Language Hook and the SAT

Applying to College
1

<p>So I'm currently a Canadian junior, and I'm looking to apply to some top colleges in the US in the fall. I have a dilemma when it comes to one of my hooks.</p>

<p>I attend a fully French-language high school, I'm fluent or near fluent in four languages (including French), and I have a general knowledge of a fifth language. I plan on using all of this to my advantage in the college admissions process, because I've always had a deep love of languages. However, when I was a freshman, I thought I'd get a headstart with the whole college process, and so I took the French with Listening SAT subject test. It was the very first standardized test I had ever taken, and, in addition to extreme test anxiety, I wasn't feeling particularly well on the day of the test. In the end, I got a 760 on the exam, although I am 100% fluent in the language. Now, after having taken the SAT Reasoning test and a second subject test, I no longer suffer from my previous testing anxiety, and I'm absolutely certain I would get an 800 if I retook the exam.</p>

<p>So, now, I have trouble deciding whether or not I should retake. My top choice is Yale, and I know that they will require students to submit all SAT scores in spite of the College Board's new "Score Choice" program. All of my other scores are good enough, and so is my French score, but I just think that, since I'm going to place emphasis on my language abilities, it would be best if I got an 800 on the test. Do you think I should retake?</p>

<p>Also, good luck to all juniors who are about to start the college admissions process!</p>

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<p>Absolutely do not waste your time with a retest. 700 puts you in the ball park as a competitive candidate, and 750+ is excellent. Adcoms will not recognize a difference between 760 and 800; except perhaps the negative that you spent time and money bumping a 760 to an 800. Aside from the fact that a 760 as a freshman is fantastic, they will really only consider your 2 highest scores.</p>

<p>My D was accepted to Y and due to bad counseling, had taken 2 Subject tests freshman year: both 690s.</p>

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<p>i know spanish people who don’t get 800s on spanish, and israelis who don’t get 800s on modern hebrew.</p>

<p>perhaps there was a bit of difference between the canadian french you know and the french on the test.
more likely, your score discrepancy arises from the fact that there’s a difference between the strictly “proper” language which the SAT tests and the actual spoken language which you use.
that’s why native english speakers don’t all get 800s on the writing section of the SAT I</p>

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<p>I neglected to mention this: I left around 5-10 questions blank at the end of the test because I was working too slowly. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice, though! I had a slight anxiety attack when I created this thread, but I’m better now. Now all that’s left is putting my actual application together…</p>

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<p>Good luck, it sounds like you’ll be an interesting applicant!</p>