<p>Any number? No. Which number? That magically sovereign number so many speak about but yet few are adept in its esoteric mysteries. Yup, you guessed it: SAT scores.</p>
<p>But now that my rhetoric is out of the way, I'd really like to know why so many people (especially on this site) "turn super-qualified candidates down" because their SATs aren't 2250+. I've been to several college information sessions, a few of which were Ivy League, and every admissions officer had the same thing to say: that SAT scores are not that important! If anything, they're one of the last things they consider when looking at applications. I am fully capable of believing that a person who practically saved the world with a 2080 SAT will STILL have a great shot at HYPS. What myriads of individuals fail to realize is the true arbitrary nature of college admissions. There is no set formula, no magic spell, that will ensure ANYONE admission. Therefore, I believe the opposite is also true: that no one specific thing (i.e. SAT scores) is enough to keep someone out. It is, however, what makes someone unique that grants them admission to top-tier schools. I am told that admission officers want to know you as if they've known you your entire life. Every characteristic, every subtle nuance that makes you shine, should be exemplified in your application. Anything less is only a hindrance to yourself.</p>
<p>You’re creating this false dichotomy where people with “lower” SAT scores are awesome and people with higher SAT scores are boring. There are plenty of people with higher scores who have done awesome things. SAT scores clearly are important, as shown by how high the median scores at top schools usually are. But I agree that high scores aren’t enough on their own. </p>
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<p>Because “lots of people” wasn’t pretentious enough.</p>
<p>Another bit of false reasoning. The fact that there’s neither a set formula nor a magic spell doesn’t mean that the admissions process is arbitrary.</p>
<p>So, can standardized test scores kill an application? Realistically, the answer is usually yes. Not because Harvard or anyone else has some kind of cut-off score, but because with myriads (literally) of highly qualified applicants to choose from, Harvard and its peers really can (and usually do) find an applicant who’s just as good, but has SATs at or above 700 in every category.</p>
<p>There’s no doubt in my mind that “lots of people” with higher scores are remarkable individuals who rightfully earned their spots at prestigious schools. I’m merely speaking for those with the same credentials minus the crazy high SAT scores. But if you’ll allow me to reiterate what I said before, the process is completely arbitrary. My post was me crying out for those who perhaps aren’t the best test takers, but still contained the same heart and determination, nothing more, nothing less.</p>
<p>It’s not the “number” that kills the dream, it’s the intense nature of your competition. The SAT is not much more than a basic skills test for college; sure, it’s easy to miss a few, but the top 20-30,000 applicants out of millions of high school graduates each year have no trouble hitting 2250+ with minimal effort or prep, and without being distracted from their other goals – high GPA, stellar ECs, and special competitions.</p>
<p>The SATs are not that important to elite schools admins because it’s so easy to find plenty of applicants with high scores and a great portfolio of accomplishments. That does not mean that having a low SAT doesn’t automatically red-flag your application as someone who may struggle with their academic load if admitted. Of course, someone with unique accomplishments will be given due consideration – but unique accomplishments on a national level are actually quite rare.</p>
<p>While the SAT isn’t the be-all-end-all for admissions I think it plays a bit bigger of a role than colleges care to admit (because who would apply to a school that outright admits it cares about its freshman class having a high median SAT score). Of course, a high score won’t garuntee acceptance, but it certainly helps. If your score is a bit lower than a school’s typical range, you aren’t hopless as long as everything else on your application is up to snuff, in which case the score is just a small blemish. If your score is horrendously lower, however, your chance would be quite low unless you did something very epic to make up for it (e.g. you saved Africa or something like that).</p>
<p>Reiterate all you like. It doesn’t make it so. </p>
<p>Admissions decisions at the most selective colleges are not made without a method, or based only on the admissions officers’ whim. They are based on a lot of factors, including but not limited to applicants’ transcripts, their standardized test scores, their teacher recommendations, their extracurricular skills and accomplishments, and the college’s needs that particular year. There are so many factors that the basis for their decisions may seem incomprehensible to outsiders, but that doesn’t mean the process is arbitrary.</p>
