<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I've been attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison for two years (just finished the sophomore year), and will be temporarily absent for two years due to the military service in my home country. I've managed to keep my cumulative GPA around 3.5~3.6 (4.00 max), and am thinking of transfering to other colleges with good Actuarial Science programs when I finish the two years of the military service. I know UW-Madison is also famous for its Actuarial Science program, but I could not get into its Business School for some reasons, and I now have no choice but to transfer to other colleges in order to pursue a career in Actuarial Science. My wish-lists are UPenn, UMAA, UIUC, UT-austin, Columbia, Drake, etc... So, my questions are...</p>
<ol>
<li><p>do I need to take SAT again for the junior transfer?</p></li>
<li><p>what else do I need to prepare for the junior transfer?</p></li>
<li><p>what do you think of my chances of transfering those colleges I mentioned, considering my situation?</p></li>
<li><p>will I get any kinds of disadvantages because I took a 2-year temporary absent from the UW-Madison?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I am looking forward to seeing a variety of opinions! Thanks :)</p>
<ol>
<li>whats your score</li>
<li>Essays, getting your recs.</li>
<li>GPA is decent, a stretch for a some of those schools although I think you going to the military is going to give you a big advantage as far as differentiation goes, make sure you talk about that a great deal in your essays</li>
<li>No</li>
</ol>
<p>My SAT score is 1990/2400.
By the way, are recommendations required?
As I will be gone for two years from any kinds of educational institutes, I believe it will be tough to get recommendations… for example, from professors.</p>
<p>Thats a good SAT, no need to retake as you will be a junior transfer
See if you can get the recs now</p>
<p>ohhh are the recommendations acceptable even after two years?</p>
<p>That’s good news!</p>
<p>Yeah they should be, the schools you are applying to will understand your situation. But I would keep in contact with those profs just in case.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>you really helped me a lot!
one last question though, just one recommendation will be enough? or do I need more?</p>
<p>Usually you need two, but if you can get one really good one I think it should be enough, assuming youd be able to get another good one from your time in the military.</p>
<ol>
<li> Many schools don’t look at SAT scores for transfer, so this is likely a moot point</li>
<li> I haven’t found the process to be any different as a junior transfer vs. a lower class transfer, but check with the schools you are interested in to see if they have any requirements about number of credits, etc. to be sure. Also make sure you have completed any indicator courses required by the specific programs.</li>
<li> I can only really speak to your chances at McCombs, and I’d say it’s a long shot considering you were rejected from UW’s b-school and McCombs is much more competitive, but it’s a shot worth trying for because you never really can tell how things will work out. By the time you apply, the top 10% rule for UT will be brought down to top 8% for automatic freshman admits, which in theory means more spaces for transfer students. But until that starts being implemented, there aren’t any acceptance stats to look at to compare that theory to - a lot of people are waiting to see how it works out, because UT has made a conscious effort to increase diversity in recent years and this change could help. Also keep in mind that McCombs does not accept spring transfers, and the other schools may have similar restrictions, so time your application carefully.</li>
<li> I don’t think the two-year gap will be a disadvantage to you - you’re not taking a break because you’ve been flunking classes, etc. Just be sure to discuss the break, what you learned, why those things make you a better person/student and addition to your target university in your essays.</li>
</ol>
<p>As for letters of rec, try to establish one or 2 good connections at UW before you leave, because while employment (i.e. military) recs will still look good, the context of which the recommenders know you is much different, so having them from both areas will give the ad coms a much better picture of who you are as a student and employee/soldier, etc.</p>