<p>A bit of background: I'm currently a college student at a community college in California and I want to transfer to be a junior at a 4 year university. If you're wondering how I am a college student at age 16, I took the CHSPE exam and got out of highschool after the first semester of my sophomore year. The reason I came out of high school was because I got a B in my AP chemistry class. My freshman year, I had a 4.5 gpa with a 5 on an ap human geography exam. I also got a 3 in my ap biology exam even though I didn't take the class. I didn't study during my freshman year not even for my AP exams. I got pretty cocky and I went into harder classes with the same mentality. As a result I got a B in my ap chem class and my mom got super pissed . She wanted to get the grade off my transcript so she told me I had to come out of school before finishing my semester. So that is how I got to where I am right now.</p>
<p>In my community college so far, I have a 4.0 gpa in 28 units transferable units and I will be completing 22 more units this semester. Most likely I will get all A's or at least thats what it looks like so far. My older brother has already done the same kind of thing I am doing (when he was my age) and he got into USC. His grades were like a 3.6 but he got a 2300 on the sat. I will not be taking the sat because I just don't have time to study for it but my grades are a lot better than what my brother got. I don't have much extra circulars but I do have 200+ hours of community service.</p>
<p>My question is what is my chance of getting into USC, UCLA, UCB and Cornell? This might sound silly but I'm really wondering if being Korean really makes it harder for me to get into these schools. I would apply to a lot more private schools but these are the only ones that don't require your sat. Even though they don't require it, will not having the SAT kind of go against me? Also will my young age impact my chances at all?</p>
<p>You should take the SAT. It’s more of a general knowledge test that’s not meant to be studied for. I don’t think it will hurt too much if you don’t take it, but it would help a lot if you got a great score.</p>
<p>Actually, the SAT is a test you MUST prep for because its format is key to doing well. However, OP should have no problem preparing lightly and taking the December SAT. Register for the SAT and for the ACT. Prep lightly and take the tests: This will open more opportunities for you.</p>
<p>KEY QUESTION:
Did you graduate high school?
If not, you wouldn’t be a transfer, you’d be a freshman applying with dual-enrollment credit. This is better because there are more spots for freshmen and they get better financial aid.
In addition, if you apply as a transfer, you must declare a major; at 16, it seems very premature.
You have enough credit that you could attend college and have a double major easily, in subjects you’re interested in.
(Note that at very selective colleges, the gen ed classes you’d be taking would NOT be like the gen eds you took in community college.)</p>
<p>The problem is that for very selective schools, extra curriculars (what you do “for fun”, what you do because you like it) are very important, so the fact you don’t have many will go against you. (this is regardless of applying as a freshman or a transfer).</p>
<p>Also, note that Cornell admits few transfers to CAS, almost all of them are admitted to the College of Agriculture (+ where AEM -for those who want to go into finance- is.)</p>
<p>Since you’re 16, you should apply to a residential college - unless you plan on commuting from home?
Look into Williams, Swarthmore, Reed - these two are known for kids who study a lot and don’t do much “for fun” - Bowdoin, HarveyMudd, Pomona – all the elite LACs (for your mom: those are called “little ivies”).</p>
<p>Not a high school grad but I’m still considered a college student. I took the CHSPE exam and so did my brother. He’s a junior at USC right now but one year older than me. On the set path I have laid out, I’ll have enough credits for junior transfer and I do have a major. Yea I guess I should have done more ec’s but its too late now. I think I’ll just apply for fun and if I get in that would be crazy awesome. </p>
<p>I would take a standardized test. UC does offer the Regent’s Scholarship to transfer juniors. Even if you don’t need the tuition assistance, it comes with some nice perqs, like early registration and grad school mentoring and matching to an undergraduate research professor and the like.</p>
<p>You can study over winter break and take it (or both ACT & SAT) in January. Your age (entering at age 17) is not a problem- you will of course be young, but that will not be held against you. You could look at other schools, too. Lots of people take a couple of practice tests and then cram for a week or so to prepare for these tests- study the same way you did for your AP exams. You have time.</p>
<p>Will not having the SAT go against you? Who knows- more data is always better than less data (did he not take the test, or did he bomb it and not forward the score???) If you are a Korean citizen, it may go against you. If you are a US citizen, then your heritage/background probably won’t matter (it definitely won’t for the UCs).</p>
@Starface22 Well I just got accepted into UCLA and USC recently. UCB was a no go and I didn’t even bother applying to Cornell especially because I was so lazy with writing my application essays (I last minute sent my UC and USC applications already). I just felt that I wasn’t good enough for Cornell anyways. I do regret it though because there’s always that chance of getting a nicer admission officer and I just searched that the transfer rate to Cornell is only 2% off from USC’s transfer rate. I had great recommendation letters from professors who I had good relationships with and were deeply passionate about what they taught. I may be returning to enjoy a senior year at my highschool to have fun with friends but that is only if my highschool counselors say that it is ok.
If you didn’t earn your high school diploma and you’re not yet 21, I believe public high schools are required to let you attend as long as you live in the district. Google the age of compulsory attendance for high school + your state to find the law. If your local school won’t admit you (register in July so you have time in case they do), ask them to show you the law that allows it.