<p>My SATs aren't good- 1300. IIs aren't great either.</p>
<p>However, I will take the ACT this December and with a bazillion hours of work, I am aiming for a 35 or 36. I know the SATs are sent as well, but if everything else about me (HS transcript, recs, essays, ECs, etc.) is OK, would a really high ACT put me in the "Ivy Ballpark" even with my low SATs?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Scherzo</p>
<p>if Cornell, possibly, if the rest, not unless you have anawesome hook</p>
<p>I talked to an adcom from Yale and he said that they take whichever test you did better on. So if you do better on your ACT they will use that instead of the SAT. They convert the scores from both tests into their own test index score and use the index score that's highest.</p>
<p>Well by OK I mean a 4.2 GPA, excellent pianist (11 yrs), great Recs, rigorous HS courses, studied 5 languages and lived all over the place... so sorry if the "OK rest" confused you.</p>
<p>Flipchick- so a 36 ACT would be a 1600 SAT basically, and they wouldn't care about the SATs... in other words, I'd have a 1600 period!?</p>
<p>THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE!!!</p>
<p>That's the way the adcom stated it. They give you a score that, if I remember correctly, is from 1-9 for both the SAT and ACT. Whichever one is higher is the one they use. I may be mistaken about the actual numbers, but the concept is the same. Also, I'm not sure if they do that for SAT II's or not. Some colleges don't require SAT II's if you took the ACT and some still do. So, if your ACT is higher they may not even look at your SAT II's. It all depends on the school.</p>
<p>Just because you say that you will do gazillion hours of work doesn't mean you will actually do it. And even if you do a gazillion hours of work, there is no reason to believe that you will get a score SIGNIFICANTLY higher than the ACT equivalent of your SAT score.</p>
<p>Yea, predictions are not always right, freshman year I thought I was going to never stop loving lacrosse, 2 years later? I'm quitting this year, wait for the actual results and then come to us</p>
<p>if you got a 1300 its not likely that u will get a 36. probably more of a 29 or 30</p>
<p>I wasn't asking whether you thought I could get a 36; I asked if it would be an advantage to my 1300 SAT.</p>
<p>"I wasn't asking whether you thought I could get a 36"
oooooooooooooooh snap. why dont you just study for the SATs and go for a 1600? why go for a 36 instead? shouldnt it, hypothetically be the same amout of work? that way you would have no 1300 to worry about, only a 1600. and how are SAT2s lookin for you?</p>
<p>He should, of course, retake the SATs to try to score higher, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't work toward the ACT as well. The tests are different. I, personally, did much better on the ACT than on the SAT. The adcom I talked to also said he sees many people score equivalents of 200 points higher on the ACT than on the SAT and they don't care which test you scored higher on, they'll take it.</p>
<p>Thing is, I have studied a lot for the SATs but simply can't boost my scores a lot. It's weird, because I have a 106% average in BC calculus, and a 100% in AP Lit. Maybe the ACTs will be better because they pertain more to what I've learned in school.</p>
<p>I'll definitely retake the SATIs again. Are 3 times too many?</p>
<p>"Are 3 times too many?"</p>
<p>i hope not because thats how many times im taking it.</p>
<p>" The adcom I talked to also said he sees many people score equivalents of 200 points higher on the ACT than on the SAT "</p>
<p>funny, because i scored an equivalent of about 100 points lower on the ACT than on the SAT.</p>
<p>Whether you will actually score as high as you anticipate will have to await the test. However, be aware that Yale, Brown and Penn take the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT II's and thus all you would need to submit to them is a high ACT. All the other ivies still require SAT II's even if you submit the ACT but will consider for admission the score it believes is higher between the SAT I and the ACT</p>
<p>The answer to your question is: of course, a 35 or 36 on the ACT is looked at the same as a 1500-1600.</p>
<p>Yes, a 36 on the ACT would be viewed as great test score. And there are kids who do much better on the ACT than the SAT, so it is certainly worth a try. There is a perception that if you do not do well on the SAT and it is there, it can impact the decision, but I have not had it substantiated anywhere except at Princeton. I believe Princeton wants the SATs if you have taken them and will use the ACT only if it is the only test taken, and you live in area where they are automatically given. I do not know if it is still their official position but I am sure a visit to their website will let you know.</p>