Should I retake the SAT's?

arcadefire1027 · 07-20-2009, 01:50 AM

I'm interested in transferring to Rice for fall 2010, and I'm wondering how much weight they put on SAT's for junior level transfers. I had a pretty big turn-around (as in, I've done much much better in college than in high school). Does anyone have any solid info on this? I know they put less weight on it, but my high school stats and SAT score weren't at Rice's level so I'm worried about my chances for a transfer.

To summarize my stats,
Current School: University of California- Riverside
GPA (after 1 year): 3.94
Main extra-curriculars: Write the music for a band (well-known in my area, played some high profile shows and takes up a lot of my time), and calculus tutoring
Major: Computer Science

High school: 3.3 unweighted, 3.6 or so weighted (not a competitive high school)
SAT Reasoning (from march 2007)- 1900 (690 critical reading, 580 math, 630 writing)
Subject tests- Under 600 in both the ones I took

I'm confident that if I retook the SAT's I could score a decent amount better, but on the other hand, it would take so much preparation and what not that I seriously do not want to have to do it. Thoughts?

And thank you, I appreciate your input.

arcadefire1027 · 07-22-2009, 06:44 PM

yo? 10 char?

Antarius · 07-22-2009, 08:06 PM

the odds of getting in with a 1900 especially with a 580 in math is almost zero

so yes, retake it

maysixxmom · 07-22-2009, 11:31 PM

That's an impressive GPA! What is your major/intended major? You may not need to retake the SAT with a solid post-HS resume.

arcadefire1027 · 07-23-2009, 01:45 AM

Really Antarius? Man, I was hoping they wouldn't care since I was a junior level transfer. Well, I guess it can't hurt either way so I might as well start studying..

And thank you very much maysixxmom! I appreciate that! I'm intending to major in Computer Science

Antarius · 07-23-2009, 03:27 AM

they require it, so yes i think it is important

arcadefire1027 · 07-23-2009, 03:52 AM

Well at least they don't require the subject tests for transfer. Now that would suck.

Antarius · 07-23-2009, 12:22 PM

yeah they basically want to ensure that you fit in with the original admission criteria as well

anxiousmom · 07-23-2009, 02:26 PM

I would call Rice and ask them if you are allowed to take and submit new scores as a transfer student. I may be wrong (haven't researched it..) but I don't think you are supposed to take the SAT's after entering college. And, with 2 years of college under your belt, they are likely to weight your college transcript much higher than your SAT scores. Call and ask before you do anything...

arcadefire1027 · 07-23-2009, 05:33 PM

Hey anxiousmom, I actually already checked this out and they do accept SAT retakes for transfer.

And Antarius, are you saying that my high school GPA will also screw me over? Does it seem like Rice puts more emphasis on high school record than most universities do for junior level transfers? Because if they want to see if I met their high school criteria, my high school GPA is definitely not at the level. However, I was under the impression that many schools would value my grade turn-around and look at it as an asset. Is that just wishful thinking?

Antarius · 07-23-2009, 05:40 PM

i think that the college GPA is way more important. yet, they specifically want standardized tests. While grade inflation is an issue at places , a good SAT score will set the record straight

thats what it seems like. You have an excellent GPA, so i dont think the HS GPA is as important. a good SAT will help

arcadefire1027 · 07-23-2009, 05:43 PM

Hey well thanks for the advice, I'll definitely plan on retaking (and studying) for the SAT's this October. Obviously, I'm going to aim for as close to a 2400 as possible, but what do you think would be a good score to give me a good chance at admission?

And another question, let's say I retake the SAT's and only do slightly better (like 50 points), would this actually hurt my application by making it look like I haven't matured much? Collegeboard now offers score choice, would it be in my benefit to not send scores like this?

Antarius · 07-23-2009, 06:03 PM

Rice doesnt accept scorechoice. ALL taken SAt scores must be sent

now, anything above 2100 is a good score. basically get as high as you can!

arcadefire1027 · 08-28-2009, 12:56 AM

I wish someone would come in here and give Antarius' opinion some opposition, haha. If I retook the SAT's and only did slightly better, would I be screwed? Will this 1900 really stop me from getting in as a junior transfer? It's not that I don't value this opinion, it's just that I'd love to get a few people's opinions.

ams4550 · 08-28-2009, 08:56 PM

The SAT doesn't matter as much for a transfer. When you have a track record of actual college work, the SAT score diminshes in importance. In fact, some people just suck at taking standardized tests; that person is a good applicant for transfering into Rice if he has a good college GPA. This is pretty much what the dean of undergraduates said once. Anyway, you can transfer in with a "low" math score. I scored 620, but I was in the 700s with reading and writing. 2100 is the average for a regular applicant. They don't release transfer data, so I don't think any one of us really knows.