<p>A valedictorian at my school a few years ago (great grades, ECs, etc.) applied to nothing but Ivy League schools. He was rejected at all of them and had to attend UAA for a year before transferring.</p>
<p>Moral: apply to more than the US News top 10.</p>
<p>Saying that a 2400 on the SAT isnāt an accomplishment is about like saying that a gold medal in the 100 meter dash at the Olympics isnāt an accomplishment. Sure they are both accomplishments. Nay-sayers who canāt do either accomplishment shouldnāt deride either accomplishment.</p>
<p>a standardized test for US children is certainly not on the same level as a world wide competition like the olympics and certainly not as important. though with that logic it could be argued that an olympic medal means nothing. actually it could be true unless the athleteās medal somehow effected the world or his country. then it would matter</p>
<p>i said it wasnāt a significant accomplishment and it isnāt</p>
<p>whatever. there is no point in fighting. weāll just disagree.</p>
<p>Ok, fine.</p>
<p>a 2400 SAT score shows that you are able to think critically, analytically, and quickly on a variety of subjects and over a long period of endurance. You can solve difficult math problems, understand the intricacies of literature, have an extensive lexicon, and have a very good mastery of the specifics of the english language. Any idiot canāt get a 2400. It takes a person who is very, very smart.</p>
<p>That said, it should not be a guarantor of admission. These very selective colleges donāt have to have a reason that seems fair to you in order to reject you. They can take anyone they want for any reason.</p>
<p>āa 2400 SAT is not a real accomplishment. sorry.ā</p>
<p>I donāt think that the SAT is a great measurement, but your statement goes too far.</p>
<p>
I donāt think it is meant to be taken literally, just to mean that top schools can reject very strong (on paper) candidates.</p>
<p>I think the 2400 scorers who have trouble with admissions often do not have the high GPA to correspond with the high SAT score. I know 2 boys with B averages but perfect SAT scoresā¦</p>
<p>
There are actually real numbers somewhere for students in that situation? Can this data be found online?</p>
<p>a 2400 SAT score shows that you are able to think critically, analytically, and quickly on a variety of subjects and over a long period of endurance. You can solve difficult math problems, understand the intricacies of literature, have an extensive lexicon, and have a very good mastery of the specifics of the english language</p>
<p>difficult math? lol itās not like they put thought-provoking math questions on there: the AMC 12 has more depth than the math on the SATs. I do think that those who perfect it are smart, but so are those who score 2100 +. How can one distinguish the intelligence of a perfect scorer and those with 2100+? The difference in questions correct on a saturday morning achievement test?ābecause thatās what itās evolved into over the years, not an aptitude test.
Additionally, I donāt see what a 2400 does for success beyond college admissions. i doubt that every single nobel prize winner/ fieldās medalist was a perfect scorer on the SAT-- i guess they werenāt as accomplished as those elite perfect scorers.</p>
<p>You can get a lot more problems wrong on the AMC 12 and still end up with an excellent score, whereas with the SAT, the margin of error for the top scores is very, very slim.</p>
<p>I did not say that a 2400 on the SAT is the supreme accomplishment. But it is definitely a very substantial one.</p>
<p>I think getting a 2400 on the sat is a tremendous accomplishment. But again - it is just one small part of an entire application. But it is still a great accomplishment.</p>
<p>If arrogance disqualified you from the Ivy League, there would be some pretty empty campuses (including my sonās)!</p>
<p>I think a 2400 is an accomplishment, for the individual, but not otherwise. I know so many people who have trouble with it because of time constraints. The main problem is that it doesnāt judge a person well, and thoguh, in general, one must be intelligent or at least quick on their feet to do so well, someone with a lower score might be just as smart, but less apt at SATs. I know I struggled with it.</p>
<p>My cousin applied to Yale, and a few other schools back when it was out of 1600 and she barely breached 1400. Good score, I know, but below average on the IVY scale. However, she got in with a full scholarship. OS point is, you can get in if you ave a decent score and strong credentials. However, it is a bit arbitrary when almost all valedictorians apply to one place. Not everyone can be chosen.</p>
<p>Oh, and that Asian thingā¦ they are a tough applicant pool. Itās true, so they do have a tougher time against each other. Although many can get in, such a concentration of a minority group bodes ill for admissions.</p>
<p>The girl ranked #3 in my school got into Harvard with a 1990 SAT. (Great essays I guess.) I know this is rare, but Iām always really hesitant to believe it when people say this. No one give up hope!</p>
<p>Not everyone who applies to an Ivy applies to all of them. Not everyone wants to attend an Ivy, even if he or she has the credentials to do so. There are no guarantees, folks. Even students who bring home national awards that CCers recognize get rejection letters. Apply widely and well. </p>
<p>An excellent score will likely earn you the admission committeeās attention. From there, you have to demonstrate what else you bring to that table. But even with a āgolden ticketā there are still many, many other applicants who bring other winning tickets.</p>
<p>
Itās easy. One thinks that 2100=2400, and the other doesnāt.</p>
<p>Our valedictorian had a 4.0 UW, three years of JV Volleyball, and almost 1000 volunteer hoursā¦but barely any other extracurricular activities and only a 1650 SAT.
She got a full ride to Berkeley but was rejected from Stanford, which was her first choice.</p>
<p>This is typically untrue. Looking at Collegeboardās normal distribution there are roughly 650 non-superscored 2400s in a given year. All but a few will have their choice of schools. The oneās who do not will either have some black mark (arrest, etc.) or will demonstrate a lack of character or a shallowness of interests on their applications.</p>
<p>For people who want a greater understanding of the college application process, as well as clarification about all of the rumors such as this, a great book is āThe Gatekeepersā. It is written by a former Wesleyan admissions officer, and it discusses the various decisions and dilemmas that come up in the process, as well as the origins of many rumors and false axioms regarding admissions. A few things are clear, and one of them is that admissions are only a ācrapshootā for the thousands of identical applicants. For those who stand out, the process is a science.</p>
<p>Several of the posts above, and other things Iāve read here, make me think again that in most cases, if a student with perfect grades and super-high scores does not get into any highly selective school, itās most likely because he didnāt construct a reasonable list, and applied to too few, or the wrong, schools. The other possibility is that such a student has a black mark that canāt be observed, such as a very bad recommendation.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly that a 2400, 4.0, etc are not everything. But last year, as an applicant with a 2400, perfect scores on subject tests, and a 4.0, I always felt a little discouraged reading these threads, because while scores are only one part of the whole application, I think the number of threads on CC belittling good scores is too much. I donāt think my 2400 or my 4.0 got me in, but I had both, and I am attending Harvard in the fall. My message for future applicants with perfect scores: you should feel good about what you have achieved, and your scores should boost your confidence in ever-more competitive admission processes. But donāt become overconfident and slack off elsewhere. Everything is important.</p>