<p>Hi, I’m looking to apply for transfer to some selective schools as a Computer Science major, but I’m afraid that the courses I was forced to take in freshman year in my school are quite inadequate and a little far-fetched.</p>
<p>My school (international) has a very broad distributive requirements, so most freshmen have 80% of their classes in non-major courses. In my case:</p>
<p>2 English writing courses
2 Western/world literature courses
2 Foreign lang. courses
2 PE courses
2 Maths (including calc)
2 Computer science courses</p>
<p>Each course is 3 units except for PE which is 2.</p>
<p>The thing is, most SEAS students in the schools I’m looking at take college level Physics and Chemistry in their freshie year. I only took these subjects in my high school.</p>
<p>As such, I would want to prove to colleges that I’m not entirely devoid of knowledge in those subjects. In this case, will 800 SAT 2 subject scores in Chem and Physics help?</p>
<p>I’m applying as soph transfer btw</p>
<p>No. Subject tests are for HS students only. When you start college, it is college coursework that counts. </p>
<p>APs are supposed to be the equivalent of introductory college courses, and Subject tests are substantially easier than AP exams. And not all schools accept AP courses with high scores, so what does that say about the level of Subject tests?</p>
<p>Take a look at Transfer websites for any college, they may require or recommend a SAT or ACT, but I have yet to find one that wants to see Subject tests for someone who has taken post-HS college courses.</p>
<p>Well, I did specify that this is the case for the selective schools. MIT still requires 2 subject tests for transfers: [Required</a> Documents | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/transfer/documents]Required”>Transfer deadlines & requirements | MIT Admissions)</p>
<p>Anyways, thanks for the extensive reply. Even if I have different curriculum from most of US freshmen, it’s possible to take the missed courses during my soph year there right?</p>
<p>SAT subject tests generally test high school level material; they do not generally give placement beyond or credit for university courses. AP, IB, or A-level tests may give some subject credit, depending on the university.</p>
<p>For transfer purposes, universities may still want to look at high school credentials (high school records, SAT/ACT scores). This is more common for sophomore level transfers compared to junior level transfers (who have more of a college record to show in the transfer application).</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>10 characters bump</p>
<p>melody,
Thanks for the info on MIT Subject test requirement, I will keep that in mind in the future. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean about making up missed courses since you’re applying for a soph transfer. As a soph transfer applicant, most students will not have completed all necessary general education requirements.</p>
<p>There are some schools, especially UPenn SEAS, that require specific courses to be taken in first year to be eligible for soph transfer: <a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/info/Penn_Transfer_Guide.pdf[/url]”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/info/Penn_Transfer_Guide.pdf</a></p>
<p>“Students transferring into the School of Engineering
and Applied Science a er one year of college should
have completed at least:
• one course in chemistry,
• one course in physics (involving the use of calculus),
• one course in computer programming,
• two courses in calculus, and,
• if possible, two courses in the social sciences and
humanities.”</p>
<p>This seemed pretty ridiculous to me at first, since it would mean that they would presumably admit only the students who dedicated their first year for UPenn transfer. But then, it turns out Notre Dame and other schools have this system too.</p>
<p>Then it struck me: what if all top schools compare my curriculum (international) with the freshies in their schools for evaluation? I would probably be boosted in LACs and unis with heavy humanities focus, but not in more technical universities such as MIT or Stanford (not like I have much chance though, just using them for reference). I decided to give this transfer thing a chance just this year, so I cannot make any new curriculum arrangement. My school just didn’t allow any adjustment in freshman curriculum at all. (Moreover, I’m currently on a gap year after my freshie year) </p>
<p>So, as an EAS major, I thought I needed to demonstrate at least some proficiency in sciences other than computer, and the only opportunity I have right now is the SAT subject test. But if that doesn’t help that much either, I will have to just try my luck and show some prominence in my field, which is computer.</p>
<p>I agree with you that that’s a lot of coursework to expect from just fr year, particularly since most students will take a full year (2 courses) of Chem or Physics to stay in sequence, not just 1 sem. </p>
<p>I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with transfer requirements for Engineering, Engineering is always an exception in college admissions. The only thing I can think of is that some of the coursework is usually done via AP credits taken during HS.</p>