Should I transfer from my T20 semi-target to a stronger target?
I'm a freshman at top 20 non-ivy semi-target (think Vandy/WashU/ND) who has come to realize that breaking into EB/BB in NYC is a long shot from this school (w/o special connections or extreme networking) despite its academic reputation. I'm also not very keen on the school's location or student body, but I won't go into details on those points. I currently have a 4.0 GPA and think I would be a competitive sophomore applicant for Georgetown or junior applicant for Columbia, Penn CAS, Duke, Brown or UChicago (not HYPSM of course). Why sophomore for Georgetown but junior for the others? Because my HS grades were fine but not great (mix of A's and B's, all advanced courses in a prep school), so I would want to try as a junior for the more competitive schools to shift the emphasis to my college grades and EC's (side note: SAT scores were 1540, which won't help or hurt significantly). However, Georgetown is particular is (a) considered an academic peer of my school and (b) has a somewhat higher transfer acceptance rate (~15%, whereas the others are ~5-10%) so I think I could be competitive as a sophomore applicant. So my three options are (a) stay at my current school, crank out a 3.8+ GPA as an econ major and network my ass off (b) try for Georgetown as a sophomore applicant, giving me access to Junior SA recruitment if I get in (c) try for the others as a junior applicant, only giving me access to FT recruitment junior year and making for a more difficult social transition but giving me a slightly more prestigious brandname. What would the pros and cons of each choice be, from the perspective of someone who's been through this whole process? Also how do my chances sound for the schools I listed as a sophomore or junior transfer applicant?
TLDR; Would it be worth it for a strong student at a semi-target to transfer to a stronger target either as a sophomore or a junior to improve his/her prospects for landing at a EB/BB in NYC?