<p>I have no proof but it just seems logical that many application cuts are done by computer, through pre programmed minimums. Now if you are cut, I do believe the school will perform a holistic review to determine if the application is worthy of a save. But if not, the application quickly goes to the permanent cut pile. This way schools can claim (probably a little shady) that no cuts are made by computer, but in reality the computer plays a prime role in cutting applications. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>For OP, it isn’t a number. Well, if a guy with 1400 want to dream to get into top places, well no one can hold that student back. But if this student get rejected, well first thing will come in mind is “a number was enough”</p>
There are many exceptions. For example, the Stanford admissions page at [Applicant</a> Profile : Stanford University](<a href=“Page Not Found : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University) shows 28% of the freshman class had under 700 on the SAT verbal section. The other SAT tests were similar. The admit rate was ~4% for persons who scored in the 600s vs ~9% for persons who scored in the 700s. I was accepted with a 500 several years ago. </p>
<p>Awhile back, Chirstopher Avery from Harvard did a paper that graphed the chance of admission by percentile of SAT score at various schools (<a href=“http://www.nber.org/papers/w10803.pdf?new_window=1[/url]”>http://www.nber.org/papers/w10803.pdf?new_window=1</a> ). Some of the graphs were interesting in that the chance of acceptance sometimes decreased as SAT score increased. For example, at Princeton students in the 92 to 94th percentile SAT (~2000 combined score) had twice the acceptance rate of a students in the 97-98th percentile (~2150 combined score). He suggested it might relate to manipulating yield, as the lower percentile students are more likely to choose to attend Princeton while the top scoring students are more likely to be cross admits with schools that students tend to choose over Princeton. None of the graphs showed a sharp division at a particular SAT score, such as 0% chance of acceptance at 2090 vs 6% at 2110. Instead it was more gradually reducing chance of acceptance as SAT decreased.</p>
<p>Sure, colleges look at the whole picture, of which test scores are only a part. My son was admitted to a top LAC with scores on the low side of the bubble for that school (2200 SAT). The question is less about any cut-off test score, but are the scores strong enough to indicate the student could succeed at a challenging school, and then what else would the student bring to the college and its community of students? Special talents in sports, music, art, something else? Contribute to campus diversity? Bring a zeal for advocacy and engagement? Leadership? A unique background or perspective? A brilliant mind for science and innovation? It is important to let them know what’s special about you… but remember of course that many of the brightest minds and special young people in the country (and the world for that matter) are also sharing what’s special about them. It’s just very competitive. As the president of Harvard once said, they could accept an entire freshman class, then toss them out and go back the rejected applications pile and put together a new freshman class that is just as strong as the first one. It’s not arbitrary, it’s just competitive.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but yes the SAT is VERY important and anyone that does not say so is completely lying or in denial. It is the most widely used test in college admissions and that is how things work. Although, a high score does not guarantee you in any college, it really MATTERS.</p>
<p>Agree with spockthethird. For very selective schools, high SAT scores are necessary but not sufficient. </p>
<p>These colleges can “afford” to reject a brilliant candidate with SAT scores on the low side, because there are hundreds of other brilliant candidates with higher SAT scores seeking a spot in the freshman class. The competition is very tough.</p>
<p>Like others have stated, schools with under 10% admit rate suffer from the problem of abundance. </p>
<p>While practicing the Dark Art of holistic evaluations, one can’t dismiss the bias that a “36” or “2390” can impart. </p>
<p>I recall speaking with one admissions officer (it wa a private conversation). </p>
<p>He was advocating that files that were being read in commitee (i.e. past the first stage but needing consensus before moving fwd) be assigned “high” “high middle” and “middle” to the test score totals. He had noticed that people subtly favoring the “2400” over the “2360” even though everyone agreed that the difference was non-existent. By blocking out the actual numbers, he hoped to dispel a pattern of inherent bias. </p>
<p>It was noticeable enough to him that he wanted to introduce a new process. Dunno if it was ever implemented however…</p>