<p>So last year I took the US History SAT II as a sophomore, didn't study (had been done with the class for a month too since we stopped learning after the AP exam) and got a 670 on the test. On my ACT I got a 29 (30+ in everything except science I got a 25 since I still had like 8 to go which kept me from hitting the 30 threshold) so I'm towards the bottom of the pool. Otherwise my gpa and course load are excellent (4.0 uw, 4.8 w, etc etc). How much weight does Cornell put on the SAT IIs? I suppose my 670 is alright under the circumstances but I think I could have done better and don't believe it's Cornell worthy. What do you think of it? I'm pretty good in math so I was thinking about taking both maths and if I do better on those I'll send those instead. Should I do that or is my 670 alright and I'll just take math II. Also, I will be retaking my ACT since I know I can definitely do better than 29 to help my chances a bit, but any tips for it, especially on the science section? Also, should I program my calculator with the distance formula and what not for it?</p>
<p>Also, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, and Rice did a seminar/info meeting together in downtown a couple of days ago and I went on invitation by them and I talked to the guy from Cornell about applying early and whatnot and he made me feel better about my ACT but like I said, it's barely there and he really emphasized fit with Cornell and proving what you can bring to the table and being involved in activities in your intended major's area. Well sophomore and freshman years I wasn't involved in anything since I had to take care of my brother from the time I got home from school until 1 a.m. which is when my mom would come home. Now that we're both older and I can drive, I'm a freshman mentor, volunteer at the zoo, am secretary of Spanish club, and was selected for girl's state, among a few other things. Will not being involved before hurt me? Also, I want to go into International Relations, what can I possibly do to show my interest in that? We don't even have a debate team or anything remotely related to IR, is that okay or am I in trouble? Suggestions?</p>
<p>Sorry it's so lengthy! My parents were immigrants and I'll be the first to go to college so we're pretty unfamiliar with the process. Thanks for reading (and hopefully answering! ;) )</p>
<p>SATIIs definitely don’t matter that much, that doesnt mean you can butcher them but as long as ur GPA is good (prob top 15%) and SATS are decent it’s okay. I got a 640 on bio (took it freshman year to see what SATs are like), and a 720 on US history. Usually they want to see dedication in clubs but if events at home made it impossible to do so, try to get that across.</p>
<p>My daughter’s situation was similar to yours. She took the US History exam as a sophomore and only got a 640 (but got a 4 on the AP exam). She later took the Math SAT I and got a 700. But she balanced those off with very high SAT scores in one sitting (2290), great grades, activities etc. She got in Chicago EA and Wesleyan ED (and didn’t apply elsewhere). Both Chicago and Wesleyan were great fits for her and I’m sure the admissions office recognized that fact. She did take the ACTs and bombed them because they were too time-pressured. She found the SATs to be quite easy, by contrast. ACTs are much more time pressured than the SATs; she found the SATs to be very formulaic if you study. Not sure why you are focusing on the ACTs. You might consider the SATs. Hope this advice helps.</p>
<p>Could be a geographical thing. The OP didn’t mention where he/she is from…but in areas such as the South, the ACT tends to be the test of choice with HS students whereas in the Northeast, students focus on the SAT. </p>
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<p>You have a good reason for not being involved and you won’t be penalized. Be sure you incorporate this into your application so the admission committees know why you weren’t able to be involved with ECs until recently.</p>
<p>First off, thank you all for replying! I was worried I wouldn’t get any responses!</p>
<p>I’m from the Midwest (Ohio) and the ACT is pretty big around here. And I just went with the ACT because you aren’t penalized for guessing and I’m a bit apprehensive about the vocab part since I didn’t learn English first (I am trilingual). And so I should just leave my history subject test alone and not worry about replacing it with math I and just take the math II in addition? Also, there’s a 5 day bike tour of Ohio, GOBA for charity I believe, where you ride your bike around regardless of the weather and tour Ohio, camping at night in tents while a truck follows the bikers with their luggage at each stop. Would this be a good thing to set me apart and participate in? I always hear about how regular volunteering at a library and being in VOFT, etc isn’t special enough so I’m trying to come up with things that I think would be interesting and make up for what I believe is my lack of fit since I can’t think of anything to become involved in that reflects my desire to go into IR.</p>
<p>Also, I want to write my essay on my car accident (my car flipped twice) and how it was a very spiritual experience and helped bring me closer to my younger brother as before when I’d babysit him we’d do our own separate thing but now we actually spend a lot of time together despite of the age difference. Would this good be a good essay topic? Is that what Cornell/colleges in general would like to see? Or do they want a student talking about their passion of something, etc.?</p>
<p>I’m also from Ohio and quite familiar with GOBA. You may just want to take the SATs and see how you do (although I’d really recommend many, many hours of studying by taking practice tests). You sound like you have lots of pluses – with personal responsibility at home, tri-lingual and, if I remember correctly, parents who aren’t highly educated. Just be yourself. Write about your passions. Your story should say who you are – where you’ve come from and where you’re going. If a car accident had that kind of effect on you then it’s an appropriate topic. There are no truly bad topics. It’s what you do with them. You could try showing off your language skills in your essay. Do you have a mentor in your high school who can help you through the ropes? You sound highly motivated which is fabulous. You need to find a teacher or counselor who will help guide you through this process. Good luck!</p>
<p>you have test selection now for SAT II so honestly, you have the option to retake it, cancel it and take something else. you only need to submit 2-3 SAT II scores to colleges.</p>
<p>you sound like a me a little! i did badly on my subject tests, i got less than 700 on both. i got a 29 on ACTs also (i only signed up for them as a last minute thing and basically knew nothing about them. i didnt even know there was science on it at all and that brought my avg way down) im also interested in International Relations (and thats what i put my major down as when i applied) and i didnt have a lot of extracurriculars past freshmen and soph year because i worked full time hours and was kind of paying for my own food and bills since i was 16. my SATs were also low…i got like 1860 or something. but i am an URM so i think that helped. you’re outshining me by far so i think you have a good chance. hey, i got in.</p>