<p>Okay so I'm really upset. I wanted to get 1900 the first time and 2200 in October. I got 1650. I got 600 cr, 560 in writing, and 480 in math! Does anyone have any study suggestions to raise my score, I will settle for 2100 in Oct. I'm so upset, how will ivies view my first score, its so bad :(</p>
<p>That, admittedly, is a pretty rough score. If you totally blow it out of the water perhaps some schools might dismiss it. I would honestly say start now if you want to have any shot at a 2100. Buy some well reviewed books with practice tests in them and take their study plans VERY seriously. Take a practice test about once a week if you can and just try to keep improving in the areas you need to.</p>
<p>Honestly, unless you have exceptionally strong extracurriculars or something else very significant going in your favor, I would say don’t even get your hopes up if you do manage to get a 2100 or 2200. Ivies are very particular with everything in their selection process. The constant rejections one after another can be disheartening even if you are expecting it haha…</p>
<p>Ivies are not all that’s out there, keep your eyes open for other schools that have great reputations for whatever you are looking to major in and hope for the best!</p>
<p>Sorry I know that wasn’t very helpful…</p>
<p>Ah, so even if I do get it to like 2100 or 2200 the first score will still kill me? I should have studied and taken them more seriously.</p>
<p>Have you taken the ACT; I know its more regional but if you did they might factor that in. I am in the same boat as you except I am located in the midwest where the ACT has more popularity than it does on the coasts, except SAT still is probably the most taken test. </p>
<p>I took the June ACT and if my results are good, I will not be taking it again but if not I will have to start over and see which one I do better on I will retake.</p>
<p>I looked up the equivalancy of my SAT score 1770 and on the ACT it ‘equals’ 25, but I’m hoping I did better even though I felt terrible after the test. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Honestly if you do that poorly even with studying that means you haven’t developed your reading/math skills enough through your educational career. </p>
<p>A lot of ivy-leaguers can score above 1900 without practice, and many above 2100 with some practice… They are very comfortable with the reading passages, math problems, have excellent time management, and even finish most sections with enough time to check their answers. </p>
<p>If your parents love to waste money, then try looking for those tutors that say they can guarantee to help you get a certain score, although its probably more than 200$ a session.</p>
<p>um honestly indianguy 94, that kind of offends me that you say I haven’t developed whatever skills you are trying to assume I don’t have when you don’t know me. I brought my academic decathlon team to third place and have over thirty awards on my side so you don’t know my intellectual abilities at all. FYI harvard denies people with 2300-2400, some times you have to be human in life.</p>
<p>Alyssaz, Indianaguy94 may have been blunt, but I’m not sure he’s wrong. Sorry.</p>
<p>All that I know about you, I know from reading your posts on CC. You have a pretty compelling personal story, and a school record (after ninth grade) that you can be justifiably proud of. Your credentials can get you into a number of really good colleges or universities. But I think the combination of your freshman grades and these SATs is probably fatal for Ivies and their peers.</p>
<p>Besides that, I think you need to play Indianaguy’s thinking ahead a few years. Suppose you do get into Penn or Yale, and you’re in classes with all those folks who can break 2200 without breaking a sweat. These colleges are full of people whose minds work that way, and they play to the strengths of people whose minds work that way. Are you going to enjoy your college years? Or are going to spend four years with your classmates basically eating you for lunch? I can’t tell you for sure, but I think you need to consider the question seriously.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I have to say, I don’t get your point here. Harvard (and the rest of the Ivies, and their peers) do frequently deny applicants with SATs over 2300, but not in favor of applicants whose SATs are below 1800. In the overwhelming majority of cases, they deny those applicants in order to admit different applicants with SATs over 2300.</p>
<p>You’re clearly a smart and accomplished person with a lot to offer. You should be able to get into a number of good colleges and universities, and you should be able to get a lot out of them. But based on what I can see on CC, I think you are probably overestimating your chances for Ivies.</p>
<p>Well Sikorsky, im under the impression that you are saying im not naturally smart. I just took the SAT’s I never took a class, or opened a book. Some people on this site probably get a 2300 by hiring tutors. My aunt knew a guy from princeton that was an SAT tutor, and their parents using to pay 20,000 dollars in tutoring, does that make them naturally smart if they are sitting there for thirty hours with a private tutor? My school never prepared me for SAT’s, we just take them its a public school. Idk, I could have done better I guess I meant I got a 10 on my essay. Its just math that kills me. I get your point, however I just don’t agree with you on how I am not on “par” with other ivy students. Im going to be honest, im horrible at math, I actually study for math, but writing and reading are my best, and im not talking testing my grammar. I think I want to use score choice, but I still don’t see the problem if i get 2100 the second time by just buying a books from barnes and noble, whats the problem with that, and you’re basically saying im going to be heckled at these colleges even if I did get in. What do you recommend then? When I said about being human in life, you can’t be great at everything, and its okay to not have a 2400.</p>
<p>I am not over estimating my ivy chances, i know im not getting into harvard, im not mark zuckenberg, i am entitled to be in denial though, and it’s nice to have hope. Ik I’m lucky if I even get into BU, and my scores are really upsetting me, on top of freshmen year I now have horrible sat scores</p>
<p>just dont apply to any ivies</p>
<p>Alyssaz, I’m sorry if I’ve misinterpreted your college ambitions. I will also be sorry if this thread causes you to swing too far in the other direction, and sell yourself short. I meant it when I said you’re clearly smart and accomplished. If you wanted to argue that there’s more practical value in overcoming your horrible freshman year and then writing a memoir about it than there is is acing the SAT, you could make a good case. Except, maybe, when it comes to fancy colleges.</p>
