Hi
I just found out my ssat scores:
Math- 99%
Verbal- 88%
Reading- 75%
Total- 93%
I am super disappointed. I feel like a failure and I don’t know how to tell my parents. I’m applying to Lick Wilmerding. I’m in a Rock Band, do debate, sports, student council, and community service. I have a pretty extroverted personality and am good at making friends. I consider myself a leader and am a good public speaker. But I don’t know if any of that will matter with my atrocious scores. What are my chances of getting in?
Your scores are perfectly fine. I looked at the school and it seems that as long as you have a score in the 90’s, it’s considered okay. I’m not sure if you’re aware of what other applicants to that school score, but you’re in the top 7% of all SSAT takers. You aren’t a failure and I’m not sure why you would think so?
Your extracurriculars seem good and I’m not sure how competitive that school is, but I think you have a decent chance.
I wish all of the ssat posters would take a little time reading past threads and absorbing reality when it comes to scores. Then they would waste our time less often with the “I got a 93%, I’m such a failure” threads.
Exactly. And I would think that applicants would have done enough research on their school that they’re aware of what the SSAT range is? Humble-bragging isn’t cute, guys.
We know kids at Lick Wilmerding who only scored in the 70s percentile-wise.
Do NOT believe the hype that LW only accepts kids with tippy-top scores. They look at the overall package, including teacher recommendations, essays, extracurricular activities, etc. If you aren’t admitted, it won’t be because of your scores.
I admit I really though this was a joke and had to go look up the school. Frankly it sounds so ahem inappropriate. I didn’t think it was a real school name.
It’s like in the stone ages when governors was actually governor dummers and we made fun of those kids relentless every time we played them.
you guys, I’m not trying to brag or anything. I’m genuinely disappointed in myself because I go to a good private school and studied a lot. expectations are high. This is not a joke. I’m worried about my parents because for them, anything below 95 is bad, below 90 is terrible, and below 80 is unimaginable. I don’t know how I’m going to tell them. They’re going to kill me!!
I’m not trying to be “cute.” I genuinely am concerned about my chances of getting in. I took a lot of practice tests and never did this badly. I’m just very shocked. I just want to know what you guys think.
Again, any rational person would understand that 93% is not “bad” or even close to “terrible”. It sounds like a 93% is well within the acceptable range for the school to which you are applying so I do not understand your concern.
The difference between 93 and 95 is minuscule and if you look at older threads, you’ll see that plenty of people have been accepted to schools with scores lower than yours. I wish parents would be more reasonable with standards on their kids.
Your SSAT is fine. Have you interviewed/started your essays? Those will have greater factors on your application.
thank you. I wish my parents didn’t have such high standards. I’m so embarrassed to tell them how I did. I’m working on my essays right now. does anyone have any tips on essays?
@mh2005 - I think if I’m hearing you correctly, you are nervous about telling your parents about the 75%. None of us can understand the family dynamics at play here, and every family has its own. It’s easy for me (or anyone else here) to think “what in heck is the poster even talking about??? this is an awesome overall score!” I am not your mom. And I am going to guess that your parents’ standards and expectations are rooted in a deep love for you.
Mom to kid: you did fantastic. Your scores are competitive for what you want to do. Really. I understand why you find 75th %-ile disappointing. BUT. You are so much more than just a 30 minute segment of a standardized test where you didn’t do quite as amazingly as you wanted. What a great opportunity to hear that super smart, great kids don’t always get the 99th%ile! What a great lesson to learn in humility and empathy…that when you say things like “my scores suck” around a large group of folks, many of whom would kill to have those scores, you might alienate some of them. This will be true of your life in prep school too.
Are you open to some suggestions?
Give yourself room not to be perfect every single second. You are amazing and enough, just as you are today. This will not only be kinder to you, but also kinder to everyone else around you. Why? Because when you give yourself room to be less-than-perfect, you give others room for that too. Think of it this way: what kid would got a 92%-ile would really want to hang out with someone who just said 93rd%-ile is “atrocious?” Be careful of the language you use around yourself and others. You will start to believe your own words.
Now, about your parents. Parents are strange, imperfect people all just doing their best to raise kids, whom we love more than we love our own beating hearts. Sometimes, this deep love blinds us to possibilities we hadn’t considered, such as a super smart kiddo still being super smart even though they got a lower-than-hoped-for score. Consider this: Your parents just may surprise you with how open they are. You may be fearing something more than necessary. Or, they may actually be disappointed. Either way: know that their potential disappointment does NOT impact your chances of getting in, unless you go further down this “I suck” path and let it impact your own beliefs about yourself, and then your essays and interviews and such.
You did very well. Own that humbly and authentically and you will be just great.
I am in your corner, and I am thrilled for your bright future.
Also, be prepared to get much lower scores at BS. These schools are filled with superstars. So hopefully you and your parents can readjust your expectations. I think this school might also be a public school so sorry just not familiar with it. That SSAT score 93% would suffice at any school in the nation for entrance.
If it is as great as you think it is you do need to start preparing your parents that you will not be getting above a 95 on everything once at highschool. Maybe the grading is easier there but at any on the NE boarding schools that people chase on CC almost no one gets such high grades throughout school.
However, my guess is that the 93% is just fine for that school. Honestly I do not believe any local day school claiming to be filled with kids with ssat scores higher than that.
yeah man, chill. i’m also in the bay area, not applying to lick, but University. (tbh i don’t get the hype with lick. not my type of school.)
listen to the people talking to you. I get that your score might seem “atrocious” through the lens of preppy private school, but dude. you realize that 93% means that you scored better/equal to 93% of same-age test takers? be proud of yourself. tell your parents that you did freakin great, and don’t let them tell you you didn’t.
and, side note, as someone with an 86, tellin people that your 93 is utterly terrible will not generate sympathy. But, i get the parents thing. hold yourself to high expectations, but know when you do well.
@Calliemomofgirls Thank you. Thank you so much. I see your perspective. I am dissapointed and I’m trying to look on the bright side of things. Thank you for taking your time to write such kind paragraphs. I’m taking your advice to heart.
You guys. I think I owe everyone an apology. I realize now how insensitive it is to publicly bash my relatively high score. If you got 93% or lower, you should be really proud of yourself, and I’m sorry if I offended anyone. I just have high standards for myself and so do my parents. I wasn’t trying to brag or be cute, and I’m sorry if it came across that way. I really did not mean to offend anybody.
update: my mom found out bc the association sent her an email. She said she was really disappointed and shocked by my scores. she told my dad a few days later. He was really disappointed. I know he wouldn’t even be satisfied with a 99 on everything because that’s the expectation. He’s being petty and keeps telling me “I told you so” and “if you had listened to me and study more you wouldn’t have done to terribly.” You know what’s ironic? I was called out for using to word “atrocious” to describe my scores. My dad used the exact same word today!! He said getting 75 and 88 was “atrocious.”
Anyways. Wish me luck. thank you so much for everyone’s advice and patience.
@mh2005 We know lots of kids (including our own) who got into Lick Wilmerding with LOWER SSAT scores than you. We also know kids with HIGHER scores who were NOT admitted.
Bottom Line: Focus on the rest of your application.