I am half way through with my first semester at UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering as an ECE student. I want to transfer to Stanford, and I would like to know if it’s necessary for me to retake the SAT. I received a 2010 on the SAT in high school. What can I do to increase my admission chances? Also, since I’ve only been at UT for almost a semester, what would be the best way to receive a great letter of recommendation? Is it helpful that I got to do a coding camp at a large tech company this past summer?
You might already know this, but Stanford is perhaps the most difficult school to transfer into, in the entire nation–typical admission rates are 1-2%. Most available seats are tethered to attrition, with attrition almost non-existent, so are the seats available. Next, the most prominent feature of being able to transfer is whether you would have been able to gain admission as a freshmen–if not, it is highly unlikely you will be able to transfer. The largest represented group of transfers at Stanford are from Ivy schools. Best-
Actually, anyone can take the SAT. I signed up to take it next month, but I’m not sure if it’s even worth it to take again. I believe that the focus will be more on my performance in this first year of college rather than on my SAT scores. I’m very passionate about the field that I’m going into. I’ve even started working on side projects and applied for internships as a freshmen. Will this aid me at all in the decision process?
I should clarify, it is my understanding, if you have already taken the SAT and under a certain amount of credits, than retaking it has neglible results for transfer admission at Stanford.
Number one legitimate reason for successful transfers is your current school does not offer a major or degree offered at Stanford; wanting to attend a more elite school is not considered a valid reason.