Low SAT scores... SCEA help

<p>Hey... I'm from a private boarding school in NJ
Ethnicity: Asian Male (second year in US)</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 UW
SAT(superscore): 590 CR, 800M, 670 W (10 essay)- 2060
SAT II: 800 Math2 800 Physics
TOEFL: 111/120
AP's: 5 BC, 5 CompSci</p>

<p>Rank: top 3% I'm guessing</p>

<p>Senior Courses:
English 4
US History
Multi-Variable Calculus
AP Physics
Honors Economics</p>

<p>(yea it's boarding school so taking 5 classes is typical)</p>

<p>EC's
- LOTS of sports... V Swimming, Sailing, cross-country, crew
- Habitat trips every year for 1 week
- peer tutoring kids on math/computer/science</p>

<p>Awards:
I swept through every school award in math/science/computer last year and made cum laude. Nothing regional/national though.</p>

<p>Recs: REALLY great from my physics and history teachers</p>

<p>Essays: Eh, not the best, my writing aren't all that great but I show my passion for sailing.</p>

<p>See... I'm an Asian kid that likes math and science and wants to major in Engineering. I know I will be competing with kids with stellar scores and science Olympians. But I think that can be balanced out since I commit a lot of time in sports, right? I'm undoubtedly the best math/science student currently in my class, but a little bit weak on the humanities. (gimme a break... it's my second year here)</p>

<p>Stanford is absolutely my dream school... I'm perplexed and nervous though...</p>

<p>Asian admit with 2060 SAT?
I don't think that's heard of.
800 is not unusual for both SATI and SATII math</p>

<p>and i don't think school awards will cut it</p>

<p>I strongly advise getting your reading score up, if at all possible. Stanford has a LOT of experience with Indian students, and knows that even if you have been here only 2 years, you undoubtedly attended an English-medium school all your life. They have a good number of Indian undergraduate and graduate students, who have scored very high on verbal for SAT I and the GRE, so I don't think you will get allowances made for having been here only 2 years.</p>

<p>Are Pakistanis given the same consideration as Indians? I'm just wondering...</p>

<p>yes, in the sense that neither gets any special consideration whatsoever, other than that they are in the general bucket of international admissions.</p>

<p>I'm actually not applying as an international since my mother is a resident and therefore I'm one too. And I did not go to an English school back home.</p>

<p>Still, if I have a high CR score, do I have a fair chance?</p>

<p>my apologies, I somehow thought your writeup said you were from India. Ignore my input since I misread it.</p>

<p>I never try to assess chances, but your CR will hurt you unless english is a second language for you. I am not familiar with how they assess students for whom that is the case, so don't have any useful input.</p>

<p>Good luck with your app!</p>

<p>Would arabs also be considered asians or would they catagorize arabs as middle eastersn, and the admissions for arabs? easier (a) lol ??</p>

<p>I would have to guess middle eastern, most likely easier :) but I am just guessing</p>

<p>Even with a comparitively good score (2020) in SAT 1, if you repeat in January, will Stanford accept that score? Considering you have a good resume overall?</p>

<p>how is 2020 a comparitively good score for stanford?</p>

<p>and the op's scores are actually okay, but a 590 superscored cr is virtual suicide, you would think</p>

<p>Stanford doesn't add scores, so the problem is the 590 CR. I think it will be pretty tough to be considered with that, so do try to get it higher - there is a Dec test.</p>

<p>Maybe if you get a 2300+ on your SATs. you might be considered...</p>

<p>I'm not sure how to take your case...it's your second year here, so really, it's pretty understandable. Stanford isn't going to just cut your application because of a low CR score; they really do take all things into account. I would consider applying RD instead of SCEA if you think you can improve that score come December. Regardless of whether you do SCEA or RD, a suggestion is to maybe write a short letter/note explaining why you struggled with the CR section despite the fact that you're not an international student (or at least, not applying as one).</p>