<p>I was wondering if any of you could give me advice on what I could do to possibly increase my chances of admissions at some of the schools I'm looking at. I'm interested in applying to:
Boston College
Boston University
Mount Holyoke
Providence College
George Washington University
Georgetown
Brown (1st choice by far, but huge huge reach for me)
UVA </p>
<p>This is my third semester attending a community college. I'm in the honors program and right now my GPA is 3.818. As far as ECs go...I'm in a few clubs at my college, president of our chapter of Phi Kappa Theta, and volunteer with a senior group and tutor at a city elementary school. </p>
<p>Do you think I'm looking at schools that are completely out of reach??
Is there anything that I could do in the next couple of months, before applications are due, that would improve my chances?</p>
<p>I got Brown with half the ECs you did, and only 1 year at a CC.</p>
<p>Sounds like you're in pretty good shape. Just keep your grades up, and keep busy. Consider top UCs, Michigan, and maybe some other LACs as well. Keep your options open, and who knows what you might end up with!</p>
<p>Oh, and just for kicks, apply to more Ivies.</p>
<p>No, I don't think they're out of reach. At least I hope they're not because if they're out of reach for you then they're out of reach for me as well. :-P</p>
<p>Congrats on getting into Brown, UCLAri, but I'm guessing from your screen name that you went to ucla instead? Did you have a really great high school record?</p>
<p>scoobygurl, what schools are you planning on applying to?</p>
<p>I was planning on taking the new SATs this fall, but a lot of people have told me that it's not worth it since most schools don't even consider SATs for transfers. While I'm sure that some don't, it seems like Brown or any other ivy would consider them at least a little. Do you think the new one is worth taking??</p>
<p>I'm planning on applying to Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Spelman, and Rutgers for now. I'm not sure if I want to apply to Penn and/or Haverford. I need another safety. Maybe West Chester could be one. As far as the SAT goes, I wouldn't take them as they'll count little if at all. Even if colleges want to see them they won't really have much weight as you'll have college work to show how well you're doing in college.</p>
<p>It seems like Brown places considerable weight on standardized tests because they require SAT IIs for transfers. If test scores weren't important, I doubt they'd require everyone take what is basically an optional test almost everyone else from transfer. I'm sure some people don't even apply to Brown because they don't feel like taking 3 other tests.</p>
<p>Well, I never thought my high school record was that great, but apparently looking back on it I didn't do so badly. I just really kicked considerable ass in community college.</p>
<p>No need to congratulate me on getting into Brown, because it was so long ago that I don't really care. I just want you to know that it can be done! :)</p>
<p>Scooby, those are all really great schools and I wish you the best at getting in:). I think you should definitely apply to Penn, even if you're not sure now it would be nice to have that option if you do get in. </p>
<p>UCLA, so you did end up going to Brown? Did you enjoy your experience as a transfer student? Is there anything that you know now about your transferring experience that you wish you would have known when you were applying?</p>
<p>dm3, that's what I was thinking about Brown and the SAT situation too... If I wasn't applying to Brown I wouldn't even consider retaking them, since the other colleges do not seem to emphasize them so much. </p>
<p>I mean I could request a waiver from submitting them as I attend a community college which didn't require SAT or SATII scores for admission. Though it does say on their website that not having them 'could' hurt your chances. I just don't know how well I would do on them now... But I think I will go ahead and retake them.</p>
<p>The only thing I wish I had known about transferring was that more people get into Stanford than I realized. I never bothered applying, and so didn't even have a chance. That was dumb. </p>
<p>I never cared about name recognition, just where I'd be happiest. That's why I transferred. I was happier saving money and having small classes for lower divs than I would have been right away at UCLA or Cal. The only regret with Stanford is that I really liked the campus, I liked the programs, and I liked the library. Other than that, UCLA was 100% perfect.</p>
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It seems like Brown places considerable weight on standardized tests because they require SAT IIs for transfers. If test scores weren't important, I doubt they'd require everyone take what is basically an optional test almost everyone else from transfer. I'm sure some people don't even apply to Brown because they don't feel like taking 3 other tests.
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<p>Yeah, for Brown, it's different. The fact that they even ask for SAT IIs for transfers shows the significance they place on standardized tests.</p>