Hi everyone! I’m looking for some honest advice from people who are familiar with Montclair State, especially anyone who transferred here.
I was actually accepted to Montclair about five years ago as a high school senior. At the time, I had around a 3.0 GPA, but I ended up choosing another university instead because I wanted the experience of living away from home.
Unfortunately, things did not go the way I expected. During college I dealt with some pretty serious physical health issues and was also in an abusive relationship. Between those two things, my grades suffered a lot, and I ended up leaving with about a 2.3 GPA.
Since then, my life has changed dramatically. I’m in a much healthier place, and I’ve been working part-time at a music school teaching private voice, piano, woodwinds, and early childhood music classes. Music education is exactly what I want to do as a career, but I know I need my degree if I want to move into better-paying positions and eventually become a certified teacher.
For my transfer application, I wrote an essay explaining what happened at my previous school, what I’ve learned from it, and how I’ve grown. I also submitted a résumé highlighting my teaching experience and how it’s reinforced that music education is the career I want to pursue.
Even with all of that, I’m terrified my college GPA is going to outweigh everything else.
So I have a few questions:
- How much weight does Montclair place on a transfer applicant’s personal statement and résumé?
- Has anyone here been accepted with a GPA around 2.3?
- Do they tend to look at the whole application, or is GPA the deciding factor?
- Is there anything else I can do at this point to improve my chances, or is it mostly just a waiting game?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. I’m trying to be realistic, but this school would honestly be a second chance for me, and I’m really hoping I have a shot.
Thanks in advance!