I got a 2400... Should I tell people?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

I’m usually a really kept-to-myself, modest kind of guy. I don’t really like to brag about my grades, so when I got a 2400 on the SAT a few months ago, I decided not to tell anyone. It made sense at the time, since literally everyone was talking about how they were so nervous about the SAT or how they were taking these intense prep classes outside of school (one of my friends even said how his older sister got a perfect score and he hates her for it). And besides, I hadn’t taken any fancy prep classes or read prep books or anything like that; I just took a couple practice tests the week before, walked in, and took the SAT (and I was extremely surprised I got anything in the 2000s range, let alone a 2400). Also I didn’t have too many super close friends, so I decided not to risk having the few friends I have hate me forever.

I eventually did tell some people—I told my parents, obviously, who were really excited for me. But I also told two of my most favorite teachers who, when I broke the news, just kinda barely acknowledged it matter-of-factly, a nonchalant “oh, good job” with deliberate eye contact, before going back to whatever they were doing; it kinda hurt, but I moved on.

Now, as I’m beginning to get caught up in the college panic, I’m starting to regret not letting people know about it. I see people getting published in the local news for getting 2400s, and I’m wondering if I possibly missed out on an opportunity that could have helped my chances for college.

What do you think? Should I tell people? Or should I keep keeping it to myself?

2

Local news wouldn’t help your chances for college. The score is what helps.

3

Does your local news staff sit on a college admissions committee?

4

Just because your 2400 wasn’t published in the local newspaper doesn’t mean that it’s any less valid. You can tell people if you want, but it won’t make a difference. Congrats on your perfect score, because in the end, that will be all that matters in the eyes of the admissions committee. :slight_smile:

5

I advise restricting the news of your accomplishment to a need-to-know basis, i.e. to the adults involved in your application.

Broadcasting it to other students will almost certainly stoke jealousy & resentment.

6

Yeah, might as well keep doing what you’re doing. Very impressive, though–congrats!

7

Yeah, high school is a very competitive place and your telling people about your 2400 will only breed hatred and jealousy, even if unintentional. Keep your score to yourself, and pat yourself on the back, because that’s a great score! I’m sure you teachers were busy with their work; they weren’t trying to be rude or anything. And as others have already mentioned, media attention won’t help you with college admissions; the score itself will justify the merit you wholly deserve.

8

In addition to breeding jealousy and resentment, letting people know about your 2400 will also stoke sky-high expectations about “being a shoo-in at Harvard”, which may possibly be difficult for you to reconcile with your actual college admission results.

9

It is very impressive to get that score, and I’m sure your parents are proud of you. I agree that there is no upside to sharing your score with your friends, and even some possible downsides.

Avoid the whole “where are you applying to college” discussion if you can.

10

@782593795238 I tend to forget about my standardized tests after taking them (okay, maybe that’s not quite true, since I’m on CC). You take them for the purposes of admissions requirements, then move on.

I’m sure there’s no doubt that a 2400 is an impressive score, and you should be proud of it. But will the fact that you scored a 2400 benefit you 4 years down the road? 1 month?

I agree that it’s probably not worth bragging to your friends about the 2400 - there are better and more interesting things to do.

11

Congratulations - that is an amazing score!

I agree with many of the responses here, though I would be sad if my son’s best friend felt that he could not share that type of thing with my son. My son would be truly happy for him, and not jealous at all. I wish you had one person (outside of your parents) where you could share it and feel celebrated.

Great job, and best wishes in your next step.

12

Don’t let it go to your head either. There are schools where a huge amount of people have 2400s (thinking more Caltech, certain Ivies) and there are schools where the median is around 1400. You can choose to associate with people where getting a perfect score is run-of-the-mill, or you can choose to associate with people who’ll look up to you as a god, but in the latter case they don’t have much to teach you, you’re probably just hanging around just for the adoration, and anyone from the first group will receive similar adoration.

Competing with, and dealing with, the first group, on the other hand, will make you a better person faster.

Also, don’t let the 2400 give you excessive expectations. It’s good for an honors program at a decent state university, if not necessarily the best, but have you read Gladwell’s article at www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/10/10/getting-in ? I knew folks who went to Tufts after getting rejected from Harvard with a 1600; apparently either their GPA or extracurriculars suck.

13

I would think the characterization of “suck” a bit extreme and perhaps even invalid. Perhaps their offerings did not stand up to those of the rest of the applicant pool, but kids who test that well generally are not picking the toe jam out of their toes and flicking it around the room all day. Those kids do.more.

14

Congratulations. Getting published in the local papers has not done much for several of the local kids I know with their early choices. I don’t think it makes a difference in admissions since the schools get that score from collegeboard for validation.

