<p>Hello! I have a question. I know Harvard uses version 1 of the superscore (tbh I don't know the difference between version 1 and version 2), but anyway, I received a good score overall for the SAT I but my score was a little bit off for one of the sub-sections. Thus, I plan to resit the SAT. </p>
<p>I wanted to know if it makes sense to withhold my October score and just wait till the November exam for the superscore and then send the superscore off, or if I should send the 1st set and then indicate that I will be sending the November set as well? I ask because if it is that despite the superscore, they will still be able to see the scores for all sittings anyway, then I would just send off the October score, and send the November score when it arrives. If on the other hand, they only see the super score (i.e. the 3 highest sub-section scores, and nothing else), I may not send them the October sitting, and simply wait until the November scores come out then send off the superscore .</p>
<p>^^ Maybe, maybe not. I would call Harvard Admissions and ask why they don’t just say they “superstore” on their website. Why is their language so opaque? Harvard is usually very open about such things, but the language on their website is a bit more “cagey” giving them some wiggle room. That said, Harvard Admissions is not driven by SAT/ACT numbers – superscored or not. For example, in this NY Times article Harvard ranks AP scores as being a better predictor of success at Harvard than SAT/ACT scores: <a href=“Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard's Dean, Part 2 - The New York Times”>http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/harvarddean-part2/</a></p>
<p>I will give them a call, but thank you so much for that article @gibby . I had no idea that the SAT and ACT fell so low in the order of importance. I always knew that factors such as your transcript were valued more than your SAT/ACT scores, but hearing that components such as subject tests are valued more highly the SAT/ACT comes as a shock to me.</p>
<p>I know this info comes from a Harvard dean, but do you think it is applicable to most other highly selective schools as well?</p>
<p>^^ I think Harvard may place more weight on AP classes in the Admissions process than their direct peers, Stanford, Yale and Princeton.</p>
<p>FWIW: Colleges use test scores to gauge how you well you would do if admitted to their school. The higher your score, the less an Admissions Directors will question if you can handle the work load on their campus. Once your test scores reach a certain threshold (about 2200 for Harvard), having a higher test score DOES NOT necessarily increase your chances. That’s because other more subjective factors such as your teacher recommendations, EC’s and essays reveal more about your “character” than a number on an SAT score.</p>
<p>At colleges like Harvard which receive 35,000+ applications, Admissions Directors have about 12 minutes to read a file, which includes looking at your test scores, transcript, course rigor, looking over your EC’s, reading your high school profile, guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report, teacher recommendations and essays – and then making notes. Admissions Directors probably spend less than 10 seconds looking at your test scores, yet, student’s spend so much time focusing on their test scores, thinking that higher scores will increase their chances.</p>
<p>When my daughter and son received their acceptance letters three and four years ago, there were handwritten notes from Admissions Directors on them saying “Welcome! Congratulations! We hope you say yes!” In addition, there were specific personal comments all having to do with their essays. Comments such as “Loved your essay about your baseball coach. Your application was such a joy to present to the committee; after reading your essay, the vote was unanimous!”</p>
<p>Not one comment said “Wonderful test scores.” In fact, in all my years on CC, I have NEVER EVER heard of an Admissions Director from any college make that kind of comment. Test scores matter, but they don’t matter!</p>
<p>You mentioned that Harvard looks at AP scores. Is it required to send those in? I believe my AP scores will reflect better on me than my grades, unfortunately (in most cases).</p>
<p>^^ Student’s are supposed to self-report AP scores, but depending upon the high school, some AP scores may appear on your transcript. FWIW: Official AP score reports (which you have to pay for) are automatically sent to a college’s registrar’s office and are not forwarded to Admissions, so self-reporting is the way to go.</p>
<p>^^ As this is the Harvard forum, let’s not speak about “ALL” Admissions Officers, let’s talk about Harvard. Please point me to specific article where William Fitzsimmons says Harvard super scores the SAT or that Harvard only looks at a student’s super score. What William Fitzsimmons has said is:
<p>I can’t answer the superscore question (a five minute call to the admissions office would probably clear this up). However, I do want to put all this perseverating about gaining extra SAT points here or there into perspective. In my opinion, admissions to Harvard (or just about any elite school) boils down to three simple questions:</p>
<p>1) Is the candidate a high academic achiever? A quick eyeballing of their grades and tests scores or something like their calculated Academic Index (AI) will give them a fast answer and allow them to move on.</p>
<p>2) How has the candidate challenged him or herself IN and OUT of the classroom? I guess you could also layer in “Has the candidate faced challenges that they had to overcome that were not of their doing?”</p>
<p>3) What kind of person is the candidate (leadership-wise, morally & ethically, compassion toward others, etc)?</p>
<p>I suspect the majority of kids will pass hurdle #1 and then the AO’s have the harder time of digging into the details to answer #2 and #3. That is where transcripts, details about EC’s, essays, and recs all come into play. Notice how I didn’t say they go back and start analyzing point differences in SAT’s and other standardized tests. That was accomplished in the quick move through step #1.</p>
<p>^^ Once again, I’m not aware of anything in writing from a Harvard Admissions Officer or a Harvard Coach that says Admissions super scores the SAT. Where are you getting your information? If you have something in writing that substantiates your claim, please provide it. </p>
<p>What seems to matter more to Harvard Admissions than SAT scores is GPA. From that same article:</p>
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<p>Personally I like the scattergram, as it highlights both SAT score and GPA, so you can see where you fit in. That said, Harvard Admissions is very quirky – they take who they take not based upon ACT/SAT score, but on other soft factors. For example, my son applied to Harvard with a 36 ACT (one sitting) and was rejected. He submitted the same transcript, common app, ACT score, essays and teacher recommendations to Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth and Brown and was admitted at all those schools, but Harvard for whatever reason, didn’t want him (even though his sister already attends the school.) </p>
<p>So, students need to stop worrying about their SAT score, as Harvard is not impressed by top scores — either from one sitting or super scored. </p>