So I’m a senior in high school right now and I’m going to a local community college before transferring. I’m going to be entering as a sophomore though and plan on being there a year. Because of that, I’m going to start applying as a transfer student during the spring.
I’m looking at pretty good, some of them very selective schools. Some of the schools I’m looking at are UC Irvine, George Washington, University of Minnesota, and College of William and Mary. My dream schools are Georgetown and Northwestern.
I’m going to take 19 credit hours my first semester so I’ll have those grades, plus one class from Syracuse U (which I got an A- in) for those colleges to look at. Most of my schools want me to send my high school transcript and SAT scores. I took it once and got a 1780 without studying. I got a 630 in reading, 680 in verbal, and 470 in math. I’m a really good student and have taken 6 colleges classes in high school. I have good grades, but I’ve always been weak in math. I’m taking Stats my first semester and hope that I can get a great grade in that so I can make up for my SAT score. Still, I want to know if I should retake it. I’m aiming to get a 3.7+ gpa. Would that make up for my SAT score? Do I have a chance at my top colleges?
I think 1780 is good for your first SAT. In my opinion, it doesn’t hurt to retake it (except the fee). I took the test 3 times and my gained a solid 400 points, ending up with a 1940. Math was my low point as well but passed with flying colors in writing. Its really up to you! I know of one person who retook the test and actually got a lower score. I took advantage of everything they offered. I brought snacks on my last test, used the bathroom, walked around, etc. I never really studied, but had plenty of practice in school and took the PSAT so I knew what I was in for. I definitely feel that its important to have some brain food (Im a nutrition major) when you’re completing the exam, it gives you the extra power to push through, because it is so early in the morning and sooooooo long!! Good Luck
Yeah, the SAT is honestly a drag. If I thought I had to retake them, I would but I super don’t want to. Maybe I’ll take them in October or November while I’m taking Stats so maybe I’ll feel more confident about math? I also took an Sat Subject test in US History and got a 750 so honestly, I’m not that worried about my score. I think with a good college gpa I should be fine. I’m double majoring in creative writing and psychology anyway so I don’t really need to know any math, besides Stats.
Warning! Stats is about problem solving, reasoning, and making choices based on information. Math is component of statistics, but a computer does the calculations. Math in statistics is applied, but is important for evaluation and decision making.
Some people think psychology should be found in a science department. While I don’t think psychology belongs there, please understand that psychology involves math and numbers, statistics and research, measurement, gathering and evaluating data, practice areas such as applied behavior analysis, etc. In psychology, math is a recurring undercurrent in the practice areas and overt in research. So while psychology is not a hard science, it is data driven.
Math involves applications and understanding what you have or don’t have to answer questions. You will need to know math in psychology, but you won’t be doing lots of calculations. Instead you will think quantitatively. Really interesting and practical just for living!