15

Very impressive. First try and first post. I think you should go on local tv, local radio and then the newspapers will pick up the story.

16

The guy was a regular on an RTS forum; not Brood War, which is well-regarded for the difficulty and discipline needed to play well, but something similarly cerebral and demanding. I was told he took academic leave or some other hiatus while at Tufts, so I don’t doubt Harvard’s decision to reject him; when someone comes out ranting at you on AIM about how, despite a 1600 SAT, they were rejected from Harvard, it’s pretty obvious that while highly intelligent, they are lacking in terms of character in one field or another.

17

Back to the commentator; as I’ve said, don’t let it go to your head. Getting a 1600 just means that you’ve passed one hurdle in life; the most pathetic people are the ones who brag about their high childhood IQ scores (and perhaps I’m speaking from experience) but in adult life achieve very little, the second most pathetic people are the ones who brag about their SAT.

Think about it from the end; when you’re on your death-bed hopefully in your 80s or 90s, what you want to do is to say that “I’ve achieved much that is good and noble, and if one should ‘be ashamed to die until [one has] won some victory for humanity’, as Horace Mann said, I can’t be ashamed”. To do that, though, you need to achieve something significant, and your IQ, your SATs, the schools you went to, these will be aids to doing so, but are no guarantee that you will ever achieve anything important.

You may have different life goals, of course; you may only seek to obtain a comfortable living and be able to provide for yourself and your loved ones, and this is good and noble, but your SATs alone do not give you elevated status over those who do, do well, and do good.

Ironically, though, having this kind of ethic is useful for Ivy admissions, if such is your objective. As I mentioned before, if you haven’t read it yet, read the Gladwell article to understand the sociology of admissions and the goals of elite US institutions. But remember even then, an Ivy education is merely a means to an end, and if somehow you are rejected, or otherwise find yourself facing difficult choices, what your SAT results do say is that you’re extremely smart. If you fail to get in, it means what it did for my acquaintance at Tufts; you are lacking in achievement and character in some way, but you can get a comparable education, if not comparable networking, at many 1.5th and 2nd tier institutions, and you still have graduate school to catch up on networking.

18

You would not be lacking in character in any way if you aimed for an Ivy and were not accepted. As the article concludes, you would not, in actuality, be harmed.

Your scores are great, even laudable, and place you in a community of others with whom you probably have some things in common.

Your applications, effort and profile will reflect (should reflect) the strength of the student you are, and interviews should help you to relay what you could contribute to a student community, and in representing a university after being conferred a degree, what you could contribute to society.

Don’t sweat it, OP. Get the rest of your ducks lined up and know that you have just begun to quietly break through and scale high walls. Congratulations.

19

I agree with Waiting2exhale about getting rejected by an Ivy; US elite institutions use comprehensive admissions that check for talent, achievement, and character, but in your case, your experience with the SAT suggests a high level of talent and failing admissions suggests one of two things, either that you don’t know how to pad your application(as in the article, SAT + GPA + extracurriculars + recommendations + personal statement) or that you’re lacking in achievement or character. The latter overlaps with the former to an extent; the point of padding your application is to make it look like you have achievements (GPA, extracurriculars) and character (recommendations, personal statement), but padding your application can give you the extra boost to get in. If it’s your achievements and character that are lacking, however, don’t make excuses, make improvements; you have lots of time to work on that; and in adult life people will judge you almost as much by your graduate degree.

That said, I also agree with W2e in that your testing achievement is impressive and you should at least try to apply to elite schools; what’s the worst that could happen? You’re out a couple of hundred dollars and the time needed to prepare the application, and in the best case scenario you could have an undergraduate degree with the prestige of an elite institution. However, I also think it’s good to be cautious and circumspect; letting it go to your head, or bragging about it, as some here advise, can result in disaster. But from your single posting you seem to have a good head on your shoulders and won’t be lacking in judgment, and I get the feeling you already know everything I’m telling you.

Best of luck.

20

Congratulations on your score! CC likes to be cynical about high SAT I & II/ACT scores and their effect on college admissions, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s still a very impressive accomplishment - especially if you didn’t use any prep books or classes. You should certainly feel proud.

That said, you are not missing out on anything by not having your accomplishment reported by the local news. I had a friend get in the local newspaper for getting a 36 on the ACT and her experience was nothing but negative. People who had never heard of her before now knew her as the “stereotypical Asian girl who spends all her time studying and lacks a social life,” even though none of that was true. Some of her friends resented her for what they perceived as showing off. And a news story about getting a perfect ACT/SAT score reveals nothing to colleges that they don’t already know from your score reports; in fact, it might even convey the negative impression that you lack humility and like to boast about vapid accomplishments. Stick to sharing your score with close friends/relatives.