Median Pwned first semester - can you still transfer? Forum

[Anonymous User]

That's the question. Don't you start planning to transfer before you get your second semester grades? It would just feel like a dud to be median pwned the next semester and to be asking for letters of recs and what not. I'd like to move from a T1 to Berkeley, ideally.

Thanks.

[fatduck]

just apply.

[UAX09]

Transferring from a T50 to Berkeley would require excellent grades. Unless you are incredibly spectacular for some reason, I don't see why Berkeley would take a median applicant at a T50 school over applicants in the top 10% and top 15% from T1 and T2 schools. Heck, even T3 and T4 students want to transfer to Berkeley, and those students are surely in the top 5 top 10%. California has lots of third and fourth tier schools supplying transfer students to Berkeley. If you were median at NYU or Columbia, Berkeley might consider you but not median at a T50.

[DildaMan]

That's the question. Don't you start planning to transfer before you get your second semester grades? It would just feel like a dud to be median pwned the next semester and to be asking for letters of recs and what not. I'd like to move from a T1 to Berkeley, ideally.

Thanks.

It never hurts to try. I got all my transfer LORs written by my 1st semester teachers. That gives them a large buffer period to write them. I doubt they care whether or not you actually end up transferring.

[KidStuddi]

Is it possible? Yes. Likely? No.

Blow your second semester out of the water (4.0 or better) and you'll receive strong consideration. From there on down, your chances decrease proportionally. If you're still median after 1L, you're almost certainly just throwing away money and wasting your professors' time.

[shock259]

You're gonna have to get straight A's second semester.

[LazinessPerSe]

You're gonna have to get straight A's second semester.

+1, but adding that you shouldn't bank on it even then. Good luck, though.