Essay VS SAT

[bat]

<p>which would a top (say mit) college give more importance to?</p>

<p>my sat scores are good but dont make me stand out (2180) , so would really good essays make up for that?</p>

[atrophicwhisper]

<p>I think for MIT, it’s more important to have an exceptional math score (800 or very near it) more than the CR and W. You should still have pretty high CR and W scores, but I think more emphasis is placed on the math portion at MIT (don’t quote me on that.) </p>

<p>Your essay probably carries more weight because it helps show passion, which is really what separates the rejected from the admitted. SAT scores just can’t convey that.</p>

[Star_1]

<p>Assuming that 2180 is just about even (aka around 700 on each section), that’s all you really need. SATs don’t make people stand out – in the eyes of admissions, a 2100 is no different than a 2400. Once you reach a certain level SATs don’t matter anymore and they look to other aspects of the application, like the essay, to make you stand out. What they say is “SAT scores get you considered, it’s everything else that gets you admitted”. (In no way does that mean that you <em>can’t</em> get in with low scores, just that high scores won’t get you in by themselves.) </p>

<p>So to sum up, you aren’t “making up” for anything, you’re simply making yourself stand out in a way that SAT scores never could.</p>

[bat]

<p>score breakdown was cr:680 m:750 w:750</p>

<p>star, i hope to god you are right, if this score is enough to get me considered, should i bother resitting?..</p>

<p>i guess so, because a higher score would only help…hmmmmm</p>

[amciw]

<p>Star, a 2320 is much better for admissions than a 2110.</p>

[Star_1]

<p>A higher score in math or writting won’t help you at all. CR, maybe. </p>

<p>I got a 660 in CR and people told me I probably should retake it but that I didn’t <em>need</em> to. I didn’t really feel like wasting another Saturday and giving collegeboard even more money, so I left it as it was, and I still got in. Retaking wont hurt you, but don’t feel you have to by any means… if you are confident that you can raise it to a 700+ and you have the time and money, I guess why not, but if you don’t want to, don’t worry. Either way, your SAT scores are good enough that it’s going to be the other stuff in your application that makes the difference. Good luck!</p>

<p>Edit: As long as it’s balanced, most admissions officers will agree that an 800 doesn’t show any more potential than a 700. It’s just that 2320 means each section must be good, while 2110 could possibly have weaker sections. They look at each section, so 700+ / section is fine. Speaking about MIT specifically, if you’re interested I can dig up some blog posts about the topic.</p>

[bat]

<p>star, that really does sound promising, ive always felt a LOT behind other people in terms of chances because they had around 2250+ scores, even though academically we are pretty much the same…</p>

<p>i really do feel i can get the cr upto 740ish so i guess i will try it again</p>

<p>and i would be grateful if you could provide those blog links</p>

<p>thanks so much</p>

[Star_1]

<p>This first quote was taken from a recent post on the site, in response to the millions of questions about SAT scores.

“What SAT score do I need to get in?”
This is SO easy to answer. If you get something that looks like (where the spaces are any number you want)</p>

<p>MATH: 7_ _
READING: 7 _ _
WRITING: 7_ _</p>

<p>then your SAT scores get a check and will no longer factor into your decision. Seriously, if you get above 700s then you’re good. A 700 looks exactly like an 800, I swear (I’m not lying, as much as you may think it’ll help to score higher than a 700, it won’t!)</p>

<p>If you have scores lower than 700 it’s not the end of the world. Balance it with an amazing application, but it’s much easier to sit tight at 700+ for your SATs.

If you don’t believe me, here’s the post: [MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “Read This!”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/qanda/questions_and_answers/read_this_1.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/qanda/questions_and_answers/read_this_1.shtml)</p>

<p>The next post is all about SAT scores (and their importance, or lack-there-of), written by an admissions officer himself: [MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “What’s the big deal about 40^2?”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/standardized_test_requirements/whats_the_big_deal_about_402.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/standardized_test_requirements/whats_the_big_deal_about_402.shtml)</p>

<p>I recommend you read the whole thing, but here’s quote taken from that post:

People make a big deal about test scores. No one seems to believe me when I tell them that when I’m reading an application, I just glance at the test scores to get a sense of them before moving on to the more important parts of the application – that is, who you are… A student with “the magic 1600” is not implicitly better to us than a student with “the spellbinding 1400.” Scores are one tool we use to help us in admissions. And yes, your grades and test scores (especially your grades) are important. But as I have said in the past, what ultimately really matters to us is who you are, what qualities you bring to the table.

</p>

<p>Hope this helps, and don’t let people on CC get you down :)</p>

[bat]

<p>wow, thanks so much, that just gives me so much more confidence, and it should too to all the others in my position…</p>

<p>the guy who blogged that said that he chose mit because they DIDnt ask about his sat score, which implies that the other top schools do?</p>

<p>anyhow im glad that mit dont use the sat score to make their decision but instead to judge just whether this student can cope</p>

[Star_1]

<p>I think his point there was that other <em>students</em> didn’t ask what his SAT scores were but accepted him as a person, whereas at some of the other top schools students where more worried about his scores than the cool stuff he’d done. That being said, this is from the MIT blog, so don’t take it for granted that it reflects the views of all top schools.</p>

<p>Also, just because SAT scores aren’t the ONLY factor, doesn’t mean they aren’t a factor at all… a 500 will still, in all likelyhood, hurt your chances. Discounting scores completly is pretty dangerous. They are just trying to make the point that it is possible to get in with lower scores (mostly the 600 range, I guess), that 700==800, and that scores alone will NEVER get you in.</p>

<p>Also, less stress and more confidence is always good.</p>

[aminhamenina]

<p>700=800 at MIT? I really find that hard to believe at such a competitive tech institution.</p>

[Star_1]

<p>The point is, SAT scores <em>aren’t</em> everything, especially in more competitive schools where most applicants are qualified to attend the school and the admissions officers are looking at what they will contribute to the school – something the SAT won’t tell you. Someone can get 3 questions wrong and end up with a 700 on the math section of the SAT; that doesn’t mean they don’t know math, and it doesn’t mean they don’t have the ability to do well in MIT’s required math classes. They may have made a miscalculation or maybe they were just a little nervous that day. It’s actually the less competitive schools that rely on the SAT more heavily, because the difference between a 600 and 700 is much more important than the difference between a 700 and an 800.</p>

[Ealgian]

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@""

<p>bat</p>

<br>

<p>Are you more of a perfect grades person or strong in a particular subject?</p>