<p>I attended a magnet school for high school but totally didn't take advantage of the opportunity- I had around a 2.0 average. I didn't exactly graduate from high school and got my GED (my GED score equates to a 3.8 average and top 3 percent of class according to NY states website). Part of my poor performance can be attributed to certain domestic problems. I am now in a local 4 year college (hunter college), and I have a GPA of 3.958 and an SAT score of 1320. I am currently on my schools Senate and I am an active member of the Philosophy club. I have been on the Dean's List for both semesters of study and will most likely be invited into my schools Honor Program. I also got highest honors -Summa Cum Laude- on the national latin exam (it sounds a more impressive than it is). I also think I might have a couple pretty good recommendations to supplement the transfer Apps. I am considering some real competitive schools and was wondering if anyone can let me know what my chances might be. The schools I am considering are: For Spring Admission: Vassar College; Cornell University; NYU; Rice University; Tufts University; Amherst College ; Williams College; In the case that I do get into any of the schools above, for fall 2007 UChicago; Columbia ; Wesleyan U; UPenn</p>
<p>Give them a shot! But, beware transferring is hell. The wait for notification is unbearable.</p>
<p>Good Luck.</p>
<p>Basically,they wont care about high school. Especially if you're a junior transfer.</p>
<p>yes they will care about high school, just not as much.</p>
<p>i highly doubt you will apply to the fall 2007 schools you have listed because you have a great shot at all of those schools you're applying to for spring admission.</p>
<p>So you think its a good idea not to except Binghamtons bid for transfer into Fall 06? (I care a lot more about education and prestige then about debt).
Also, I am not a poor writer, but I am very worried about the essay part. All these essay editing services make me feel liek I need a real spectacular essay, what do you guys think?</p>
<p>get started now, ask people to read over it, re-write, re-write, and re-write some more :] you should also consider applying to the top publics also! umich, ucla, berkeley, uva.</p>
<p>eserrur - I think your forward movement between hs and college will work in your favor. You can use some essays, if you like, to highlight how you have changed. Your persona already comes through in your posts - so DO NOT WORRY about the essays. Ignore the essay writing services. There are parents here who will gladly read and comment on your essays; I am one and you can PM me. And/or you can go to the Parent Forum when you have an essay ready for review. Follow forgiven's advice to start now, get someone to review and then revise, revise, revise. Good luck.</p>
<p>As a person who has been in nearly the exact same situation, I can tell you that transferring for sophomore standing will be very difficult. I see that you will be applying for that standing, but for the spring semester. You definitely have a shot, and I would try if I were you (in fact, I tried a semester earlier than you did, and I was rejected from Rice and Yale, but admitted at Georgetown).</p>
<p>Applying for junior standing is much easier, it seems. I know a student with the same stats who was admitted into Harvard, and another into Brown and Rice. I was admitted at Rice and the University of Chicago this year, and rejected from Brown (their admit rate was brutal this year).</p>
<p>Edit: Also, while the essays are important. I do not focus on writing something extravagant. Simply work on explicating clearly and laconically the reasons for your wanting to transfer. The University of Chicago, for instance, never explicitly asks for an intended major on the application, which I think means that one should explicate clearly what he wants to do and why. I wonder how many did not!</p>
<p>After applying twice as a transfer, I can definitely say that while creativity and passion go a long way, clarity and good reasons are essential. Try do display a combination of both. </p>
<p>Good luck:)</p>
<p>and when did you take them? I feel like theres an SAT inflation effect. Could my SAT score of 1320 make me competitive for admission to Ivy League institutions? I also forgot to mention that I am currently taking summer courses at Columbia in an attempt enhance my application.</p>
<p>
[quote]
and when did you take them? I feel like theres an SAT inflation effect. Could my SAT score of 1320 make me competitive for admission to Ivy League institutions? I also forgot to mention that I am currently taking summer courses at Columbia in an attempt enhance my application.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I retook the SAT during my freshman year, and boosted it from a 1280 to a 1490. I am not sure if it conduced to my acceptance at Georgetown, and there are conflicting opinions on this board about whether an excellent SAT is needed.</p>
<p>If you are confident that you can raise your score significantly higher, then there is no harm in taking it. It only helps your application.</p>
<p>The easier transfer admits (relative to their respective first year admittance difficulty) are Gtown, Rice, Northwestern, and WUSTL. I would seriously consider adding one of these schools.</p>
<p>Chicago seems far easier than Northwestern if you really want to be there - ESSAYS.</p>
