<p>Outside of the very top schools, say schools at the Boston College-ish level, when determining whether a school is a match, should all three SAT sections be in the same range or are the individual sections looked at differently? In other words, if you have a student above the 75th percentile in one section, particularly in the direction they will apply, and below the 50th percentile in the other section, does the lower score rule? Say you have a kid applying as an engineering major (or math major) whose math score is above the 75th percentile but CR score is at the 30 percentile, would you perceive that school as a match or a reach?</p>
<p>JMHO, but I’d say it’s stretching that “middle 50%” adage a bit too far to conclude “match.” Sorry ZMom.</p>
<p>In a school like BC, well more than half of the applicants in the middle 50% will be rejected. So for a school with, say, a 25% acceptance rate, being at around the 75% mark constitutes a match.</p>
<p>Of course, there are exceptions. My younger d. had scores in the bottom 25% of accepted students at 6 of her 7 schools, and was accepted at 6 out of 7 (which frankly didn’t surprise us.) She attends one where she would be in the bottom 15%, and is carrying a better than 3.8 GPA.</p>
<p>Sorry. That’s not what I’m asking. I’m badly trying to find out whether the lower number or the higher number on the SAT score will govern, not really define match or reach.</p>
<p>I would say lower than a match, if not an engineering major. If an engineering major, I wouldn’t have a clue (is there engineering at BC?)</p>
<p>For an engineering student (or business major), the lower number governs. For an English Literature major, a high CR score might govern.</p>
<p>I don’t think either score governs, the overall score does, so it’s a reach.</p>
<p>No actual interest in BC, I just happen to have a recollection of its numbers, that’s all. What I’m really doing is trying to figure out how to assess lopsided scores. The actual scores I’m talking about today are on the act. 28 math and 35 on reading. SAT scores have similar discrepancy and this just adds one more element of confusion to our mess. Student is a humanities-leaner.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I’d look at 800M 400CR the same way I’d look at 630M 570CR.</p>
<p>Well 35/28 doesn’t equate to 800/400.</p>
<p>More like 750/650.</p>
<p>ZMom - ACT 28M 35R are good scores, and extremely respectable for a humanities-leaner. But as Mini points out, a school like BC has so many applicants that blemishes tend to stand out. Again JMHO, but I think ACT 31M 32R would be interpreted “good scores” whereas ACT 28M 35R might elicit “what’s up with that math score?”</p>
<p>NewHope, again, no interest in BC whatsoever. </p>
<p>But as to the rest, that’s very helpful.</p>
<p>Logically, one would think that for a humanities major the writing/reading scores would be more important. I seem to recall that most LACs have higher reading/writing score averages than math scores.</p>
<p>Zoose- I think you’re using the statistics incorrectly.</p>
<p>Assume for a second that the bottom of the pile statistically is all comprised of helmet athletes, legacies, off-spring of royalty and Senators, and truly rich/generous folks. It’s not- but enough of it is to suggest that no single, unhooked kid without a very compelling story to tell is going to occupy that spot on the scale.</p>
<p>So then focus on the 25-100% part of the scale and see where your D fits. Ignore the bottom 25% entirely. If your kid is admissable in that part of the scale, and if your kid has beaucoup to offer besides the scores, and has a compelling story to tell-- then in my experience, the school is able to overlook the weak math score. Do not make the mistake of seeing the low math score in the context of the overall admits and figuring, “hey, look at all the kids with scores down here”.</p>
<p>In total, someone, somewhere is going to be at the bottom of the pool numbers-wise. But if that’s the kid who wrote a concerto which debuted at Carnegie hall last year- you need to ignore those numbers. Ditto for all the categories I outlined above-- often, the “strategic admits” do something so compelling for the school (money, reputation, award winning performing arts profile or athletic achievement) that the bottom fishing SAT scores don’t impact the kids application.</p>
<p>Our kids GC’s explained that all things being equal- schools can overlook one anomoly per application if it’s a kid that would otherwise be a good fit and falls into the admissable pool. But only one. So if your kid dropped a foreign language Junior year and the college “suggests” four years of HS language study- that’s your kids anomoly. Not the math score in the 15th percentile. Once there’s more than one-- absent all the other special hooks or factors- out the app goes.</p>
<p>Seems to be a good rule of thumb which explained a lot of what I’ve seen admissions wise over the last several years at the colleges similar to a BC in terms of competitiveness.</p>
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<p>This makes a lot of sense to me, blossom.</p>
<p>Makes a lot of sense to me, too. Thanks! How close do the scores need to be for one not to be seen as a problem?</p>
<p>Give us the actual numbers and we can put it through the “smell test”.</p>
<p>To me the easiest anomoly to overlook would be a weak math score. A weak GPA is a big problem as is a weak CR score, but at most colleges it’s fairly easy to escape taking any difficult math.</p>
<p>And zoose- some schools have a reputation for being more holistic than others… even those in the Holistic Admissions camp. Mt Holyoke more forgiving than Wellesley; Vanderbilt more than Emory, etc. Don’t know if it’s true at a macro level, but an experienced Guidance Counselor for sure knows where the lopsided kids can find an ally on the admissions committee, vs. those where they don’t have a prayer.</p>
<p>And the level of forgiveness tends to go up in places where your kid adds geographic diversity. Which is why the kids at BC (to pick on your stated straw man school) from Belmont, Newton, Dover, Needham, Brookline probably huddle above the median stats, whereas kids from Fargo and Cedar Rapids won’t be penalized for an anomolous score quite as much.</p>
<p>Again- just urban legend, but the pattern seems to hold true for the kids I know and have observed.</p>
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I did. 35 Reading/28 Math. 3.8 UW GPA in an IB diploma program.</p>