My daughter’s dream school is Barnard. She got 1440 in SAT, which is even a bit lower than her PSAT score. She is totally stressed out. We are not sure if she should retake SAT or take ACT for Barnard. Would she have any chance with Barnard if she does not improve her test score? Or, she should just let Barnard go and go to our state school. She is a very good kid. Our priority is to her mental and physical well-being. Would appreciate some advice.
Thank you !!!
Most of my kids took both 3 times, and did better on the ACT. None have any test anxiety, 1 had a weird love for standardized testing.
The 25th percentile for SAT scores for Barnard appears to be a 1430. For her to be near that level and to get in, she likely needs to be an underrepresented minority or have a really special EC of some sort. Of course, she could get denied with a 1510 and she might get in with a 1440. My guess…if her PSAT score was above a 1440, then I think she will improve on her next SAT attempt.
Of course you should take it (and the ACT too for comparison) - if you’ve taken it just once, then taking again or even two more times is a must. On their website, they publish by area - so not total - but you’re likely around the 25th- ish. There’s still plenty of time - so if you study and take it 1-2 times more - it’s a no brainer to me. The CDS shows 1370-1500 so in that regard she’s squarely in the middle.
As for letting a school go, heck no -if you want to go to a school, you apply. If you’re a 2.5, you don’t apply but if you’re within range - heck yeah.
But like everyone - you need reaches, targets, and safeties. You should expect rejected at your reaches and even some of your targets. But you don’t - not apply.
But you do ensure that you have a well rounded list of schools that are affordable and you can be happy at - and don’t fall in love with any one school.
But to just say - should we give up - unless she’s a B student (3.2 or lower) - or not in the top quarter of her class - the answer is heck no.
Go for it - but if you’re worried about overwhelming her by having to prep/take a test again, then college is going to be tough mentally - because there’s going to be a lot of pressure situations whether she goes to Barnard or a local state school.
Good luck.
The Common Data Set says the 25th percentile was a 1370 for '21. Where are you seeing 1430?
OP - IMO, her score is in the ballpark. If retaking is going to cause a lot more stress, I’d focus on the rest of her application.
That said, that acceptance rate for Barnard is now under 10% Barnard College’s Class of 2026 Is Most Diverse, Selective Ever Admitted | Barnard College. That makes it a reach school for even the very strongest applicants.
I would make sure that your daughter knows that Barnard is a reach for all applicants, no matter how strong their application, and that if she’s denied admission, she can and will be successful no matter where she lands.
Have a well balanced list and then let Barnard be the reach school.
I think there’s two discrepancies here:
We don’t know the '26 profile yet - or do we.
I think the 1430 was derived from the link provided - but took the 25th percentile of both categories since they don’t provide a combined. The issue here would be that the student at the 25th percentile for each is likely not the same - hence the CDS shows a 1370.
Either which way, assuming the student is legitimate, there’s no reason to give up a school over an “in range” test score - and one could even go test optional.
I agree mental health is critical - but who’s to say that a state school will provide a better atmosphere than a high end private, etc. And there’s nothing wrong with getting rejected to a school - and the OP makes it sound like they don’t want that to happen. I wanted both my kids to get rejected somewhere - and both did!!!
Unfortunately, in the adult world, there are stressors and rejection and the like - and as one goes away to college, they’re going to experience all of it and then some. But hopefully we’ve instilled the traits in our children to help them cope.
Class of 2026 admitted student (we want admitted, not matriculated) mid 50% SAT is 1450-1540. Unless OP is hooked probably best to not submit a 1440. I would take the test again, or try the ACT.
Barnard will remain test optional through the 2023 admissions cycle. Assuming your daughter is a rising senior, then she doesn’t have to submit a test score next year. But . . . unless she’s really not mentally up to re-taking the test again, she should probably retake. Per Barnard’s website, the SAT range for last year was a 1440-1520, putting your daughter’s score at the 25% mark. If she could bring up her score a bit, it could strengthen her application, so it’s definitely worthwhile to try. But, if she doesn’t she should still apply since she doesn’t have to submit a test score.