<p>I think I just about narrowed down my choices for Spring transfer: Northwestern, Rice, Amherst, Vassar, Cornell, and (maybe) WUSL and NYU. I am really concerned about getting a good undergraduate education with a Major in Philosophy and second major, possibly Economics, or maybe linguistics; can anyone give me a general idea about the aforementioned school's reputation for undergrad education? I figure Vassar and Amherst would be good because their small liberal art schools. I hear Rice has a great reputation for undergrad education, but I am not sure of the big universities. Anyone have any opinions (with my majors in mind)?</p>
<p>also would retaking my SAT in the beginning of my soph year in college appear odd to admission officers? I don't feel to great about my 1320 and think I can knock out an extra 100 points perhaps.</p>
<p>i don't think another 100 points would matter much..</p>
<p>Having done a lot of research on the philosophy departments of Rice, NYU, and Northwestern. I can contribute a little:</p>
<p>Let me preface this by saying that the department you should attend depends on how enthusiastic you are about philosophy. If you only want a smattering, any department will suffice. If you are interested in learning, it is a good idea to apply to departments with a large faculty and a breadth and depth of philosophy curriculum. The latter is most important if you intend to apply for graduate studies in philosophy.</p>
<p>Rice University: I was admitted there for fall 2006. The department is small, but their faculty is excellent. The only problem is that their epistemology/philosophy of science start just left for Berkeley, and it is rumored that the chair will be retiring next year. Now the department is even smaller. The benefits are that class sizes are small, it is easier to stand out if you are enthusiastic, and professors are always willing to do independent study. The only problem is that, because of its size, you may have a difficult time finding courses that suit your interest.</p>
<p>Where Rice loses in size, it gains in intimacy. Professors are always available to help, and from my interactions with the department, it seems that students and professors bond rather frequently.</p>
<p>Northwestern: This is another good department, though its disposition is toward continental rather than analytic philosophy. Because of such leanings, you might find that coursework in the latter is lacking, which is detrimental to graduate school admissions because analytic philosophy dominates philosophical academia. Other than that, you might need to consider that Northwestern is a very pre-professional school, so philosophy is not as highly valued.</p>
<p>NYU: Their philosophy department is the best, of course. It is tied for #1 on Leiter's rankings; however, I do not think the NYU undergraduate experience even compares to that of, say, Rice University's. Also, NYU's reputation does not compare to Rice's. I would take this seriously because the reputation of a university factors significantly in law school and graduate school admissions.</p>
<p>Here are some links that might help:
<a href="http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/undergrad.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/undergrad.htm</a></p>
<p>You might want to apply to UChicago.</p>
<p>I think an extra 100 points could be valuable for admissions. I'm not a fan of standardized tests, so I say this a bit reluctantly; but it's just a fact that these schools put a reasonable amount of weight on them.</p>
<p>I asked the direct qx of one school (Stanford) if they really thought it made sense to re-take SATs after college course work. They do NOT think it odd; they want you to have the best SAT to put forward that you can. So I'd go for it, eserrur, if you're willing.</p>
<p>yeah- i'm applying to stanford this fall and they accept recently taken SAT tests AND they RECOMMEND you take and submit 3 sat 2 subject tests. I didn't take the subject tests in high school so i have to take them before i apply. And i figured if i'm studying for the subject tests, might as well study for and take the SAT 1(new version is way easier IMO- no analogies)..And the writing section is a joke. so TAKE THEM. definitely----</p>
<p>you recommend taking the sat2s even if your applying as a junior?</p>
<p>We strongly recommend that students taking the new SAT also take two SAT Subject Tests. We recommend Math Level 2 as one of these tests; the other test can be in any subject of your choosing. For those students submitting scores only from the old SAT, we strongly recommend three SAT Subject Tests, one of which should be Math Level 2, or the former Math IIC. These tests can often be helpful supplements to a student's testing profile. For an explanation of our policy regarding the old SAT I and II and the new SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests, please click here. </p>
<p>For students applying for fall 2006, we will accept a student's highest individual verbal/critical reading score and math score from either the former SAT I, the new SAT Reasoning Test, or a combination of the two exams. </p>
<p>We will accept only the new SAT Reasoning Test for those applying for fall 2007 and beyond, even if earlier scores are reported. </p>
<p>We will continue to accept ACT scores, but request that applicants submit the ACT with writing beginning with applications for fall 2007.</p>
<p>I feel like juggling a full-time class schedule and taking 3 subject tests might be too difficult for me, and I used to OWN analogies; I am actually upset that they removed them. I guess I'll just take the SAT, and if the gods are nice and bless me with a 1500 or higher (1600 scale), then maybe I will even attempt some serious Ivies.</p>