<p>"college admissions staff would acknowledge the fact that you must be mature enough to send them a letter explaining the reasons"</p>
<p>You got it wrong. Sending a letter doesn't mean you're mature. Third graders write letters all the time. Sending a letter only highlights the fact that your score decreased. If the admission people think a little further (the process takes only a millisecond), they will naturally deduce that you're careless for having made the mistake. However, you may be lucky and run into some optimistic admission officer who will totally understand and appreciate your letter. But that's rare. Most people wouldn't think that way.</p>
<p>i have the same exact problem as you. My verbal score dropped 70 pts from my 2nd time to the 3rd time. i've heard that the clerks just write down the 2 individual highest scores and then the admissions committee only sees that composite score...but i'm not sure.</p>
<p>Admissions committees say that they superscore the SAT and only consider your highest two SATII scores. I believe them. Perhaps it would be problematic if you got an 800 and then a 400, but as long as it’s not drastic, it shouldn’t be a problem. Trust the admissions committee.</p>
<p>Wow, this thread must have been buried deep in the CC archives. Apparently, things have worked out for the OP despite his or her SAT worries (graduated from Wharton last year). I believe that most colleges evaluate the highest scores across all sections regardless of their distinct policies (those are, of course, the scores that they use to boost their rankings to optimal levels).</p>