<p>I can’t believe people say don’t appeal we have very similar scores and GPA and I got into UCI by appeal</p>
<p>Achievement, if you’re worried about Rutgers being a party school, be warned that GW and American aren’t exactly stone cold sober schools.</p>
<p>It’s not that at all. GWU and American are both top-notch in international relations – the field I want to study. And they’re in DC, a city I’ve wanted to live in for years. Not to mention the extensive internship opportunities.</p>
<p>Although Rutgers is great in many aspects, I want to be in a different environment. One that is highly ambitious and driven. This is something that I worked for since freshmen year, but I stupidly overlooked the SATs and didn’t allot enough time to study for them.</p>
<p>I’m still not sure how I didn’t get into American (or Boston U – has same acceptance rate as Rutgers) but my friend suggested a reason. My application was very oriented toward international relations; almost all of the schools I applied to had a lower IR acceptance than arts and sciences. For example, the American University School of Foreign Service.</p>
<p>My friend suggested that I should have applied to these schools as a business (or just arts and sciences) major because I’m an entrepreneur. Although I do have good IR ECs, maybe it wasn’t enough to overshadow my SAT score.</p>
<p>JUNIORS BEWARE! TAKE THE SAT NOW</p>
<p>Only 5-15% of Ivy applicants get in. I have seen posts by Asian kids who had superhuman stats and ECs, and still didn’t get in. So you probably never had a chance of getting into an Ivy, unless you got your score up to a 2200, which is a dramatic jump.</p>
<p>Of course you can try and transfer.</p>
<p>I was able to transfer from a SUNY school to Cornell, although that was almost 40 years ago.</p>
<p>But don’t agonize over the fact you might have gotten into an Ivy.
One, the reality is that your SAT score wasn’t even close to Ivy levels. Sometimes, it is better to lose by a lot than a little. Your SAT score wasn’t even close. I know many people who had your credentials AND great SAT scores who did not get into an Ivy. If it makes you feel any better, I know people with 2200 and 2300 SATs who STILL did not get into an Ivy. So even if you had significantly higher SAT scores, you probably still would not have gotten into an Ivy. I wouldn’t be worrying about transferring into an Ivy. I would set my sights on transferring into your target schools. That is more do-able. Just do well at the state school, work hard, and you can shoot for Ivy level graduate schools.
I disagree with DesiCollegeGal. This is why SAT scores ARE important, even though people like to denigrate them. There is extreme grade inflation at some high schools, and A’s are handed out like candy. (I know, because my wife was a high school teacher). So kids come to think of themselves as smarter than they truly are. Then they take the SAT, and they learn that they are not as smart as they thought. I am always amazed when I read on CC that some kid is valecdictorian of his high school class, but only has a 1900 SAT. By the way, I am not putting you down, because I myself only got a 1200 SAT (on a 1600 point scale back then). Rutgers is a good school. It is just as good as your target school, although perhaps less sexy. And your test results show that this is the place you should be. Do well there, and you will do well in life. Often, Ivy graduates do not do any better that state school graduates. You probably should have applied to some SAT optional schools. But too late now.</p>
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<p>The UC system treats appeals differently than basically the rest of the country. They’re unlikely to ever succeed at top schools outside of the UC system (generally speaking).</p>
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<p>Look at the data (BU & Rutgers from the CB; AU calculated (they give only CR+M) from their 2005/6 CDS because they don’t give the data to CB and have not published a more recent CDS) for 25% SAT and acceptance rate:</p>
<p>Rutgers: 1440; 54%
AU: 1770; 41%
BU: 1710; 49%</p>
<p>While acceptance rates are relatively close, the lower end of the 50% SAT range of accepted students is substantially higher at AU and BU than for Rutgers.</p>
<p>AU & BU were at least high matches for you since many of the acceptances in the 25% range are hooked candidates like recruited athletes.</p>
<p>achievement, if it makes you feel any better your case is not unusual–even among kids with your stats AND extremely high test scores.</p>
<p>You seem really ambitious and resourceful, and that will serve you well in both grad school admissions and in life. Do well at Rutgers (I wouldn’t even bother trying to transfer), stand out and make a difference. Connect with the best professors and seek out the best internships/study abroad opportunities. Then when it’s time for grad school, you will have a more realistic chance of getting into a school with the kind of “name” you are looking for.</p>
<p>@sally305, Thank you! That’s my plan. But I will still try to transfer and if it fails of course I will finish Rutgers resourcefully.</p>
<p>@floridadad55, I know the material and got between 1900 and 2210 on blue-book practice tests. I just need more practice and was very nervous on the SATs.</p>
<p>Also, I think if I had a 2300 I would have had a decent chance at an ivy. Although this is not the purpose of my argument as I would love to attend BU, AU or GWU.</p>
<p>The past is the past and transferring is the best option now.</p>
<p>What should I do now to prepare for a killer transfer application besides rigorously studying SATs this summer?</p>
<p>Also, I think if I cured cancer I would have had a decent chance at an ivy.</p>
<p>Get over it and move on.</p>
<p>You would have a decent chance ;)</p>
<p>I am over it, I was just answering a question and wondering about what steps to take in the FUTURE.</p>