<p>Okay, so my school is very competitive (7 kids got into harvard last years, tons more into other ivies), and is always on those lists for best high schools in the nation, etc. People here usually test well, either due to their school preparation or private tutors (most people here have serious $$$ as well), and my school average on the old SAT was about 1130. </p>
<p>My GPA seems pretty strong for a competitive school (3.85 uw, no class rank) and I've taken a healthy number of APs, but will schools look down on me because of my relatively low (670m 710v 690w 2070) SATs, SAT IIs (730 ush, 650 spanish), and APs (4s)...? A LOT of people I know have a 3.4 or 3.5 uw but have 2200-2300's. Even my friends with 3.2s break 2100. How will schools react to me going to such a competitive, northeastern school and not testing well? Will they look down on me a lot? Or will they assume I got lucky with easy teachers?</p>
<p>okay, I wasn't trying to complain OR to brag about my school (actually, I think it's rather annoying that there is so much pressure on everyone)... I was just wondering how you thought adcoms would look at my scores, which seem to clash with my GPA... plenty of people post chances threads, so why can't I ask a question?</p>
<p>If you don't care, don't read my thread, and PLEASE don't respond. It's kind of ironic to take the time to tell me you don't care, isn't it? Thanks, and have a lovely day.</p>
<p>here is how they will look at it...you had the $ to go to a competitive school and $ for tutor, etc...you had a ton of resources and they'll see how you used them effectively...THEY ARE GOING TO OUTRIGHT REJECT YOU BECAUSE YOU DIDNT GET A 2400!...cmon now...no one here knows how they'll think..we only give our opinion and it doesn't mean much. Just apply and find out...</p>
<p>They didn't really HAVE money to send me to a tutor... my parents only make 70-80k a year combined, not to mention they are going to be paying off the car and apartment for decades... that's what happens with first generation immigration. But anyway, they sent me to a tutor ANYWAY, even though they could BARELY afford it. they are really angry I didn't get at least a 2200 like people who didn't study at all... I just have the worst test anxiety of everyone I know, and whenever I have a 50/50 shot at guessing, I go with the wrong one :( I hate these stupid tests. My december score better be...... better.</p>
<p>Sidenote, but 1130 for a really competitive school seems sort of low to me.</p>
<p>But anyways, i'm not really sure the answer to your question, but a question that I have that is somewhat relevant is if colleges will judge a large score jump, and credit it to private tutoring or something involving $$$?</p>
<p>yeah, 1130 is not as high as you would expect because the school is massive (almost 2,000) people. It basically lets you do whatever you want, which allows some people to slack off totally, take all standardard courses, blah blah... on the other hand, there is a HUGE amount of crazy honors/ap kids. I think about 50-60 people broke 2100, and that's just the minimum... although my class has 500 people, that still seems really high, no?</p>
<p>probably more like 60-70 now, however, because the first results were last year on the PSATs, and I'm guessing people went up rather than down for the most part. am I screwed?</p>
<p>I highly doubt they look at you and compare you to other students from that same school. And anyway, test scores aren't everything. Yes, they're HUGE, but not everything. Let's say you have great teacher recs and a decent amount of extra-curriculars. I don't think you're going to get outright rejected or anything because your GPA is good and probably very good for a tough school like the one you obviously go to. Your test scores certainly aren't BAD by any means. No, they're not absolutely amazing, but they aren't very bad either. And anyway, USH is a hard test. I know people that got a 5 on the AP test and still only managed a 700 or less on the SAT 2. No idea about the difficulty of spanish, though. </p>
<p>Er...after that huge, rambling post, what I'm trying to say is simply: you are not going to get outright rejected. If you have great ECs, teacher recs, and essays there isn't much of a reason that you'll get rejected. Furthermore, the fact that you're a first-generation American may actually give you a slight advantage - especially if English isn't your first language. Anyway, good luck with all your college apps!</p>