@ChiefMonger A few years back, but this might help.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/1016543-which-ivy-leagues-do-not-require-sat-act-scores-for-transfer-applicants.html
Actually, Bopper, it should be “rejected by.”
Some Ivies that had SAT requirements in the past don’t now. For instance, Harvard.
The main reason for my post here is to provide a link to a list of test-optional schools, many of them top schools in the country: http://fairtest.org/university/optional
Some CC’s are great but I would hate to read about any student delaying 4 year-college because of scores. A hard-working student with good grades and authentic interests has a good shot at very selective colleges without submitting scores at all. (Though some will require scores for merit scholarships.)
Thx for the link @compmom. Let me ask you a question: Do you think the listed schools evaluate non-test takers differently than test-takers? I would think, at least for some, there might be a tier system. I’m just hazarding a guess.
@Rockwell5 , I’m thinking about doing the same thing to get into GU (i’m a rising senior with a 3.8). I’m looking into the Montgomery Scholars program…do you know for sure that I can transfer into more prestigious schools? MC is definitely something I’m looking at b/c of financial difficulties.
@BostonGurl42 Scholars is definitely a great program with phenomenal faculty members. Their students tend to be focused more on liberal arts schools like Amherst, Smith, etc. Many of them earn significant scholarships to top liberal arts schools. They are also competitive for scholarships to the University of Maryland.
In regards to schools more prestigious than Georgetown, there will be students every once in awhile who get into Harvard, Yale, and schools of the like. Penn, Cornell, WashU, Northwestern are all possible. UNC Chapel Hill, University of Texas, Dartmouth as well. To hit the top 5-8 schools, many times they are looking for non-traditional students.
Congrats to the OP.
I may or may not go this route because I don’t want to miss the “freshmen experience”, I heard it’s something you never forget.
What was MC like for you, @Rockwell5 ? It gets a bad rep for having “underachieving” students which I know is ridiculous. Do you ever regret not going to a traditional university?
Although this is a great story, not all students who transfer to these great schools do well. I have seen varying results. I personally have known kids find it very tough once they get there. This was particularly true in the sciences. However, as this story shows, some kids who do transfer due to getting very high grades in community college can do well too. From what I have seen. I would love to know the statistics of how well these transfer students succeed in the schools that they transfer to especially if it to a top tier school.
I am curious about one aspect of this - will the OP graduate on time or have to re-take courses?
I approve a set of courses for transfer, and normally CCs’ versions of math and science courses are nowhere near equal to our courses. And I teach at a no-name state school.
I also have the anecdote of a friend’s son who was at a state school and transferred to Columbia, and it was two extra years because so few courses transferred.
If the OP would graduate on time from Cornell, the end of the eighth semester after starting CC, THEN I would be impressed. Because my understanding is that the time at the CC usually does not count, unless the student does research up front to go to a CC with a relationship with the four-year college.
This is extremely helpful to my situation; thank you for giving us hopefuls an extra push of encouragement.
@BostonGurl42 For the options I had coming out of high school, I don’t regret my decision one bit. At any community college and four year institution you’re going to find students who do not care about the classes. In many of your intro courses like English 101, you might be 1 of 8 students (in a class of 28) who genuinely care about receiving a great grade in the class. Within the honors programs and upper level classes, you’ll find that a large majority of students care about the classes. Especially with honors programs, everyone in the classroom wants to learn and receive an A, so you all will be working together to ensure that. I wouldn’t worry about underachieving students, it doesn’t have much impact on your success in the classroom. There are tons of community groups at Montgomery College who have dedicated students.
@rhandco Before I began community college I made a matrix of all the courses each school required. I then chose the best course for each subject that I thought had the best chance of being accepted for transfer credit. I had 51 credits transfer to Georgetown and I am taking 3 liberal arts requirements this summer that will allow me to graduate on time. Students have to make the best educated guess at which courses transfer and which do not transfer. Typically I find that students who transfer to top schools have to use the summer before junior year to catch up, which isn’t so bad. It allows them to graduate on time. But yes, there are definitely students who have to spend an extra semester.
Great! Thanks, please continue writing on the process, you inspire all those students that are there in community colleges working hard to get into their dream schools ! Many times it seems as if it’s impossible coming from smaller colleges, but it’s super inspiring hearing this testimonials!
I’m an international student studying at Bellevue College ( used to be a community college) in Washington, and my dream schools are UC Berkeley, and Stanford… I didn’t have really great grades at high school in Spain, but now I’m working towards a 3.8 and I’m part of Phi Theta Kappa honors society and I helped create a Catalan association here. Do you think I have a shot?
Thanks!
By the way, If I repeat some of the classes to get an A, do you think that the “R” in my transcript will have a bad effect? Or they will only look at the final result? Thanks!
@Rockwell5 - Thanks for this. My S is just now starting along a similar path. He was waitlisted at all the schools he LOVED and was accepted at the schools he “only” liked. He made the choice to attend a local state university (pretty well regarded, incidentally) partly because it’d only cost $3200 for a full academic year, and partly because he wanted to shore up those areas that held him back.
Like you, he loved Georgetown the most, as it hit the sweet spot on most of the factors – subjective and objective – that mattered to him. (But there were a couple that came close.)
In general terms, my questions would be along the lines of “What did you do differently during your stay in CC than you did in HS?” (Better grades, more clubs, got elected President of the XYZ Society?) And what, in your opinion, put you over the edge?
Thanks in advance!
Two quick comments on my above reply to the OP: The schools that S “only liked” were in NO WAY inferior to the ones he loved, they were just (in his opinion) a better fit, and these (and the ones he “LOVED”) were along a broad spectrum of sizes, locations and feel.
Congratulations on your acceptance and a great story! The path you chose is not easy, but it is certainly possible.
Here are three more stories of CC transfers with scholarships - including Dartmouth and Wellesley.
http://m.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20150512/NEWS/150519163
For those interested in biotechnology, this CC has also produced 20 Goldwater Scholars over the last two decades. I find that really impressive. I can’t think of any four year college that is producing Goldwater Scholars that are sophomores…
@otoribashi here is a list of summer research programs in physics. Some universities have privately funded programs as well.
https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=69&d-49653-p=1
You’re amazing congrats. Hopefully I have a chance at getting into Cornell because I always hear about very bright students transferring from CC to Cornell.
@Rockwell5 could you elaborate on the course matrix? It sounds like a really useful tool for transfer students. How did you create it?
@Rochwell5:
Terrific story and yes, keep writing. Spending two years at a CC makes a lot of sense for bright, motivated students who either don’t have the money for four years of “regular” college or for those who, for whatever reason, need to raise their GPAs.
CCs in Tennessee developed articulation agreements with 4-year colleges and universities–both public and private–that guarantee transfer based on successful completion of prescribed courses for particular majors. For state universities and the University of Tennessee system, students can use the Tennessee Pathways, a crosswalk of courses that are already approved for transfer by major. This solves the credit transfer issue before it happens: http://www.tntransferpathway.org/find-your-pathway-now
In Tennessee, all high school grads can apply for Tennessee Promise which is a last dollar, 2-year free college tuition program. Students pay for books and fees but if they graduate high school with a 3.0, they should be able to cover fees with the state-funded Tennessee Hope scholarship.
My DD1 was able to study abroad through the CC system while taking courses to transfer to a state university: https://www.tncis.org/. Travel abroad was the deal-sealer for her agreeing to go to the CC. She graduated debt free this past May, having spent one year at our local CC and three years at a state university, three hours from home.