<p>application fees for 13 colleges=a nice chunk of change!</p>
<p>Sorry, this is kinda a day late and a dollar short, as the saying goes, but another school that posts lower SAT scores in its own profile on its website than the College Board and US News report is Chicago.</p>
<p>I keep meaning to ask them why, but as you say, it is ultimately not that important. It is odd, though.</p>
<p>The Chicago site says 1380-1500 for the class of 2009. <a href="http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level3.asp?id=377%5B/url%5D">http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level3.asp?id=377</a>. For 2008 it was a little lower.</p>
<p>US News says 1330-1530, the CB says the same for the 85% of kids who took the SAT. (28-33 ACT for 40%).</p>
<p>Someone isn't counting right, and if I had to lay my money somewhere, it would be behind Chicago as 1) better at counting and 2) more in a position to know.</p>
<p>The Chicago difference is easier to understand. The numbers they are reporting on their website are for combined SATI -- in other words, what is the total of the Verbal and Math for each student. The addition is done for each student before the medians are determined.</p>
<p>USNEWs treats Verbal and Math scores completely separately. They determine separate medians for Verbal and for Math. USNEWS then adds those scores for the totals printed on their ranking list, when really there is no basis for adding those two numbers together.</p>
<p>The USNEWS way is almost always going to produce a higher number on the top end and a lower number on the low end because of the way it handles lopsided scores (such as someone who scored an 800 on math and a 680 on verbal.</p>
<p>For example, Swat lists both statistics here:</p>
<p>The 25th-75th percentile medians done separately (as on the Common Data Set and USNEWS) for the Fall 2005 freshmen were:</p>
<p>Math: 670 - 760
Verbal: 680 - 770</p>
<p>Add those up and you get 1350 - 1530</p>
<p>However, reporting the combined SATs for each student, Swarthmore gives the following medians:</p>
<p>Combined: 1370 - 1500</p>
<p>Just like Chicago's the lower median goes up and the higher number goes down because you no longer have the impact of the students admitted with lopsided scores. A student with 800/600 has the same 1400 as a student with 700/700 on the combined medians, but the lopsided score has a significant impact on the separate math and verbal median scores.</p>
<p>Ah, now I understand. Then it would be more accurate and helpful for US News to report math and verbal scores separately in columns, plus another column for the combined scores calculated from individual students (as you pointed out Swarthmore and Chicago do).</p>
<p>Actually, forget this. What I would like to see is an actual distribution, as Chicago has on its site. I think it was you who pointed out that the 75% score can mean very different things for one college with no real high flyers, and another like Harvard/MIT with heaps and heaps.</p>
<p>I suppose there is no way of estimating how much lower other colleges' real combined scores are in the absence of data on their websites such as Chicago and Swarthmore. Deduct 30 points? No basis for this, I guess. I should have paid attention in statistics all those years ago.</p>
<p>Sorry if this is kind of off-topic, but does anyone know if ED1 applicants to Swarthmore will be able to find out whether or not we were accepted online tomorrow (or at any other point before the actual letter arrives for that matter)? All my friends are starting to hear from their ED schools, and I'm getting extremely tense and nervous.</p>
<p>Also, anyone have any advice for how to handle the days waiting to hear from your first choice college? (I'm the type of person who gets extremely nervous about this sort of thing and doesn't handle it very well.)</p>
<p>Yud, since not everyone got a login (I know I didn't, and a couple others on these boards didn't), I doubt you'll be able to find out online tomorrow. I could be wrong though.</p>
<p>Yud,
Swarthmore has not notified online in the past. It really is a small school and I could see them holding to the more "formal" in writing notification. Perhaps they think that's a more personalized way to do things rather than using the internet.
As for passing the time, it has to be absolutely nerve-wracking, I know, but could you do things with some friends to pass the time, go see a good movie, keep up with your current school work?</p>
<p>I'm getting very nervous.</p>
<p>Am I the only one who goes through stages of being fairly confident, followed by brief periods of "there's NO way in hell I'm getting in"-ness?</p>
<p>No, I'm in the latter stage right now, but just yesterday I felt like I had a decent shot. I keep looking over stuff and realizing that I could have included this, or modified that...augh. this Wed/Thurs can't come soon enough.</p>
<p>Is Swat sending out ED1 letters today, does anyone know?</p>
<p>It's official. First off, that they sent out the letters today, and second, that they are NOT notifying anyone online. At least no one in the continental US...
(I called because I was bored in Stat)</p>
<p>ilikenoodles,
Good for you for taking the initiative and making the call! This time frame is quite similar to what they have done previously. Wednesday mailboxes in the NY metro area. Fingers and toes crossed for you all!</p>
<p>I will more than likely recieve the first possible day seeing as I live 30 minutes away. I will let you guys know when it arrives :X</p>
<p>accepted. My stats aren't nearly up-to-par with you guys' stats but I will be playing for the basketball team next season.</p>
<p>I'm so happy</p>
<p>Congragulations.</p>
<p>Hi everyone! I fell in love with Swat during Discovery Weekend, so I've decided to apply for ED II. I'm rather nervous about my chances; I've read on the other threads about the number of applicants skyrocketing this year. Congrats to everyone who's been accepted already! I hope to get in as well!</p>