2400SAT/36ACT actually HURT you?

<p>"It is really stupid to think that scoring high on your SAT can hurt your admission. It will never hurt you. You being you; the higher the SATs the better probability you have of getting into any universities."</p>

<p>THANK YOU parent</p>

<p>To the people saying scoring higher on the SAT's is always better, thats not the case. I can't find the article at the moment, but I clearly remember reading a report with graphs that showed that at even top schools like Princeton an applicant's chance of getting in is greatest at around a 1500 on the SAT and significantly decreases after that. It was suggested that this was done to protect their yield rate, and if I remember correctly the only shool whose numbers suggested they do not actively protect their yield isHarvard.</p>

<p>"To the people saying scoring higher on the SAT's is always better, thats not the case. I can't find the article at the moment, but I clearly remember reading a report with graphs that showed that at even top schools like Princeton an applicant's chance of getting in is greatest at around a 1500 on the SAT and significantly decreases after that. It was suggested that this was done to protect their yield rate, and if I remember correctly the only shool whose numbers suggested they do not actively protect their yield isHarvard."</p>

<p>How did you reach such a conclusion? Please take a look at the statistics from any school and you will find the probability decrease with decreasing SAT1 scores. You have the greatest chance of getting into a top school with a > 1500 on old SAT1 and > 2250 on the new SAT1.</p>

<p>MIT distribution:</p>

<p>Distribution of SAT Reasoning Test Scores (Critical Reading)
Applicants Admits Admit rate
750-800 2505 609 24%
700-740 2061 377 18%
650-690 1953 254 13%
600-640 1279 126 10%
550-590 643 46 7%
< 550 743 13 2% </p>

<p>Distribution of SAT Reasoning Test Scores (Math)
Applicants Admits Admit rate
750-800 4852 932 19%
700-740 2275 342 15%
650-690 1131 118 10%
600-640 512 31 6%
550-590 226 2 1%
< 550 178 0 0%</p>

<p>Tufts Syndrome is a myth from what I understand. The reason people with 2400 SATs and 4.0 UW GPAs don't get into good school is because they do not have other necessary elements in their applications (recs, ECs, awards, etc..)</p>

<p>People who focus too much on grades and SATs lack in their ECs. That is a good explanation for the lower acceptance rates.</p>

<p>Not necessarily. College admission is based on MANY different aspects such as GPA, SAT, EC, the essay (how much it stands out), and even parental connections.
I've heard of a person who had a GPA of 2.0 and did absolutely no ECs. He eventually was admitted to UPenn. Why? Because his parents provided the university with lots of money. My point is not all of the university's judgement is strictly objective. That may explain why 2400 SAT with a 4.0 GPA doesn't get into the Ivys.</p>

<p>Well, given that Harvard rejects like 90% of its applicants overall, I think that even if they reject half of their applicants with 2400 SATs you still have a much, much better chance of getting in. So despite any anecdotal evidence you may have, I can guarantee without looking at statistics that Harvard rejects more people with 2200 SATs than with 2400 SATs. So no, it won't hurt.</p>

<p>perfect scores = automatic reject
:D</p>

<p>no if you got psat-sat and act perfect</p>

<p>I think college admissions psychology analysis has hit an all-time CC low…</p>

<p>as far as exclusivity goes, scoring a 2400 isn’t that big of a deal. more people score 2400s than 2390s, and even fewer people score 2380s (single sitting, at least)</p>

<p>2380 is where its at people :P</p>

<p>I know a kid with really exceptional ecs, a 2400 and a 36, who didn’t get into a few schools…</p>

<p>OP:I’m starting to wonder if maybe colleges reject these students because they want to make the point that perfect scores won’t get you in.</p>

<p>Yes. Here is a practical tip for you to counter-act this phenomenon. I intentionally omitted one question in CR section. I knew the right answer to it. Mind you I did not mark it wrong. That would have brought my score down to 2380. Omitting it enabled me to get a non-perfect score of 2390. Should Harvard or Stanford still reject me, at least I will not give them bragging right of rejecting yet another 2400.</p>

<p>If your 2400 SATs are the shiniest part of your application, it could hurt you because it suggests you’re a smart underachiever—not what top schools are looking for. At the other end of the scale, there are some 2400 hyperachievers who have toxic personalities because they think they’re God’s gift to the world. If I were on an adcom, I wouldn’t admit them either, because they’ll only poison the atmosphere. Not to say that all or most 2400-scoring SAT-takers fit into either of these categories, but there are some, and some fraction of them will get rejected. Bottom line, as I once heard a wise college admissions rep say, “SAT scores don’t matter nearly as much as most applicants think they do, but they count for a lot more than we like to admit.”</p>

<p>I am an international student. I got 2170 on SAT I, and 2400 on SAT II (Math I, II, Chem). I intend to take a gap year and get involved in community services and other kinds of ec because I haven’t had much time to do those interesting things at high school. Should I retake SAT I next year? I am a little bit worried that adcom may think that I spend the whole senior year to prepare for SATs and the whole gap year to “beautify” my application with ec (which is really not my intention). However, if I retake, I am not quite sure that I will score higher. :(</p>

<p>I’d love to have 2400 SAT/ 36 ACT. It’s an advantage, but no gurantees.</p>

<p>Well, like someone said earlier in the thread, if you have extremely high SAT scores but decidedly average grades, then you might set off the “slacker” alarm.</p>

<p>That being said, I always get irrationally angry at people with low SAT scores (sub 1200) and 4.0+ gpas.</p>

<p>What about: High GPA + High SAT + mediocre extra curriculars?</p>

<p>kta949 - why are you angry at people with low SAT scores and perfect GPA’s?</p>

<p>those are the people that might not be the brightest, but are the hardest workers ever. They deserve some respect for working so hard rather than those who get a 2300 and dont need to do anything for a 4.0</p>

<p>Most of those with low SAT scores(especially that low) and perfect GPA’s are those kids that either don’t push themselves or work annoyingly hard and try way too hard to be smart and are just annoying. </p>

<p>I had a low A average and my ACT score far surpassed my grades, I got a 34 on the science section despite nearly failing physics. I thought I wasn’t going to get in anywhere because I was going to come across as such an underachiever. But I got into 9/10 schools I applied(albeit they were not HYP)</p>