<p>I am going on my Sophomore year with a major in mechanical engineering at a junior college and am debating if it is worth busting my ass to get a near perfect score on the SATs for the 'possibility' of getting into Stanford.</p>
<p>My transfer counselor said I have very good chances of getting into Berkeley, if, of course, I maintain my GPA. However, Stanford requires the SATs for even transfer students.</p>
<p>As, from <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_3a_admincriterial.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_3a_admincriterial.html</a> points out...</p>
<p>"The competition for transfer admission is extraordinarily keen. Typically, we admit between 5% and 10% of the 1,500 students who apply each year. For this reason, only students with very strong academic credentials are encouraged to apply - those with cumulative college grade point averages in the 3.5 to 4.0 range and SAT verbal/critical reading and math scores in the 650 to 800 ranges. " </p>
<p>The GPA is no problem (along w/ extracurriculars and work experience in the field), and I would have more units than most transfer applicants.</p>
<p>The problem is I have very limited time and money to study for a test that may or may not help me.</p>
<p>I realize that, academically speaking, Berkeley and Stanford are right next to eachother in regards to engineering, but the prestige and overall academic experience I would gain at Stanford is what pushes me to at least try.</p>
<p>Any thoughts? Should I even bother?</p>