<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.50
GPA - Weighted: 4.88
Class Rank: 14th, top 5.3%
Class Size: 264</p>
<p>October (superscored):
SAT I Math: 700
SAT I Critical Reading: 600
SAT I Writing: 800
SAT II Italian: 630</p>
<p>Her school is not rich in APs, but she has taken all-honors courses all 4 yrs of HS (only 2 AP courses in total, and both this year).</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: student senate, executive committee, Italian club
Sports: 4 years each of tennis (captain, 2 varsity, 2 JV, 1st Team All-Division) and outdoor track (3 JV, 1 varsity)
Volunteer/Service Work: altar server and some others
Honors and Awards: national honor society officer, italian national honor society, PC book award</p>
<p>D applied EA yesterday. UConn's website says that they require 1350 SAT (R+M) for 1/2 tuition for OOS. Is 1300 close enough, given class rank, potentially killer essay, etc.?</p>
<p>It specifically says on their website the minimum SAT score to be considered for the half tuition scholarship is 1350. I don’t think 1300 will be high enough.</p>
<p>I was actually hoping for perhaps someone who knows if any exceptions that have been made rather than just others to interpret the website. But thanks. </p>
<p>FWIW, I email corresponded w/ Quinnipiac’s Admissions office last week and they did say that each app is considered and suggested that their minimum SATs wouldn’t stand in the way, given enough strength in other areas.</p>
<p>Given the sheer number of applications UConn receives (not to mention the number of students with a 1350+ SAT) and as a state school, its emphasis on numbers, it makes sense that UConn is pretty strict about cutoffs.</p>
<p>Half-tuition scholarship covers JUST 1/2 tuition, not 1/2 total expenses right? </p>
<p>If so, seems kind of unfair that an OOS student would get a 13k scholarship vs an IS student with same stats getting just a 5k scholarship.</p>
<p>This is more complaining/wishful thinking than anything else…but still, seems lame that an IS student with say, a 1500 actually ends up paying almost the same as an OOS student with a 1350…</p>
<p>Seems even more unfair if both students have the same EFC, and the half tuition makes the IS student ineligible for need based aid, and the OOS student still qualifies, making total cost of attending nearly the same for both an IS and OOS student, even if the IS student is more qualified.</p>
<p>^ I would turn around and say that with half tuition off, an instate student pays 4,943 for tuition, while an out of state still has to pay 12,743 for just tuition; seems like a pretty good deal. </p>
<p>There are definitely advantages to living in-state, and perhaps some disadvantages to living out of state. But in terms of raw amount payed, the benefit for in-state students still exists.</p>
<p>IS With half tuition factored in still comes out to be around 18k/yr, compared to a 23k total without half tuition. </p>
<p>OOS with half tuition is about 26k/yr, compared to a 40k total without half tuition.</p>
<p>IS saves about 21%, while OOS saves about 35%. </p>
<p>And if both students have an EFC of near 20k, both end up paying just about the same amount, and any cost advantage the IS student had is gone. (Assuming full need is met, though in most cases it won’t be, and also assuming IS students are no more likely to have full need met than OOS students, which again, in most cases it probably isn’t) </p>
<p>Bottom line, I think OOS students clearly benefit more from the half tuition scholarship, which just doesn’t seem right to me personally. </p>
<p>Did I overestimate the usefulness ofthe SAT? Maybe. But I think in general, a student who has a 1500+ is probably more capable than a student with a 1350+. Of course there are exceptions. Who’s to say a student with a 1350 has more ability than a student with a 1300? UConn seems to be strict with their cutoffs, so they certainly put quite a bit of value into SAT scores as well.</p>
<p>I think you’d find that in general, higher SAT scores correlate with higher GPAs, and what else can colleges use to estimate a students ability, other than GPA and standardized test scores?</p>
<p>The half tuition scholarship still makes UConn an expensive option for out of state students with good stats. For example, why should a good student from NJ attend when they could possibly get a free ride at Rutgers? Or a good student from NY who might be able to attend Binghamton for much less? Or the student from Maryland who can attend UMaryland?
