My Friends Got Into Good Colleges With Low SAT Scores. . .

I made this thread just to show you guys that scores don’t mean as much as everyone makes them out to be. I read so many threads on here that people say: “1600 SAT, 1/200 class rank” and everyone takes one of two roads: telling the person they have no chance or telling them “with those scores, you’re in”. I just want to add some real life insight, these are all friends of mine who were admitted with what many people on here would consider “sub-par” scores.

As of right now, I have friends that were admitted to:

UPenn (two friends) - 1160 and 1350 SAT
Bates - 1380 SAT
Princeton - 1230 SAT
Dartmouth - 1190 SAT
Brown - 1280 SAT
Georgetown - 1220 SAT
Stanford - 1600 SAT (okay, I guess he doesn’t count)

Please list yourself or friends of yours that have similar experiences.

<p>I have a 1600 and I was rejected from Stanford early action.</p>

<p>What ECs and stuff did your friends have?</p>

<p>UPenn 1160 girl was ranked 14th in the country for long jump last year. She was also a legacy and I'm almost certain her ridiculously rich parents donate money to the school. Of everyone on the list, I couldn't see her being rejected even though she had the lowest score.</p>

<p>UPenn 1350 guy is another top runner (2nd in New Englands last year) and ranked top 10% in his class. Also got a 780 on SATII Writing. Currently ranked 6th in the country in the 600 meters (1:23.70)</p>

<p>Bates 1380 guy doesn't do anything spectacular, class rank is like 60/277. He was recruited by Yale for running, but tore his ACL and MCL this summer so that stopped. I don't know why I threw him on this list, I just thought it was odd that he got in over some other people I know with better scores.</p>

<p>Princeton 1230 SAT guy is a top weight thrower from one of the top track and field schools in the country. Also heavily recruited by Stanford and would have been accepted had he applied. Decided that the Stanford social scene wasn't as good as Princeton's.</p>

<p>Dartmouth 1190 SAT does nothing. He plays golf, but I don't even know if he was varsity. Ranked 42/277 in our class and I don't even know if he takes any AP classes. Very strange, indeed.</p>

<p>Brown 1280 SAT is the starting tackle for our two time state champion football team (<a href="http://www.mansfieldfootball.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.mansfieldfootball.org&lt;/a&gt;). One of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the country (4th in New England as a junior). Also recruited by Amherst, Williams, Cornell (wrestling only), Stanford, and Bucknell.</p>

<p>Georgetown 1220 girl is the state champion cross country runner. Full ride.
Stanford 1600 our valedictorian. Perfect scores on 3 SAT IIs.</p>

<p>I think if you're going to make a post like this, it's important to note from the get go that these are all recruited athletes. The point is that kids without that sort of hook don't get in with those scores.</p>

<p>Sounds like most of them had strong athletic hooks.</p>

<p>"I made this thread just to show you guys that scores don't mean as much as everyone makes them out to be. I read so many threads on here that people say: "1600 SAT, 1/200 class rank" and everyone takes one of two roads: telling the person they have no chance or telling them "with those scores, you're in". I just want to add some real life insight, these are all friends of mine who were admitted with what many people on here would consider "sub-par" scores."</p>

<p>As soon as I read your opening post I was getting ready to reply that it would only be a matter of minutes before ppl started asking if your friends were URM's, athletes, or legacies -- but you beat me to it!! Your last post indicates they were all athletes.</p>

<p>I'd love to hear if anyone has been accepted (or knows someone who has) with what CC'rs consider "sub-par scores" (1200+) WITHOUT being a URM, athlete or legacy.
Now THAT would be refreshing & encouraging!</p>

<p>Heh, of course they did :p. I was trying to avoid giving more information than their score, but I figured that was coming eventually.</p>

<p>I'm just making a point that scores aren't everything. . .everyone thinks that because their academics are so strong that they're in to these schools. I would get p****issed off when they see a 1230 in at Princeton or an 1160 in at UPenn if I had a 1500 as well, this thread is just a warning that there is more than just academics to the college selection process.</p>

<p>EDIT: The only URM at my school that I know of (we're not very diverse, haha) is an African-American girl that scored a 1490 on her SAT and is the basketball captain (#6 in the class). I assume she'll go wherever she wants.</p>

<p>okay, most ppl here on CC are all very intelligent, they HAVE know that scores and gpa ain't everything, however, most ppl that u see here who have a low SAT score and was told by other CCers that they won't get into certian schools dont' have those special circumstances your friends do. A LOT of ppl with low SAT scores are not athletes, URMs, so be realistic. I know u r just trying to tell ppl that scores ain't everything, and it's true indeed.</p>

<p>1340 got into rice ed</p>

<p>Ecliptica, I like your thread. It is helpful.</p>

<p>I would rather know about people who got in with lower GPA's (B- or C) and high test scores...itowuld be interesting to see what colleges "take a chance" on those kinds of students...</p>

<p>My niece cleared the waitlist for Cornell with a 1220 SAT. Not an athlete, not legacy, or development, nor URM , not a celebrity. Very high grades, lots of AP with 4's and 5's, and high SAT2s, all over 700.</p>

<p>ckr1147, start that thread. I don't think too many kids are getting into the top schools with those grades.</p>

<p>see, i disbelieve in SAT, it doesn't show anything about a person's academics at all. GPA is a relative, true reflect of a person's character, intelligence and other stuff. so... if i were an adcom, i would definately weight GPA a lot more than the SAT, not just coz i have a low SAT score</p>

<p>Colleges are way more likely to go with a student like Jamimims niece with high grades and a lower SAT. High school grades are a better predictor of success in college than are SAT scores.</p>

<p>I hate the college board. APs, SATs, and SAT II's... they're trying to socialize education.</p>

<p>hey George W Bush had like 1210 or something and he got into Yale</p>

<p>[insert your own Bush joke here]</p>

<p>But I can see why he got into Yale:</p>

<p>-Filthy rich
-Don't know what year W went to college, but his dad was most likely in some important government position at the time...basically, he's the son of a "celebrity"
-Didn't his dad go to Yale also, making him legacy there?
-Oh yeah, filthy rich</p>

<p>god, see this is why i don't like threads like this,, who cares about those legacy ppl with low SAT that got into ivies? most of us ain't like that, that doesn't help us in any shape or form. if u know anybody who's just an ordinary high school student and happens to have a low SAT score with nothing else exceptional and got into good schools, please list that,, other wise, stop wasting ppl's time to look at stupid things</p>