4.0 Community college student unsure where to apply

[transferhopeful0133]

@aquapt

Did you prep for the SAT the first time? With an score that uneven, it could be worth prepping for the math and trying a retake if you’re doing transfer apps this year. There’s a lot of room to bring up that 500, particularly if that was a no-prep attempt. Have you been taking math classes at community college?

Another option is to try the ACT. The ACT math is just one of four sections (English, Writing, Math, and Science) - the Science section is focused on scientific reasoning. Try taking an ACT practice test and see whether you think it might be a more advantageous test for you. (The downside of the ACT math is that it’s fast-paced and some students find it hard to finish. So the question is whether your challenges with the SAT math were in working fast enough, or in the content of the problems. Either way, the good news is that math scores can almost always be improved with prep - both practicing the types of problems, and learning strategies for pacing, knowing when to guess, and so on.)

Do you think you’d qualify financially for Berea? Could be a really good option for you if so.

You might look at Syracuse - they accept a lot of transfer students (more than 400 students a year transfer in, and the acceptance rate is over 50%). While it’s not a full-need-met school, the average percentage need met is over 90% and there’s also merit available for transfers, so it might add up - run the NPC and see how it looks. (The recent turmoil there is unfortunate and worth weighing, but it might also deter some applicants and improve your chances of acceptance/merit.) Trinity U in San Antonio is another with >90% need met, possible transfer merit, and >50% transfer admit rate (albeit in smaller numbers than Syracuse).

Sewanee in TN is transitioning to full-need-met aid (not sure if it’s guaranteed for transfers yet, but worth looking into). Their transfer admit rate isn’t bad (>30%) and it’s a terrific school for English/writing (Tennessee Williams left his estate to the college, to support the creative writing program). Your high school stats would have made it a low-reach, not entirely out of range.

So, this fall is your second cc semester? And 9 credit hours is a full load? (I’m used to a full load for a semester being at least 12… maybe this is a different system.) Did you work for a while and start cc last spring?

Anyway, hopefully that gives you a bunch to look into.

No, I didn’t prep. Went in blind. The mismatch is a little crazy. I will definitely consider the ACT because, as you say, the 4th section is one I am sure I could do reasonably well on even though I do struggle some with time management. Yes- I visited the link you posted and was told there was a high change of admission to Berea. Although I don’t relish the idea of being randomly assigned a job, I will still apply.

Sorry for the confusion about the credits- I took 12 credit hours in the fall semester of 2018, 6 credits in the spring of 19, and will be taking 12-15 more in the spring of 2020. I took a reduced load followed by a full semester off because of family responsibilities.

Do you have any more thoughts on delaying applications to the spring semester to improve my SAT/ACT? I am still a little confused as to whether it’s likely to make a substantial difference- because if it’s not, I’d rather just get on with my life and go to a state school or Berea.