Trust me, OP, with study, you can probably outperform many native speakers on SAT reading and writing. If I moved to a foreign country, I would think I would need to be proficient in the language to go to college there. The language of America, for the most part, is English. So to go to college and succeed here, you need to know it.
What are you SAT scores in English, anyway? Also, knowing plural modifiers is important for writing English at the college level, if not for speaking with the average American. Professors with thick accents that don’t know English very well are quite annoying, especially when they try to write tests and can’t write the directions understandably. Don’t aspire to be like them.
The fact is, you’re not a"brilliant professor" and you do not bring professorial-level experiences, skills, education, research, talents, and/or expertise to the university. Rather, you’re probably a teenage, prospective freshman. Obviously, there is a tremendous difference between those two members of the academic community, what they are expected to contribute and what they should receive. You are entitled to disagree vehemently with me, or with @skieurope, or with @TheDidactic, or with any other CC contributor. Remember, however, that: (a) you requested the forthright opinions (not only those with which you agree) of CC participants and (b) we – not you – have the knowledge (and, perhaps, the wisdom) that may come only with age, experiences, education, and so forth. That fact that you do not concur with our judgements, does not mean either that we are wrong or that we are not providing our honest, seasoned assessments.
@TopTier I never said I was a brilliant professor. My first question had a simple answer, yes or no. Right now, however, I am simply stating that English SAT scores do not correlate with speaking and understand English, as well as learning in English. That is all I am saying.
Fine, that is your opinion. However, the fact is countless (probably over three thousand) American higher educational institutions – from the most prestigious to those with the least stature – disagree with you. Complain and carp all you wish, but also understand neither admissions standards, nor the SAT I examination, will change one scintilla due to your disagreement.
@TopTier Of course my disagreement will not change anything. I simply believe with the abundance of competent High Schools in the nation, it is simply too difficult to differentiate between some. That’s where the SAT comes into play. Some sections do measure capacity, such as: math, some parts of critical reading, and improving paragraphs. Others however, such as: sentence completion, identifying sentence errors, and writing an essay in 25 minutes are not.
@onmyownway Well, I can guarantee you that you are not the only high school student who claims that the SAT is not a true indicator of your ability in a certain area. I feel that way about SAT math.
@albert69 Actually no, English class is by far my worst subject. However there is a difference between studying every nook and cranny of the English language (i.e. English majors), and simply communicating, understanding, and writing. Basic math is a necessity for almost everyone (i.e. taxes, many many majors, bank account management, and many more). I just think the SAT should be revised in the types of questions they ask in each section; questions that test reading skills, speach, and comprehension. Rather than many types of question’s on the SAT that have very little redeeming value.
@onmyownway The critical reading does test reading skills and comprehension. It’s boring as hell and tricky, yeah, but it does test it. The SAT writing really tests a lot of grammar; I guess that’s what you would call “nooks and crannies.” Even if you aren’t an English major, you still need to know those to write well. Engineers and scientists need to write too. I’m not saying it’s easy to learn; it isn’t. It doesn’t count for nothing that you can speak English well. That’s great, and that is undoubtably very useful in everyday life in America. It’s just that colleges (and I’m assuming you mean elite/selective ones here) are looking for people that a pretty far up there academically, in everything.
There is a new SAT coming out next year. I don’t know if it will have the types of questions you want, but you might want to try it. What year of high school are you in?
Also, is there an SAT subject test for Russian? If so, you could take that and get some good credit for “foreign” language (even though it’s not really foreign to you) and that might make you stand out a little more.
Actually, as my D tells me, CR shouldn’t be a problem for intl students. In fact, it might be easier for them than for native speakers, because it’s a lot like the reading section of the TOEFL or any other high-level English language exam, and they have to do well in those to even think of applying to US colleges. And my D tells me the CR section is a good way to measure reading skills and comprehension.
Lol, I know students who are fluent in English who got lower scores than you got on the CR and W section. Don’t use that to measure your command of the English language.
@OP, i have to say that your whiny blame assignment for your CR & W scores is lamest I’ve seen yet.
You seem to be under the impression that typical American kids converse regularly at home with their parents on sophisticated topics in formal, grammatically correct English. The reality is more like parent will say, “hi honey, how was school today?” And the child will grunt, “meh” and hole up in their room.
The American kids who kick butt on CR & W are kids who read, read, read, read, read A LOT. Nothing prevents you from reading, too.
@GMTplus7 So sorry it was the “lamest” excuse you have heard yet, but it’s the truth. You’re telling me that someone who reads all day and lives with a family that regularly converses in English will not have a significant one-up on students that live in families where English is not even spoken? That’s ridiculous. Never did I say that my poor scores are BECAUSE I am foreign; I simply stated it is more difficult for me. My initial question was whether colleges would look and say, “Oh, this kid is from a different country. English is not native, doesn’t speak English at home, maybe his lower W score has a little to do with that”. That’s all I was asking. Also don’t assume that learning how to speak a language from scratch without any help from your family is not an achievement of its own.