I will be going to a community college starting this fall (graduating with what I’m guessing is going to be around a 2.9-3 GPA and a 1200 SAT). I was lazy and goofed off in high school but when I start cc I want to work really hard to go to my dream school (Northeastern). So what should I be looking to do while at cc? Like what GPA should I be aiming to get, what extracurriculars should I do (I did none in hs), etc. Also, should I be looking to transfer in 1 year or 2 years, and should I redo the SAT? Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
Hi!
I just got accepted by as an international transfer there. I can only give limited advice based on my own inquiries, phone calls, chats etc., but I think by now I have a pretty good idea of what they are looking for, as I had A LOT of conversations regarding applications and acceptance rates with various people at NU.
What i’ve gathered so far:
High School grades don’t matter that much anymore if you’ve taken college classes since graduation from HS.
Make sure you challenge yourself by taking advanced level classes from now on - that is a lot more important to the application admins than getting relatively good grades in average level courses. I had very mediocre (even lightly below average) high school grades, but turned it around since I started college.
Extra Curriculars!!!
This is especially important if your GPA isn’t excellent. Also an absolute must if you are aiming for any merit based financial aid.
Re-take standardized exams if you think you could do better now. They love standardized test scores.
Generally I am pretty sure your chances are slightly better as a transfer than as a traditional freshman. Apply as soon as possible; if you get in but don’t feel ready yet, you have the option to defer. If you don’t succeed, you can always try again a year later!
I hope this helps! Good luck!
This this is extremely helpful, thank you so much!
@Hegann00 Do you mind sharing your HS GPA?
You don’t need to submit your SAT scores if you have 24 or more college credits, which is generally one full year of classes, so I would focus on getting a high GPA and doing lots of extracurriculars, volunteering, and working at a part-time job. If you do well next year, you might consider transferring as a rising sophomore; it’s usually easier to get accepted.
That’s very good, I am getting 6 credits over the summer so if I do 18 credits during the first semester I’ll be in a great position to apply as a sophomore. Also, do you know if northeastern looks for a specific type of student, similar to the Ivies?
Also, are you sure they won’t hold the fact that I will only have completed a year of uni against me? Since my HS school grades are total garbage.
The website says you should have a minimum 3.3 GPA to be accepted as a transfer.
That’s definitely doable, but based on the transfer threads here I’m thinking a 3.7-3.8 would make me competitive.
Trying 18 credits in the fall semester is an overload. It may affect your GPA.
@Liloesq Does sending in mediocre SATs worsen your chances for transfer? I was unaware that you didn’t need to send them if you have 24 college credits or more.
The thing I’m a concerned about is if I want to apply to transfer as a sophomore in the fall, if I don’t do 18 credits in the first semester I’d have to submit my SAT scores since I won’t have 24 credits by the application deadline (April 1st) . It says on the website that you need 24 credits or more by the deadline if you don’t want to submit the SAT. I don’t really want to redo the SAT if I don’t need to, but I guess I may have to.
Have you tried the ACT?
I haven’t actually, are there any benefits doing it over the SAT?
@armadillo109 I heard that people who don’t do well on the SATs tend to be suited better for ACTs
@PixelTomato To be totally honest with you, I don’t know if my score is low because I’m not cut out for the SAT or I just didn’t prepare well enough, because frankly I didn’t. (Why did I not care during high school)
But I can definitely look into the ACT!
But generally I despise standardized testing so I’d like to avoid it if at all possible.
@armadillo109 if it helps, the math section of the SAT is just practice. I took the old SAT in high school and it has since changed so I don’t know about it too much now but, back then the reading and comprehension aspect of it were full of “tricks” and things that didn’t really test your English skills but your SAT testing skills. I really didn’t like the sat but took it anyways, and got a 1700 without studying too hard on it and just knowing a few basic SAT testing skills. I’m sure you can improve your SAT scores but it’ll be hard without having the resources to do so.
I understand your standardized testing frustration. Honestly I think its all just a big scam and waste of money. Sadly, its become an integral part of our system. Why should we need to test our math and English skills when we’re required to take those subjects in high school anyways? Wouldn’t passing that be proficient enough?
That aside, look into the ACT and consider your choices!
I think if I’m going to need to take the SAT again, I’ll drop the money down for a prep book, since I really need to score a lot higher if I want to be a competitive applicant. (And I won’t just be applying to Northeastern, I have other places in mind so having that score would be helpful as policies change from place to place.)
Yeah I agree, it’s really awful. And some people who just aren’t good at standardized testing are at a disadvantage despite how good the rest of they applications are.
I may just do both, despite how much I hate them lol. We’ll see!