<p>So I am in the process of transferring from a CC to multiple colleges mostly consisting of ivies. My HS grades and even entry college grades were subpar. During the middle of my first semester, I joined the military and recently was honorably discharged. I then finished up the rest of the requirements (60 units) in cc with straight A's and B's and now am eligible to transfer.</p>
<p>My SAT scores were not that great (~1700ish). I was wondering if my experience/EC's and 2 years worth of work in college would allow my SAT scores to be negligent in the admission process. Is it important/hold any weight at all? Should I re-take them??</p>
<p>Anyone ever re-take SAT's when applying to ivies for transfer?? I am willing to study and get a 2100+ this time but was wondering if it was worth the time.</p>
<p>In general when you transfer as a jr your SATs hold little if any weight. However, you are applying to some of the most selective colleges in the nation, so they will be looking at everything in your record. Retaking the SAT might help strengthen your application because you are coming from a CC which tends to have a weaker cohort of students, a high SAT might help to show adcoms that you can do the work.</p>
<p>You say that you have As & Bs, depending on how many Bs, that (in addition to your rough HS & early college grades) could make it pretty hard to get into what are some of the most selective colleges in the country.</p>
<p>As a veteran, you fall into an entirely different category than most transfer students from your community college. There is a Veterans Forum here that you should take a look at. You can find it inside the College Admissions and Search Forum, under Specialty College Admissions Topics. Here is a direct link: [Veterans</a> - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/veterans/]Veterans”>Veterans - College Confidential Forums) The Veterans Forum isn’t very active, but if you click on an individual poster’s name, you will be able to send a Personal Message (PM) to them, and chances are that they will get back to you.</p>
<p>So, I did not complete my entire enlistment in the Marine Corps, I actually got out honorably due to injury. Do you think I should re-take my SAT’s? Reason I ask is because at the moment I work full-time and attend cc. It will be difficult to integrate studying for SAT’s although once I transfer I plan to quit work and can focus on my education then.</p>
<p>My GPA will end at around 3.2. Regardless of what my chances of getting into an Ivy are, I plan to cast the widest net possible to see which “dream,” college I am eligible for.</p>
<p>Have you discussed this with the transfer counselor at your CC? Some of them are very good, and can tell you exactly whether it is worth your time to retake the ACT/SAT. You also need to check with each university to see what the specific requirements for transfer students are. A current exam score might be necessary. Or, it might only be necessary if you aren’t completing a full A.A. degree. In any case, you should pop by your local public library and pick up a couple of exam review books. That way you can take practice tests at home to see what your numbers look like right now. If you decide to take one of the exams you can prep on your own at home with the “Xiggi Method” <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html</a> The prep strategies described work for ACT prep as well as the SAT.</p>
<p>why would you take the sat or act again? I always hear people asking if they should do it for a transfer…NO!. It doesn’t even make sense. The sat and act are standardized tests created to test knowledge you should have learned in high school. What does taking it as a junior in college prove? Nothing. Your grades in college are the number 1 most important aspect for a transfer student. You have an “estimated” 3.2 and what to get into an IVY? The only reason I am not dismissing your chances out of hand is your veteran status.</p>
<p>Aim high, but be realistic. Don’t waste money trying to get into schools that won’t take you. Pick out two or 3 “dream schools” 2 matches and a safety. That is still too many IMO but people love to apply everywhere I guess. I applied to only two schools transferring from a CC. UofM and MSU. A reach/match and a safety based on my stats. Think less about the name and more about what matters…</p>
<p>Normally I would not suggest a re-take in your shoes. However, I agree with entomom. Because of the schools you are targetting, your existing SAT scores will be a hurdle to overcome. New SAT’s, imo, would do just as she said - validate that your A’s at a community college have a chance of reflecting what you could do at one of the most selective schools in the country.</p>
<p>I also agree that if you have a goodly number of B’s, that will also hurt.</p>
<p>You may well have other elements in your experience and application that will outweigh these disadvantages… but low-ish SATs and a GPA <3.8x or 3.9x (if yours is below these levels) from a cc will, unfortunately, be counts against.</p>
<p>Make sure that your application list includes some schools that you really like for which your stats are near the top of the likely applicant pool. Don’t make the mistake of applying to a bunch of Ivies and some throw-away schools where you wouldn’t be happy.</p>
<p>I’m going to apply to several safety schools on top of my “dream” schools. Not going to apply without a guarantee .</p>
<p>Anyways, my real question i guess then is this: WILL an IMPROVED SAT scores (2100++) justify my subpar grades to Ivies, etc.? </p>
<p>Is it worth taking my test another time to prove my competence to the top schools in the nation?</p>
<p>I am also applying to non-ivies such as BU, Carnegie Mellon, etc. I primarily would like to stay East Coast for Ibanking ventures post-graduation.</p>
<p>the SAT after you enter college means nothing. it’s supposed to predict how you will do in college and you have real grades that actually show how you did and so there’s no reason for a predictor. i think your gpa is low. i agree with rageroolz in that you should pick 2 or 3 dream schools and then some more likely ones. i think cmu would still be a reach for you. i don’t know about bu. vanderbilt, on the other hand, might actually work for you because of their high transfer acceptance rate and there were several CCers from the last admissions cycle who got in with 3.2s-3.4s</p>
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