Even with that 35% discount UConn is not cheap OOS.</p>
A student who has a 1500 is more capable than one with a 1350 at getting a few points higher on the SAT.</p>
<p>A student who got about a 1360 with a 680M/680CR breakdown is in about the 92nd percentile. A student with a 1500 and got a 750/750 breakdown is around 97th percentile. These differences are really not that significant. Studies have found that there is some correlation between SAT and college GPA, but the biggest factor is high school GPA, and I’m sure even the SAT correlation breaks down at the upper end.</p>
<p>UConn cares about scores and cutoffs, but that’s mainly for two reasons; 1) UConn cares about numbers and rankings, and 2) UConn is a state school that gets many thousands of applications. They have to be a little strict about numbers or they would get bogged down.</p>
<p>“Studies have found that there is some correlation between SAT and college GPA, but the biggest factor is high school GPA”</p>
<p>Link please? Sounds like complete BS.</p>
<p>I think there’s also a correlation with higher SAT scores and getting into a more challenging college, making the comparison inaccurate.
Just guessing, but I’d be willing to bet getting a 4.0 at an ivy league is a bit harder than getting a 4.0 at UConn.</p>
<p>High school GPA from what I’ve heard from admissions reps(and what can be gathered from common sense) is usually weighted about the same as high school GPA in the admissions process.</p>
<p>That said, arguing that GPA is more accurate at predicting academic ability than the SAT is just nonsense. Both have their faults, but IN GENERAL, someone with a 4.0 is going to be more capable than someone with a 3.0. Someone with a 1500 SAT is going to be more capable than someone with a 1350. That’s just how it is.</p>
<p>This is the last im going to say about this topic, since
It’s completely irrelevant to the thread
A simple google search will find you people much more qualified than me who can make my argument
To be honest, it sounds like you have some personal bias against standardized tests, and I don’t think myself(or anyone else for that matter ) is going to change your opinion of them.</p>
<p>If the SAT were the best inidicator of future college success, then why are so many good schools making it optional to submit? YOU sound like the biased one - obviously towards SATs being paramount. Geez, get over yourself.</p>
<p>If I were a college, I’d look for a correlation between GPA and SAT.
High SATs with a low GPA tells me that the student is capable but not necessarily trying his best in class -I might question his work ethic.
High GPA with lower SATs might indicate the student is from a high school which is not that competitive or teachers grade liberally.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to argue for the SAT only. I’m glad it’s becoming optional at many schools. But those schools that do make the SAT optional require either the ACT, or in rare cases, a handful of AP exam scores to replace the SAT.</p>
<p>For every instance i’ve said “SAT” or “SAT scores,” “SAT” could be replaced with the more generic “standardized test” and my point wouldn’t be changed. Standardized testing matters to most schools, and to an extent, can predict academic abillity.</p>
<p>Standardized test scores are as important as they are because, well, they’re standardized. It’s the only thing a college can use to compare any one of its applicants with all the rest of its applicants. One student’s 4.0 GPA may have been easier to achieve than another’s 3.5. This is why standardized test scores are necessary. This is why standardized test scores are, in my opinion a better indicator of academic ability than GPA.</p>
<p>Just a quick comment, since I do know a bit on the subject. </p>
<p>First, it should be noted, that the average GPA at UConn is lower than the average GPA at, say, Harvard. Grade inflation has been one source of this, and has been well documented. So the idea that is it harder to get a 4.0 at Harvard than at UConn is a complete fallacy. </p>
<p>Secondly, to clarify, GPA and SAT (standardized test) scores are used in conjunction with each other for a reason. One shows general knowledge and preparedness for a specific level of academic intensity, and the other tests “endurance” in an academic sense. They each serve their purpose.</p>
<p>I don’t believe high SAT scores are indicative of college success. In fact, I don’t believe SAT scores really show anything. The math section, for example, essentially tests 7th and 8th grade math (geometry, algebra - no more). There is no comparison between SAT I Math and AP BC Calculus. There is no comparison between writing a 25 minute rough-draft essay for the SATs and writing an actual, well-thought-out analytical essay/ commentary in English class. </p>
<p>I’ve taken the SAT twice and have scored pretty well, yet I still feel that the SAT test nowhere near measures up to the rigor of AP/IB high school courses. </p>
<p>Sure, SAT can differentiate between students, but no it should not be looked up as highly as it is by some people in some schools. </p>