<p>hi, i want to transfer to top schools such as(rice, wustl, cornell, amherst..)
i have 4 questions</p>
<p>1) how hard is it to transfer from a JC as compared to a transferring from a real university?</p>
<p>2) are extracuriculars as important as when compared to freshmen admissions?</p>
<p>3) do SATs have as much weight as they do in freshmen admissions?</p>
<p>4)chances? </p>
<p>STATS: math major JCgpa:3.9 HSgpa:3.1(with only one AP class), no SATs yet. one quarter of tutoring math. </p>
<p>red flags: 2 W's in my first quarter in JC, 2 Ds in HS, remedial classes in HS</p>
<p>This questioned is often discussed, including recently:</p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=383680%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=383680</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=383111%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=383111</a></p>
<p>1) It happens all the time.
2) Yes, extracurriculars are a huge deal if you're trying to get in to a super competitive school.
3) SAT's are slowly being downgraded as a predictor of college success or "intelligence". That said, they are still important.
4) I don't ever want to discourage someone because it's rarely helpful... but for schools of that caliber, your "application" sure looks pretty bare.</p>
<p>hey, bait&switch</p>
<p>well, i have untill march to send out applications. I want to find out if there is anything i can do in the meantime to substantially improve my chances. </p>
<p>I'm signing up for honors classes so my application should look better.</p>
<p>what if I took an extremely challenging courseload next fall and get a very high SAT score(2000+)? </p>
<p>I just want to know if it is even worth the effort. there is no point if i have no chances whatsoever.</p>
<p>It depends on how bad you want it man. Anything and everything are inside of the realm of possibility. </p>
<p>Most people like the idea of working hard on paper, but when it comes down to it, don't have enough drive to consistently perform and put this stuff at the top of the "things to do" list... especially when they get up to their eyeballs in stress. Everyone likes the idea of going to Harvard, but most of those people don't really want to give up what you have to give up in order to do so. There are so many people out there who have all these ideas about going to an Ivy, and it's because a collection of people convinced them it will fulfill them and give them a real sense of self-worth. </p>
<p>What do you really want? Small classes? Professors who actually like teaching, and are accessible? Good research opportunities? Lots of diversity? Do you want a very social, campus-y feel? Or somewhere where you can melt into the city during the weekends? Personally I think where a school is a HUGE deal- because it determines where you will have to live every single day for a half-decade of you life. </p>
<p>Just figure out what you really want. That's extremely important. When you figure out whether you REALLY do want to go to Cornell and why, and they're not bull$hit reasons, that's when you're actually on the verge of being able to get in. True motivation and dedication are the key to any success.</p>
<p>P.S. 2000 is not a "very high" SAT... especially not at WashU, etc. Try for a minimum of 2100, which is equivalent to a 1400 on the old SAT.</p>