Hey everybody!
It’s a pleasure to join in and hopefully you’ll be able to help me with some concerns…
I am a Spanish student who is taking his first year of the IB. I’m doing very well, predicted is over 40 and over the past years my average is 9/10.
I have a very strong academic profile: lots of awards, recognition, etc.
I am planning to apply to Harvard and Columbia among others but I have a huge problem…
Regarding the SATs, I’m doing very well on the English part but horribly on the Math section (10/20, on average) and would like to know if my chances are deadly hurt because of the latter. I am practicing everyday an hour to try to get better but I don’t think I’ll ever get close to the American standard.
We really won’t know until you have an actual score either from the PSAT, SAT, or an official practice test you took on your own out of the Blue Book. What exactly are your issues in math? You might want to swing on over to the SAT Prep board (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/) and read up on some math prep tips.
Just keep prepping and your scores will improve. It sounds like you still have a lot of time, so I wouldn’t be too worried yet. But keep in mind that even if you got a 2400 SAT, chance of admission to schools like Harvard and Columbia are still a toss-up. When the time comes, make sure you have realistic match and safety schools as well!
Mad988, there is no escaping the SAT where Ivy League schools are concerned. As others have aptly pointed out, even students with excellent academic credentials are more likely to be rejected than admitted. A low score on the SAT mathematics section will seriously cripple your chances. As such, I would work hard on improving the math score to at least 650, and as others have suggested, it would be good to manage your expectations and apply to a good group of targets and safeties.
@MYOS1634 is right. Try working with the ACT. More and more colleges are open to the ACT so you certainly will not be perceived negatively where that is concerned. I used my ACT for an Ivy.
