Chance a junior? Low SAT score

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

<p>Hey! Thanks for checking out this thread. My SAT scores are STRESSING. ME. OUT., but I’m wondering if my stress is founded. Chance me, please?</p>

<p>Profile:</p>

<p>Sex: F
State: California
Ethnicity: Latina
Hooks: First generation
Income range: Below $20,000/year
High school: private Catholic school, full scholarship</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.9 / W GPA: 4.4</p>

<p>SAT: 1970 (630CR, 630Math, 710Writing)</p>

<p>CLASSES</p>

<p>Summer before Freshman year:
Data Processing</p>

<p>Freshmen Year (all A’s):
English Honors
Ancient Cultures Honors
The Foundation of Catholic Doctrine/Old Testament
Algebra
Biology
Spanish
Chorus
PE/Health</p>

<p>Summer before Sophomore year:
Computer and Information Tech
Health II</p>

<p>Sophomore (all A’s):
AP Euro (got a 5)
English II Honors
Spanish II Honors
Geometry Honors
Chem
Chorus
New Testament/Sacraments</p>

<p>Summer before Junior year:
Algebra II</p>

<p>Junior:
AP Lang
APUSH
Spanish 3 Honors
Precal Honors
Physics
World Religions/Ethics
Physics
Photography
Teachers Assistant</p>

<p>Summer before Senior Year:
Conversation in Spanish</p>

<p>Tentative Senior:
AP Eng Lit
AP Span Lang
AP Gov
Genetics
Calculus
Church Service
(*maybe AP Bio or AP Calculus…what do you think?)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars and their years:</p>

<p>Junior State of America (VP this year, Prez next year) 9, 10, 11
Class Council (our only position is class representative) 9, 10,11
Astronomy Club 10, 11</p>

<p>Mock Trial 11
National Honor Society 10, 11
California Scholarship Federation 10, 11Reading program aid at my library 9, 10, 11</p>

<p>Sacramento Outreach (English and Drama mentor for inner city students) 10, 11
Concert Choir 9,10,11
Teaching ESL 11
Technology Coach at my library 11
Volunteering at a shelter for homeless women 11</p>

<p>Awards:
Girls State Nomination
Selection for the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference
Award and Scholarship for being the best student in the humanities in my high school
Excellence in English every year</p>

<p>Additional info:
I’m incredibly passionate about my studies in English, history, and Spanish and feel I can secure well-done recommendations from teachers in these areas (I already know one teacher I’ve grown very close to who can write me a letter). I’m also in love with the LGBTQ community and am pretty vocal about my opinions at my school, but no teacher wishes to be the facilitator of a club and there are few LGBTQ organizations relatively close to where I live (generally upper-class, conservative). I have written papers and given presentations regarding the community.</p>

<p>The schools I’m planning to apply to include:</p>

<p>Wellesley (top choice)
Carleton
Barnard
Wesleyan
Grinnell
WUSTL</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

2

<p>No worries, scores like that are fine as long as you’re balanced. I had maybe 20 points higher than you on the SAT, but other things brought it up. That’s about how I did. My recommendation is also to take calc AB if you can. It’s a great idea. Try a little bit for the first half of the semester and then <em>completely</em> give up. Just take as many APs as you can and kill the essay. Your GPA is fantastic, so no worries there. if you’re into the LGBTQA community now, get pumped for college.</p>

3

<p>Balanced… as in made up for through my classes and GPA? Unfortunately, AP Calc/Bio won’t be an option because my counselor will not allow me take 4 APs next year… I’ll definitely compensate for the loss by writing the best essay I possibly can. Thanks for your response!</p>

4

<p>If BC practices affirmative action, you have nothing to worry about.</p>

5

<p>Your SAT score is higher than my daughter’s was. Also from California - I have a sense that when colleges say they view SAT scores “in context” they also consider the states they are coming from. </p>

<p>Daughter graduated summa cum laude from Barnard in 2010. </p>

<p>And re the affirmative action comment, my daughter is white, Jewish. Barnard would not have considered that to be a URM. </p>

