Where can these subpar grades take me?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hopefully I can get some ideas and insights about where can my grades take me. I am a bright but very unmotivated student who loves studying and learning new things. I have a huge tendency to slack off and treat assignments as something unimportant. I prefer to know than to do, if I do something I usually prefer that it’s something practical. I feel that my strengths are in arts and writing. I have interests in everything, from Astronomy to Economics to Zoology. I am a poor performer in Mathematics. </p>

<p>I have made friends with numerous professors. I am usually able to relate materials to real world applications and can make a conversation about it with instructors. </p>

<p>International </p>

<p>High school in Asia, WASC Accredited
2.7 CGPA, lower half of 103 class rank (Our valedictorian had a 4.00, is an accomplished pianist and ballerina. Dartmouth rejected, accepted into Irvine with partial scholarship)
Student Council - Spearheaded Green Day program and eliminated the usage of Styrofoam, participated in interschool conferences
Varsity Basketball
Yearbook Designer - Including my first experiences in contacting a press, negotiate prices and act as a middleman between the printing press and the school
Volunteer work at an orphanage
Volunteer work for a poorly funded school in the mountains
Had letters of recommendations from Head of Curriculum, Head Sponsor of Student Council, Principal for Students Administration and the School Director
Freelance Graphic Designer - worked on a commercial logo for a Taiwanese clothing boutique; a set of wedding cards designed for the Head of ASEAN Marketing in ELLE magazine</p>

<p>Summer School in Washington D.C. </p>

<p>Community College in California
Quarter system
Completed 54 credits
3.03 CGPA
Volunteer for Autistic Children Bi-weekly - made friend with a boy and his father said it’s helped him drastically
Member of numerous clubs, but not an officer of any
Interclub representative
Will be able to obtain a letter of recommendation from a professor, member of the Smithsonian committee, a Princeton grad. </p>

<p>Chinese calligraphy performances for the former Prime Ministers of Singapore, Goh Chok Tong and Lee Kwan Yew on separate occasions. </p>

<p>Trained with the late calligraphy master whom after teaching me went on to become the head of Chinese Arts in Shenzhen, China. I’ve also presented calligraphy to numerous senior position holders in large companies like the late Raymond Chan, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Greater China, Visa International. </p>

<p>Done some shows at school and at CNY celebrations, also was invited as guest to a TV show to perform calligraphy. </p>

<p>Where can I go with those.
I was thinking University of Minnesota, U of Wisconsin - Madison, or just anything in the area. I’d love to go to New York!</p>

2

<p>i don’t think you’d be competitive for madison, not sure about minnesota. you could try SUNY stony brook. they have a strong math department and it’s an hour away from NYC by train (train station on campus)</p>

3

<p>^The OP is bad at math.</p>

4

<p>OP, are you going to be paying full-tuition? Your ECs see okayish, and, from what you’ve told us, your rec letters seem to be good. What else can you bring to the table? Why is Madison the place for you? Can you persuade Madison’s admissions committee to accept you?</p>

5

<p>oh wow hahahaha. i honestly thought i read “my major is math”. gosh, i’m sorry. either way, stony brook could be within reach and it has a bunch of majors. there are plenty of other SUNYs where you just need a 2.5 (or 2.0) to get in, so definitely look at the SUNY website and collegeboard. there are also CUNYs (which are in nyc, so if you want new york… yay) with low gpa requirements. </p>

<p>sorry about that major mix up. what’s your intended major?</p>

6

<p>I thought I read “I am a math major” , at first, too. lol</p>

7

<p>If you really want to live in New York, you might be able to make it into one of the weaker CUNY colleges. You could also try Rutgers Newark. Newark sucks, but it’s not that hard to get to New York on PATH. You have no chance at any of the places you’ve mentioned. Within California, you probably have no chance at any remotely decent private school or UC either. Maybe UC Merced; that’s it.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the prompt advices. I don’t think I would opt for the CUNY schools. I believe I have what it takes to make it to better schools. Will raising my GPA and finishing my second year at community college increase my chances by a lot more? It’s still not too late right? My GPA last quarter was 4.00!</p>

9

<p>what do 54 quarter credits mean in semester credits? if you’re still there for another year, then yes, bring up that gpa and you should be able to apply to better schools</p>

10

<p>Sorry for the dumb inquiry, of course a higher GPA would allow me to have better chances at other schools. Didn’t notice that “duh” moment. Well for quarter systems, typically students will take 45 credits a year, 90 in two. UC’s and CSU encourages you to complete 90 (GE + Major) credits before you transfer as a Junior. I was thinking of rushing through the first year and complete as much, but apparently I’ve failed to manage my time properly.</p>

<p>Weird thing is my counselor at school was pretty confident about me entering other schools with a 3.00 as an Int’l Transfer. Seems like in CC people wouldn’t even tell me to apply and give it a shot. Darn, I hate making decisions.</p>