This! If her PSAT was higher, a retake has a good chance of getting her a score that’s equal to or higher than that PSAT score. I definitely wouldn’t retake it more than once when submitting scores is optional, though. Give it one more try to see what happens, keep it as low-stress as possible, and then let that be the end of it. Maybe in the end she’ll have a score she wants to submit, or maybe test-optional will be the best option for her.
Not directly related to the topic here, but a 1440 is a very good score that puts your daughter right on target for many great schools. While a state school is generally a solid option, I hope she’ll apply to more than just two places. Make a list of schools she could see herself at, and don’t give up on any of them!
In which case she should consider applying ED, where the admission rate is higher and which will fill a large percentage of the class. By RD time, the acceptance rate for the remaining spots is a mere fraction of the already low 8% overall figure.
My daughter had been admitted RD with an ACT of 36, except for Math 35. But other students she knew, with similar stats, were not.
Adding another data point from Barnard’s website for Class of '25
"SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing mid 50% range: 710-770
SAT Math mid 50% range: 720-780"
https://barnard.edu/class-2025-profile
I think it’s worth taking it again; anyone can have an “off day” and especially if her PSAT was higher it’s likely she’d have a higher score taking it again, even if she just reads a library book of test strategies. My S23 went from a 790/680 to a 790/750 six weeks later. I think his first test was kind of flukey (he spent about an hour spread out over the course of a week on Khan Academy between the first and second test).
Barnard is a highly rejective school though so I wouldn’t tie a particular test score to any confidence of being accepted. While I think taking the SAT one more time would be helpful, I wouldn’t do it more than that; focus on the rest of her college applications and building a good list with many schools that can be great fits for her 
I would strongly recommend retaking it until you are sitting at the 75th percentile or higher. And why Barnard over Columbia?
Each of the 3 traditional undergraduate schools at Columbia University have their distinct factors that one might favor or disfavor over the other two.
Cleary, anyone interested in Engineering, will tend towards SEAS. Some people do care for the structure that comes with the “Common Core” and thus choose Columbia College - other women might much prefer the flexibility and breadth of choices that that hundreds of courses offer that satisfy Barnard College’s “Foundations”.
Even before the current “test optional” cycles, Barnard’s admission has been known to try to identify and attract exceptional women, looking beyond test scores or GPAs as long as there are other strong factors.
There are many other facets (faculty & advising, school spirit & vibe,…) that can make Barnard the preferred choice for some women, given that they do have this added option - even if having been admitted to both of the colleges.
And there are likely as many facets why other individuals might prefer CC.
Thank you so much for all your help!! My D is a pretty good artist and musician. She will certainly be the valedictorian of her small rural high school. The teachers love her. She likes Barnard because it is small (she has some physical disabilities that require some accommodations) and is in New York, where she might have more opportunities as an artist. We will encourage her to take SAT again.
Class rank is relevant!
Thriving in the face of personal challenges is relevant!
So, yes, the key is to be clear and accept/expect that the rejection rate is 92%, of all very outstanding young women. So having, and being fully content with, a plan B is crucial.
Then maybe try the ACT to see if that happens to suit her style better.
If she is an URM, especially AA, that 1440 plus being class valedictorian from a rural area might be enough. If not, then she would need to go test-optional with other EC achievements on at least the state, and preferably national level, because that 1440 might show weakness, rather than strength.
I would imagine that with tutoring or even just self-prep, she might be able to get that score up. She should download and take a practice ACT under appropriate timed conditions, and see how she does on that, and how she feels about the test. My kid did that after their 11th grade PSAT dropped from 9th and 10th grade PSATs, and even though they scored in the low 30s on the practice ACT, they said that they could see how they could easily bring up the lower sections (math and science) with self prep, and very effectively did, to a 36 overall.
Honestly, I don’t see how simply being in NYC as a Barnard student would afford her opportunities as an artist or as a musician, since there are art schools and conservatories in NYC, and I imagine that such opportunities would go to their students. Might it be that she would be better off at a school that emphasizes art or music, in a smaller city without many competing conservatories and art schools? OTOH, if what she’s looking for is an excellent liberal arts education in the smaller environment of a women’s college while also having all the advantages of Columbia’s main campus right across the street, then you’d be hard-pressed to find better than Barnard. Manhattan School of Music is only a few blocks away, too, and they have a cross-registration program with Barnard.