<p>Sat 1:
600 for CR
790 for Maths
600 for writing.</p>
<p>Sat 2:
800for maths
770 for chemistry
750 for physics.</p>
<p>Is it worth retaking the Sat 2s? If I retake i'm 60%sure that I'll get 800,800,800. </p>
<p>A levels(Edexcel UK):
A* - Maths
A* - Further Maths
A* - Additional Further Maths
A* - Biology
A* - Physics
A - Chemistry</p>
<p>UMS % for top 3 A levels: 97.5%</p>
<p>Also I've won awards at IGCSE such as Top 10 for physics and maths, I got the first in the world for maths (full raw marks)</p>
<p>But my problem is I can;t do well in the SAT. I'm weak in English and also I cba to memorise vocab,.</p>
<p>With my A levels I can easily get into Oxbridge. It's like a 90% chance rate. But will Harvard just ignore A levels and focus on the ruddy, sweltering, idiotic SAT?</p>
<p>Harvard College requires a broad variety of liberal arts courses which require massive reading and writing. They want to see that you are qualified to thrive in those classes. Right now your talents are heavily lop-sided to math and science. Why not go for MIT or Cal Tech, where, possibly, your CR and writing scores may be overlooked? </p>
<p>Say for MIT, for an engineering course… is it a must to get 2200+ for the SAT? even if I am international and have spend 2 years studying for another qualification?</p>
<p>I don’t know if they would definitely overlook the CR score, but if your math accomplishments are as impressive as you describe, they would be more likely to make an exception. Take a look (google) at the Common Data Set for each school to see the SAT breakdowns.</p>
<p>If you are a star in a particular field, Harvard and/or MIT may potentially accept you based on that alone. In that case, the rest of your application plays a much less important role. The best way to find out if you are one of those people is to apply!</p>
Harvard does not require the TOEFL for international students, so Admissions probably uses the SAT CR and W scores to gauge a student’s grasp of the English language. A CR and W score of 600 indicates that, if admitted, the OP would struggle with the reading and writing load required for Harvard’s curriculum, especially the general studies curriculum where one class could have 200 to 300 pages of reading every week along with assignments such as a 1-10 page paper. Therefore, as Admissions never wants to admit a student and set them up for failure, they would pass on the OP, as they have not demonstrated enough proficiency in English for a successful freshman year at Harvard.</p>
<p>Is a 600 a score that indicates that I could and would not be able to cope up with Harvard’s load?
The SAT isn’t an english language proficiency test…it’s some weird,absurd, ridiculous test.</p>
<p>In each SAT paper you are bound to come across 10 words which can be found only in the SAT. As in, these words are not used in anything…you aren’t likely to come across them later on in life nor before the SAT…and in any case you will have a freaking dictionary to refer to or something to google on in real life. </p>
<p>In any case I’ve got an A in english gcse…which is, unlike the SAT, a proper test.</p>
<p>Further, if Harvard has this 200-300 page week^-1 load, and so much assignments then where is the time for life? For extra-curricular activities? For playing the Trumpet ? ? Why do they give so much importance to this in the admission process then? </p>
<p>With a 600 CR and W score, your best bet for any selective college would be to take the TOEFL and get a high score, thereby proving to Admissions offices that you can read and write English proficiently.</p>
<p>FWIW: Student’s at Harvard have plenty of time for life and extracurricular activities, but they are also expected to have great time management skills. Here’s one recent assessment from a Harvard alum</p>
<p>There are two false premises here that I’d like to challenge. The first is that put forth by the original poster, that the SAT CR and W sections don’t really test English language proficiency. Actually, they do, and fairly well. Your own case substantiates that fact.</p>
<p>The second premise is that somehow, scores of 600 are a poor showing on these sections. They are not. A 600 on either test is a good, solid achievement. It’s roughly a standard deviation above the norm for the test. It suggests English language skills better than the large majority of native English speakers in the United States. It is a score that is high enough, at some colleges, to warrant placing out of basic, freshman-level English courses.</p>
<p>For someone whose first language is not English, it suggests high competency in the study of English as a foreign language.</p>
<p>But it is not so high a score as to suggest the ease and facility of language that the very best native English speakers achieve. I imagine that this is part of the reason why it’s much more difficult for international students for whom English is not the first language to gain admittance at Harvard - because the school really does want, in fact, requires folks who have very high levels of facility in English.</p>
<p>I’ve met a few of my older son’s international friends. I remember one who stayed with us over Thanksgiving one year. One of the very first things I noticed about him was that his English was not “good for a non-native English speaker” but that his English was flawless, comparable with the most verbally facile native English speakers I know. He spoke with nearly no accent at all. His vocabulary was wide and deep. His grammar was perfect, subtle, and sophisticated. He could easily express the most complex thoughts on any topic - physics, math, any other hard science, politics, government, philosophy. His knowledge of idiom was extensive, and any time he ran into a new idiomatic expression, he asked about it, and added it to his store of knowledge. He seemed completely at home in English.</p>
<p>I suspect that’s the sort of international student for which Harvard is looking - whose English proficiency is comparable to that of its best native English-speaking admits.</p>
<p>If an SAT score of 600 on Critical Reading is too low for an international student without a TOEFL at Johns Hopkins, that score is probably going to be too low for Harvard.</p>
<p>@User405 - of course they will look at your A-levels, it’s a major part of your qualifications. It’s likely you would also qualify for advanced standing if you attend Harvard. They won’t be able to judge your English language proficiency based on your A-level results, so they will look at other results.</p>
<p>The SAT is a real test - It may not be perfect, but if it wasn’t useful, colleges would ignore it. It appears they find it helps them make admissions decisions.</p>
<p>Whether you agree with the methodology or not, it’s not ruddy, sweltering, idiotic, weird, absurd, or ridiculous. What does it say about you when you use this type of language to dismiss something or someone you don’'t agree with? Why didn’t you ace it? Because of your contempt for it, or because you didn’t know all the answers?</p>
<p>As both a Add. further maths student and someone who isn’t the greatest at the SAT from the UK I can understand your frustration. But harvard probably won’t overlook your CR and W scores just because of maths. I’ve known multiple people who’re extremely clever in science who’ve gotten rejected. As @gibby has said before what separates applicants is their essays, and if you get a low mark on the CR and W your essay probably won’t be one of the best out of the applicants.</p>
<p>Just a side note, if you’re a maths guy (I’m assuming) why Harvard/MIT over Cambridge which most people feel has a superior course for maths?</p>