The University of Rochester

“I screwed up my last year of high schoolOct 23 2007Math
I screwed up my last year of high school. Pretty much all of high school actually. Went to a community college and screwed up there too, but got it together after a semester.

If you are transferring from another college, like I did:
get a high GPA, retake anything you did poorly on. Get involved in some clubs. Develop a sense of what you think work-ethic and education is all about and write about this in your personal statement. Write about how you've grown from high-school to the point where you are ready to transfer showing that you have matured.

Generally, I feel that transfer students have to prove that they are mature and not just smart, as you are expected to be mature after a few years of college compared to the high-school senior. Show that you are passionate, hard-working, know yourself, and have strong beliefs.

Oh, and take liberal arts/engineering/math classes only. If you are taking trade classes and/or secretarial classes they won't transfer and it doesn't show that you are ready/interested in heavy academics. I transferred with a 3.92 gpa in mostly humanities classes, but I imagine a gpa of 3.7 or higher has a very good chance of transferring in.
Male

“It all depends where you're fromMay 06 2006Psychology
It all depends where you're from. They like diversity (be from a small town, be a minority, be an orphan, just find a way to be diverse). Kids from Rochester are pretty much automatically accepted (unless your parent is an employee cuz then you'd get free tuition). The university cares about its statistics so you need a high SAT/ACT score so you don't bring down the mean (they love to brag how each new class scores higher than the last). Also, the true hint that will increase your chances of getting in..say you're applying real IVY league colleges. UR tries to pretend we're just as selective, so if they think you've got a chance at a better school, they'll want you. Cornell is a good choice (its a better school than UR and its close enough that they think you'll actually go). Good luck!

“Have highApr 01 2006Political Science
Have high SAT scores, do an interview, know an alumni.

“Lots of extracurricularMar 29 2006Biology
Lots of extracurricular activities, good SAT scores... the usual.

“I got a 1600 on myApr 12 2005Linguistics
I got a 1600 on my SATs, was 2nd in my class, had extracurricular activities and leadership roles out the ears, and had a good interview. Wrote my personal statement about discovering grace under fire. Something among those got me a full-tuition scholarship, and I'm told it wasn't the SATs but they won't say anything else. Everyone here is interesting and multitalented though. I recommend having a passion for a certain subject or subjects; they love stuff like that in admissions.
SAT: 1600 Female