<p>So I'm a freshman at Penn State with a 4.0 GPA thus far (Finance and International Politics major in the business school). I was hoping that if I continued this as well as a really good track of leadership positions, I'd have a shot at transferring to an Ivy school. The problem is I scored poorly on the SAT: 610 CR and 650 M. I would redo sometime next year but I have a feeling that most Ivies don't admit a lot of junior transfers anyway. Would I even have a shot at Cornell or any other Ivy? And which Ivy might admit the most juniors? I heard Wharton only accepted 3 or 4... that's depressing.</p>
<p>Your feelings would be incorrect. If anything, Ivies should probably have a higher preference for Juniors, because it's easier to be more accomplished in your ECs as a sophomore. I know that Yale prefers Junior transfers. My school, Dartmouth, had a fairly even mix of sophomore and junior transfers. Wharton explicitly states that it prefers sophomores though, so that statistic is highly misleading.</p>
<p>Also, the significant of your SAT score can only decrease by waiting that extra year. I would still retake it though, and apply as a Junior. Though, I should note that it seems like you're "Ivy hunting." If that's the case, you're probably not going to be a successful transfer with that attitude (each of the Ivy schools is extremely different!).</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I would never say in an essay that I am looking to go to an Ivy for the prestige of anything of that sort. I would probably talk about what Penn State lacks in its program and why I would better fit into that specific Ivy school. I have a lot of time to write the essays anyway. By the way, do you have any websites that specifically say how many sophomores vs. juniors the Ivy colleges you mentioned above accept?</p>
<p>Should I retake the SAT II as well if necessary?</p>
<p>Wharton is unlikely but Cornell looks quite doable.</p>
<p>Why are you going after the "Ivy" name? There are many schools that are just as good, and of not better, than certain Ivy League schools.</p>
<p>ccTransfer10, I would not say there are 'many' schools that are better than any of the Ivy League schools. There are a few like Stanford, Duke, MIT, CalTech, but every one of the schools I just listed has abysmal transfer acceptance rates. However, I agree that many of the schools in the Ivy League are vastly different and that prestige is the only reason someone would be willing to attend one just because it is an Ivy, especially if they got in schools that they would fit in better at but are slightly less prestigious.</p>
<p>Don't worry about why I am applying. I just want to know whether it would be a good idea to redo the SAT II as well.</p>
<p>It's not curiosity - you need to reflect on a great reason to apply in your essays, it is a large part of your application review. It just seems rather generic when you say "I want o be at an Ivy" without naming which ones you are particularly interested in and why. It's like saying "I want a very expensive car" without specifying a Porsche, a Lamborghini, a Bentley.
You won't have much of a chance unless you really know the school you're applying to.</p>
<p>Dzirob33, my gut would be that you don't have to because the SAT is supposed to predict how well you do in college; and in your case obviously the SAT did not predict correctly because you are doing very well. The subject SATs serve a similar purpose. I think you're fine without them because your GPA indeed very strong the rest of your application seems to have been handled well on your part. I am not saying I know all about admissions, but personally, I don't think you would need to retake any standardized test since you have shown that you are capable of doing college-level work efficiently and that you can meet "Ivy standards." If you want to retake it to add more "meat" to the application, then go ahead; but I think you will be fine even if you do not retake them.
Best of luck with the apps!</p>
<p>Yeah dzirob33, you DO know that Dartmouth is about as different from Columbia as you could possibly get? If you can't articulate your reasons here, then I highly doubt you'll be able to do so come application time. The hardest part about your essays will be getting into the right attitude or the right idea of what it is you really want from an Ivy League education. Misguided people will tend to be misguided people later on, but if your reasons are more profound than others, then there's a better chance of you succeeding. After all, it really doesn't take that long to write 500 words. Just having the right attitude is much harder - and it's not something you can really fake.</p>
<p>Hence, I know that you're a gunner. If I can tell, then what do you think colleges will think? So just be careful about that.</p>
<p>Also, if you were really smart, you would think about asking admissions themselves about your situation (they won't have to know who you are) instead of some anonymous Internet forum identities who can only speculate for you. Good luck with your applications next year, you're going to need it.</p>
<p>Thank you, I will take all advice to heart.</p>
<p>just out of curiosity, how is dartmouth different from columbia? i've read on CC that each ivy has a different 'feel', how so?</p>
<p>^Hey man, I'm not going to do your homework for you.</p>
<p>I agree, you should make your list by yourself because you know yourself more than anyone on this forum does. Take your preferences into deep consideration when making the list, don't base things simply on US News rankings.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is totally different from Columbia...Columbia is a large school in NYC, Dartmouth is small and isolated in New Hampshire...totally different feels. All the Ivies have different vibes, what they have in common is academic strength...do your research on each one to find out what is right for you.
Make sure to check out other top 20 schools not in the league, and find the school that's the right fit for you where you feel home on campus and know you can get a good education. good luck</p>