With SAT:
University of Virginia
University of Pennsylvania
Boston College
University of Notre Dame
Without SAT:
University of Michigan
Cornell University
University of Southern California
University of North Carolina
Carnegie Mellon
New York University
My “dream schools”: UVA, UPenn, Notre Dame, Cornell, UMich
Age: 20
College GPA: 4.00
Credits: 58
SAT: 1270
Major: Business
Ethnicity: White
Essay: Strong
EC’s: Strong
I know my SAT sucks and I probably don’t stand a chance for UPenn, UVA, BC and Notre Dame. I would hate myself, if I didn’t at least try. What do you guys think?
Realistically I believe to have a good shot to get into the schools that do not require the SAT, but I am not sure. I am a little bit afraid of getting rejected by all of the schools (based on how competitive they are), because I have a lot of that depends on being accepted. My apartment lease and everything is running out… living on my own… a lot of pressure. It’s not easy for me to change all my plans and wait a whole year before trying again. On the flip side, I rather not go at all than going to a bad University. Should I add one, or two Universities? Thinking of Penn State, Maryland… something along those lines.
All you can do is apply and see what happens. I would suggest you make sure you demonstrate interest. Have you set up interviews? Even if it is with an alumni. To answer your specific question, it is always a good idea to have a “super-safety.” Is there a four year school that you would be happy to attend and are almost 100% sure you will be admitted? If so, be sure to apply there. It looks like you have worked hard. Good luck!
your SAT is MUCH, MUCH stronger than your ACT score. have you emailed these colleges asking if they accept the february ACT? i know not many schools do, but there’s no reason to not ask just in case. business is a competitive major. even the most qualified applicants (36 ACT/4.0+ GPAs/etc.) are rejected from business schools such as Wharton. statistically speaking, i don’t think you have a chance at any of these schools. are you a freshman? have you thought about waiting until your junior year to transfer? if your college GPA is as strong as you say it is, and you can keep it there, you won’t have to report any standardized test scores. the reason i say all of this is because i really, really don’t want to see you spend the money applying to all of these schools, sending scores, etc. only to be rejected.
I am not sure what you are really asking here, but these are my thoughts. This is posted in transfer students, so I assume you are a transfer from a community college.
With that many units completed (junior standing), your SAT probably does not have as much weight as it would as a freshman applicant. So I would not sweat that.
I do not know for all of those schools, but it is very likely the top ones such as Notre Dame and UPenn take very few transfer applicants every year. Keep that in mind. That said, however, being from a community college (as I assume you are) gives you an advantage there.
I would encourage you to have one or two safeties, such as your flagship state university, where you know you will get in.
The biggest thing to give you an advantage is to make sure all the prereqs are met. Every one. If that's the case then you will be set.
You can calm your own anxieties by knowing the transfer requirements inside and out for those schools. Spend more time researching and you can probably answer your own questions.
I’m not sure where the poster above is seeing your ACT score, but I generally wouldn’t recommend retaking any standardized tests once in college. If it makes you more confident in your application to your dream schools, I supposed you could see if any of those schools will accept recently taken test scores, and ask them if they recommend retaking it. If so, go for it, if that makes you happy. But, IMO, it is a waste of your time and money. Keep in mind that the SAT/ACT is really more of a tool to gauge a high school student’s readiness and likelihood to succeed in college. If you retake the test now, your score isn’t going to be viewed in the same way as a score from someone who took it in HS. Like your 1600 SAT/ 36ACT does not equal the 1600/36 from the guy who took it 2-3 years ago. You’ve already got close to two years of college under your belt. Of course your scores should be higher. I’m of the opinion your GPA and other parts of your application tell the admissions folks all they really need to know at this point. I would much rather you focus your time and efforts on your applications, and keeping your grades at a 4.0 just in case a school wants to see your 2nd semester grades.
Your list seems super reachy. It has less to do with your SAT score, but more because many of your schools are reaches for everybody just due to their meager transfer acceptance rates, especially into the business program. But, I am of the belief that it never hurts to try. Your GPA is impressive, and provided the rest of your application is equally impressive, your application will get serious consideration at each one of those schools. Though it never hurts to add a safety. Where are you transferring from? If a community college, can you transfer to your state’s flagship under some sort of articulation agreement?
okay, i just came back to this thread… I’M SO DUMB, LOL. i thought you were saying your ACT was a 20… not your AGE! poor, poor me. what am i going to do with myself?
To research possible schools to add, look at the College Transitions Dataverse site. The two lists you want are “transfer acceptance rates” and “selective and transfer-friendly”
Where are you in-state? State flagship U’s will be friendlier to stats residents.
@OhWhatsHerName I am from CC yes. I have completed (or will by spring) all of the prerequisites that the universities require. I feel that that will help me a lot especially with UVa. The flagship schools in my state require classes that I have not yet taken and I wouldn’t finish them in time. Frankly, however, I am not a big fan of my flagship schools. Here in California it basically comes down to UCB, UCLA and UCI. UCB has too much stuff going on imo. UCLA doesn’t have my major and UCI (live next to it) doesn’t seem that great. I appreciate your answer!
@justlookingnow Thanks for your answer. My CC has transfer agreements only with schools that I don’t care about. Looking back, my biggest mistake was probably choosing a CC that doesn’t have a transfer agreement with a school that I like… back then I didn’t know about those things.
I agree that my list is very reachy for anyone, which is why I am worried. I would be happy, if I was accepted to any one of those ten schools. Nevertheless, I heard Cornell for example has a 4% transfer rate…
@kalons Tbh I don’t care about the fees. Yes, it is a lot of work, but I’d hate myself if I didn’t at least try. That being said, I just don’t know what to think. I feel a lot of these top schools are pure luck.
If you are applying to Mcintire make sure you have all the pre reqs. Some good threads on transferring to mcintire. Acceptance rate for out of state is very low but not impossible. I did see a post from Uva dean that basically said don’t retake sat as a transfer . Good luck
@AroundHere the only schools I can think of are Berkeley and Irvine for finance. I can’t apply even if I wanted to and Irvine isn’t on the same level as UNC, USC etc…
Penn state and Maryland and Boston University and Indians would be good options also if you want to take it down a notch. Miami an Fordham also reputable business schools.