just want to get into a higher ranked school, and are wondering if your stats could get you there, well you are a competitive applicant (but the ACT retaking and EC building will make you even more so)

3

@somehmonggirl Thank you so very much for your feedback!! :slight_smile:

4

Iā€™d appreciate more opinions.

-Bump-

5

Iā€™d retake the ACT, even 1 higher composite score is better :slight_smile:

6

@philbegas Hmm, you really think itā€™s worth it? I keep getting contradicting opinions, ha! If I do not retake it, what schools are in my range?

7

I had a worse college GPA and FAR worse ECs and awards than you and I got into a top 15 uni, so Iā€™m pretty sure you can do just as well and may even be competitive at the top10. Your ACT is a bit of a red mark on your app, but if you transfer after sophomore year then it wonā€™t matter as much. I would still recommend a retake if you have time and feel you can do better - it canā€™t hurt. Some volunteer hours (out of school) might help too, since a lot of schools like to see community involvement, but internships are probably a more impressive outside-of-school activity (imo).

Make sure you nail your essays and supplements - make use of your schoolā€™s writing center. I have a feeling that these and my volunteer hours helped override my poor EC involvement, as they provided solid ā€œsoft factorsā€ for the adcomm to assess me by in lieu of clubs.

And also make sure to mention your Mooc courses - even the one you didnā€™t get a certificate for - in the "additional information " part of the writing section on the common app.

Btw with those grades shouldnā€™t your GPA be 3.95?

8

One issue will be financial aid, as many universities do not meet need for transfers.
Since you couldnā€™t afford $49 itā€™s possible you wonā€™t be able to transfer.
Iā€™d aim for universities with excellent financial aid for freshmen and hope you are among the transfers for whom they meet need.

9

@aznboi4981 When did you last take the ACT? Iā€™m operating under the assumption it was a couple years ago at this point.

10

@Mukigachar Sorry for not mentioning, but I do have tons of community service hours when it comes to campaigning and peer-tutoring. I am definitely looking for another internship for the summer months. And to your last question, my first semester grades (A, A, A, A-) equates to a 3.93. Once you add in this semester (assuming I manage all Aā€™s which is the current trajectory), then I should have around a 3.96. Thanks for your help! :slight_smile:

@MYOS1634 Yes, I understand the FA issue with transfers. And I mean although I do need as much FA as I could get, I could afford the $49, I just did not see the worth in obtaining a physical certificate of completion. Thank you for your input, though!

@philbegas Well, the composite score of a 29 was taken in September of 2015.

11

IMO you should retake it. Youā€™ve been in school so your ability to read, comprehend, analyze, etc has increased. If you had a 34 I would say it isnā€™t worth it to worry about it, but a 29 can definitely be brought up.

12

@philbegas I took a practice test, and my scores have actually dropped quite a bit. English was a 29 (but I made a few STUPID common mistakes so maybe more so around a 31), Math was a 26 (I am very rusty with functions/graphs), Reading was around a 24, and Science was around a 24. Perhaps Reading/Science were that low because I had a migraine and could not concentrate 100%ā€¦ Any ideas on how to raise everything? I only had one test left in the red book, and this was thatā€¦ So what materials should I look into?

13

I dunno, I never studied for the ACT lol. In high school I was too lazy, and right now Iā€™m too busy. If you head over to the test prep section of the forum there will be lots of threads about it though.

14

@philbegas Alrighty, thank you so much for your time!!

15

No problem, best of luck. BTW Iā€™m not saying 29 is a bad score or anything, Iā€™m just suggesting if you have the time, doesnā€™t hurt to try :slight_smile:

16

@philbegas If it will help me, Iā€™ll make the time. Haha, thanks again.

17

All registered for the June 10th ACT. Let the preparation commence!

18

Use Erica Melzerā€™s books (from public library :p) for English & Reading, and use a good review book for math. Khan Academy, even if itā€™s for the SAT, will get you back into the groove of standardized testing :slight_smile:

19

Yes, I heard about her books. Unfortunately, my library does not carry them. I will definitely check out Khan Academy.

20

Can you find them used online?