<p>With your college list you probably should retake to try to bring up your score, but I don’t think it’s a problem for Barnard. I just think that some of the other colleges on your list might be more focused on scores.</p>

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<p>I agree with calmom. My daughter was admitted to Barnard with similar stats to yours, no URM, but very well written essays that showed her passion for empowering women. She has also attended Barnard’s Young Women’s Leadership Institute last summer, but I don’t know if that helped or not. I suppose it demonstrated interest in the campus. That week was actually when she fell in love with Barnard over Columbia. She was waitlisted at Wellesley but applied at the last minute on a whim and didn’t express any prior interest. One of her best friends will be swimming for Wellesley.</p>

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<p>Excuse me for a moment while a briefly hijack this thread to welcome 2016BarnardMom!!! All the best to you and your daughter as she begins this adventure!!! :)</p>

8

<p>Hi, your stats are pretty stellar. And considering you are first generation and an URM, I think you could shoot for an elite school (your college choices are excellent anyways). Perhaps shooting for an Ivy is in your favor. You never know! Of course, this is just my opinion, I don’t mean to discourage you from your current list of schools or undermine them in any way.</p>

9

<p>Thanks churchmusicmom! I’ve been lurking and reading a lot of your posts for a while now but Barnard was my daughter’s first choice and we are both thrilled that her dream is going to become a reality.</p>

10

<p>@then1k96 I agree with you that she has decent chances at those schools, but not necessarily ivies… She needs to retake the SAT and get a 2000+ and then she can ‘go ivy league’…</p>

<p>Good luck! I think you have decent chances! (= (I’m latina and I’m applying to Wesleyan too :stuck_out_tongue: Haha)</p>

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<p>@LesleyCordero Yes I completely agree. I forgot to mention that in my post but raising that SAT score is really important. I recently took it after doing dismally the first time and I’m feeling much better about my application. (I got a 2270).</p>

12

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</p>

<p>AAARGH. </p>

<p>The OP didn’t mention any desire whatsoever to “go ivy league” in her post – and raising an SAT score by 30 points is not going to make a dime’s worth of difference in her chances at mega-selective schools. </p>

<p>She has identified a wonderful array of academically superior LAC’s to target, all of which are probably in the “high match” or “realistic reach” range – that is, schools where she has reasonable chances at admission. </p>

<p>A higher SAT score won’t hurt her anywhere. If she has only taken the SAT once, then a retake in the fall makes some sense.</p>

<p>But colleges don’t choose students based on SAT scores. They choose students based on the rest of the package, and they use SAT scores to inform their decisions. A stronger score will strengthen her app, but it won’t change its essential character. Her admission will stand or fall on the rest of the package. </p>

<p>I do think that there is value in then1k96’s comment about “feeling much better” – the college admission process is anxiety-ridden in any case; SAT score is one part that some students may be able to alleviate that anxiety-- so again, no harm in planning for a retake in the fall.</p>

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<p>@calmom, I never once said that by raising an SAT score you would automatically get into the Ivys or any elite school for that matter. All I meant was for her to shoot for the stars. I thought that she had a solid resume and simply suggested applying. It’s not in any way undermining the LAC colleges she chose, which I 100% agree are stellar colleges! I’m also interested in a few of them!
Also, colleges definitely weigh the SAT when comparing applicants, but obviously it’s different for everyone and is not the be all and end all. It was my opinion that raising it could do no harm for her application, and even though she worked very hard to achieve a 1970 first try, spending more time and just raising it could only be a plus.
The reason why I said I thought my apps felt better is because I meant it! Even though it is one part of an application, it IS a part of it, and I thought I was pretty decent in other aspects.
I didn’t mean to cause any harm with my comments, they were just suggestions and opinions.</p>

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<p>The schools she has listed ARE “stars”.</p>

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<p>So then what’s the harm in shooting for MORE stars?</p>

16

<p>kanjea11, I don’t think you should worry that much. I have a friend who got in with a 1900 because the other things on her application were so strong. Your awards look great and your ECs are good. I wouldn’t fret too much if I were you. Just redo the SAT if it’s really bothering you, and send in a superscore.</p>