I love the forums, lots of useful advice and information here.
I have a quick question and would love some answers.
I graduated over a year ago (20 years old) Did some time on active duty after graduation (reserves). Got back last November. I started a company that does decently. For personal reasons I am now interested in college.
I come from legitimate extenuating circumstances. I won’t go into detail. The circumstances are extreme. They resulted in poor grades (B average)
Here is my question.
If I scored a 2400 (1600) on the new SAT would that be enough to get me into a top school? I am interested in top business programs.
I can not change my past grades but I can take a SAT and ACT.
If you look at the “Common Data Set” for a college of interest, then they will show GPA and SAT/ACT as very important. But being a veteran? Would that be helpful for admission? not sure how much impact that has.
Colleges want you to be successful in their program…
Would it be better to start with your local CC and then transfer to a State U? Then perhaps an MBA at a top school?
Another thing to do is talk to an admissions counselor at one oft he “top schools” and talk about your circumstances and what they would recommend.
I think taking the SAT or ACT and doing well can only help you. I agree with bopper above also. There is a dedicated forum for non traditional students here on CC, so trying posting there also.
What do you consider a “top” school? Harvard, Stanford and Yale – sure. How about RIT or New School?
And what is your prediction of a perfect 1600 based upon? Just pipe dreams? Let’s stick with what we know. Otherwise, it’s like chatter about what we’d do if we hit the Powerball.
Thanks everyone for the responses. I appreciate it.
I guess I should elaborate.
I am not trying to turn this into a “what are my chances thread” as I know the forum cannot accurately answer that question. Time is the most valuable thing I have. I am trying to figure out if aiming for a perfect SAT score would be worth my time (as it would take a very large portion of my time) I want to know if I would be a competitive applicant. I am perfectly okay with working very hard and getting rejected. But if I commit large portions of my time and that does not even make me a competitive applicant the cost to benefit ratio isn’t worth it.
The school I am most interested in is Wharton. I mentioned that I started a successful company when I was 19, I love business and Wharton would be a good place for me.
Great letters of recommendation
Some prestigious awards
Very low socio-economic position (Family income In the ballpark of $5,000 a year when I was in high school)
Extreme extenuating circumstances
Great SAT score
Sports
Military service
I started a company at 19 (It is a business school)
ect
To sum it up. If I had a perfect SAT score and everything but my class rank/gpa was good would I be a competitive applicant?
My extenuating circumstances are legitimate and will explain why my class rank and gpa were not great.
Once again thank you everyone. I appreciate your time.
Yes I did, my scores were average due to my extenuating circumstances. To give you a idea of my situation. Sophomore year alone I attended 4 high schools. One of which I was only at for two months.
The SAT is important, but it didn’t feed me so it wasn’t high on my list of priorities at the time.
This has been the only stable time in my life up to this point. For the first time I have the opportunity to take it the correct way.
You are correct in your response. Personally I also like seeing tangible results instead of wishful thinking.
Please do not take this as me being arrogant or cocky.
The company I started has freed up 99% of my time. My bills are paid for and I do not “work”
What this means is that I am able to do whatever I wish with my time. My plan is to study 12+ hours a day everyday until December when I take the test. The SAT is just a test and I believe a systematic approach can be taken to increase your probability of a perfect score. While the odds of me not getting a perfect score are still high, I would have great confidence that I would still get a top score.
My reason for creating an account and posting here is to figure out if it would be worth my time to do this.
I genuinely believe I have the qualities Wharton is looking for. But because of my background my academics were lacking. I am taking the SAT again to offset that and show admissions I can handle the course-load.
Good news for you. Now you need to get prepping. Two sources are available here on CC. Go to the SAT Prep forum and look for the Xiggi method and Silverturtle.
Can you explain why you moved to so many diffrent highschools and how you managed to survive on $5,000 a month. I’m actually quite interested in how you survived on that much, trying to cut down expenses here.