Hello, I applied to Mac RD. My SAT scores are really low and my gpa is okay. Would anyone with low stats like to share how they got into Mac?
I won’t mind sharing my courseload or scores 
@cody27 My D’s SAT was below the average for Mac, especially in math, but she is an IB diploma candidate with a very high GPA. She’s just not a great standardized test taker. She was accepted ED2 with merit. I think her course rigor and GPA were the key factors, but I’m sure being ED helped. Also, nobody from her HS has ever applied there. She wrote a very good supplemental essay as well, and her letters of recommendation were most likely very good. ECs were nothing extraordinary, 8 years of instrumental music, some volunteer work and a summer job, membership in NHS, Tri-M, and French Honor Society.
When you say low, how low do you mean?
This probably isn’t very helpful since there isn’t much you can do about this, but my hunch is that my child, whose scores weren’t the greatest, got in because she went to a low-income, majority minority, urban high school, and private colleges like Macalester get very few applicants from those sorts of schools.
BTW, for anyone else reading this, the academic supports at Mac have been very strong, and my daughter has been able to rise to the challenge in her first semester to an extent that I never thought possible. She has had trouble on the social end of things because it is so different from what she is used to in high school, but she is adapting. (We are not low income ourselves, so she has advantages that others from these sorts of high schools don’t have. It could be much harder for someone who is actually low income, first generation college student to adapt to the culture at Mac.)
Did your daughter apply ED or RD? Do you think it makes a difference if it was Early Decision or Regular Decision?
She applied Regular Decision. Not sure about Mac, but I do think Early Decision applicants get an edge at most schools, despite what they say officially. If you need money, though, I would recommend against it. We found that even schools who “met all demonstrated need” gave very different amounts of money. There are lots of great schools out there, and I’m sure there is a school that is a good fit that will accept you!! One of the best pieces of advice I have ever read is that, no matter where you go, take advantage of all your school has to offer - go to events and special lectures, meet with professors, visit the campus museum, use the career office often, etc.
My math score is 700 which is average for Macalester, but my reading score is 580, which is in the 25 percentile. I hope they consider that I am a non-native english speaker (I moved to the US when I was 9:/ ) I’m also in IB. Im taking 4 HLs. My GPA is a 3.6/4 and WGPA is a 4.76. I am also a low-income, first generation, minority (black) student applying to Mac. On average 2 people per year from my school apply to Mac. From the years, they’ve all gotten in, but I feel like I’m not good enough :(.
Hard to say (like pretty much everything in the college admissions process!) They have several programs for first gen college students, low income students, etc., so I know they take that into consideration. 4 HLs is very good! I can’t remember what my daughter’s scores were, but I know her math was nowhere near 700. The school leans towards humanities and social science people, so that good score in math might work in your favor. I guess just try to put it out of your mind for now.
@cody27 Your scores are pretty much the reverse of my daughter’s. Her reading score was the high one and her math score was low. My guess is either that her other qualifications were good enough that they disregarded her lower math score, or they saw that she was in IB math last year and AP calculus this year and was doing fine (Usually A- grades in math), and just figured that she’s not a good test taker. I think the fact that you’re not a native English speaker will definitely be taken into consideration when evaluating your reading score. Your GPA and class rigor are both great! While I am sure it helped my daughter that she applied early decision, I really don’t know how much. I know there’s a lot of disagreement over this but I have trouble believing that a small school with not that many spots to fill would take a student early decision whom they would otherwise reject if they were regular decision. It sounds like you are a good candidate, and that one low section on the SAT probably won’t matter all that much with all of your other qualifications. Best of luck, I really hope you get in! It’s such a wonderful school.
Thanks! I hope I get in too :(.
@cody27 did you get in?
@BmanStudent unfortunetly i didnt
Sorry to hear that. I wish you the best at whatever school you choose!
@cody27 sorry about that…hope you do well in whatever school you go to!