<p>Here’s what I think you should do first: go to the source. The factor that produces the most benefit for standardized-test takers is familiarity with the test. Get the blue book published by the College Board to prepare for the SAT, and the red book published by the ACT to prepare for the ACT. Don’t buy them from College Board or ACT; I found them for my daughter at less than the cover price at Amazon. Do those books cover to cover. Take the practice tests just as if they were real tests. Take them on a weekend morning; time yourself; match real test conditions as closely as you can. See how you do.</p>
<p>If you feel that the tests are kicking your butt because you don’t know the material they’re asking you about, then you do need to know the material better. (If I were to guess, I would guess this won’t be you.) Kaplan made its reputation by approaching test prep by teaching content. Look at some Kaplan books. (Other CC posters, who are younger than I am, may have more current advice about other companies that do a Kaplan approach better than Kaplan does. If somebody who seems to know his stuff comes along later and contradicts me, take that person’s advice. I’m old. Some of my knowledge is probably out of date.) </p>
<p>If you feel as if you know the test content pretty well, but you’re not getting scores that you’re happy with, then it’s probably the tests themselves that are tripping you up. Princeton Review made its name by working from the premise that you can do well on these tests by taking them more shrewdly than the average test-taker. If you think you know more than the average test-taker, but you’re scoring lower, then you’re not being savvy about the tests. Try Princeton Review test-prep books. (Or another line, if somebody who knows better comes along and corrects me later.)</p>
<p>Good test prep doesn’t have to involve expensive courses or tutors. But it might cost you as much as $100 for prep books.</p>
<p>Oh, and I totally agree that it’s perfectly fine not to score 2400. Scoring 2400 is really great for this one year of your life, but after that it loses value very fast. For that matter, I also think it’s perfectly fine not to go to fancy college. I know a whole lot of people who didn’t go to Harvard, but still lead happy, productive lives.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone is suggesting that the SAT absolutely tests intelligence. There’s a reason that more affluent people tend to do better. But most people don’t end up making that large of a difference.</p>
<p>Try studying and take it again. You might as well. If you got a 1650, though, going up to 2100 is probably a bit of a stretch. (I believe it would also trigger the 400-point difference thing that makes you suspect for cheating? In which case you might have to sit it again to demonstrate that it’s legit. Not sure about this.)</p>
<p>Maybe consider SAT-optional schools, like Bowdoin for example.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to give attitude back if it sounded that way either, my scores made me really cranky today. I am going to buy some books though so thanks for the suggestions. Do you know of any other good colleges that may be back up schools or more in my range?</p>
<p>Alyssaz, you’ve had a big disappointment today. I’d be cranky, too. Water under the bridge.</p>
<p>There’s a long list of SAT-optional colleges and universities here: [SAT/ACT</a> Optional 4-Year Universities | FairTest](<a href=“http://fairtest.org/university/optional]SAT/ACT”>ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest). You can probably get a lot of help finding suitable schools from this list if you can remind us of some basic things. Where do you live? How far from home would you be willing to go for college? Do you prefer a big university or a small college? What do you want to study? (Writing, I think?)</p>
<p>The other thing to keep in mind, if your family isn’t rolling in dough, is financial aid. If you’re looking for big money, your best bet is to look at colleges where your qualifications put you in the very top of their applicant pool. (And, somewhat ironically, it’s a little harder to assess this if you’re applying without standardized test scores.)</p>
<p>I was thinking of something around the lines of prelaw, or a social science actually. I prefer the northeast, but I would go to maybe the Midwest or south depending on the college, But I would like a reputable school too.</p>
<p>I don’t think 2100 is going to happen, alyssaz. You have to have realistic expectations. You say you’re math sucks but you’re writing isn’t much better. As for challenging your natural smartness, that’s debatable. How old were your parents when you were born?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Oh, I love irony.</p>
<p>Sorry I’m typing on my iPad. Forgive me, I couldn’t be j.k. Rowling on here. Have you ever experienced typing on an iPad or iPhone? I assume not. If you would like to make such pompous commentary go comment some where else. As for when my parents gave birth to me is irrelevant
So don’t try and throw out some scientific **** statistic at me.</p>
<p>I cant believe I’m trying to even convince anyone of anything on here, this is ridiculous. I didn’t title this critique me as a student.</p>
<p>Alyssaz, when I said “your writing isn’t much better” I didn’t mean your writing here on CC, I meant your writing score – sorry for the confusion. </p>
<p>I’m just trying to understand why you have such high expectations of yourself, what makes you think you’re qualified to go to an Ivy League, etc etc. Did your parents constantly tell you you were special when you were little? You obviously know yourself (that includes your limits) better than anyone else, so again, you’ve got to be realistic now that you have your baseline score. Not everyone will go to an Ivy League just because they were privileged children. In this regard, SAT scores are the great equalizer; a kid from the ghetto could earn a score of 2400. It’s an amazing thing! So again, what makes you think that you deserve to be accepted to such competitive schools? Your SAT merits certainly don’t help your case. </p>
<p>I’ve seen kids get the score you got on their first test, take the SAT 2 or 3 times more, and the most they top out at is ~1800. Widen your horizons and use your other assets to stay competitive. SAT is a humbling experience, yes?</p>