<p>I took the SAT only once so far and got a 2330. I was pretty happy with my score...until my parents burst that bubble and said I should try to hit above 2350. If I DON'T retake the SAT and get rejected from a college, I will definitely regret not trying....but if I do retake it, I run the risk of getting a lower score. If i get a lower score the second time, will colleges care? </p>
<p>Any advice from experienced people would be awesome
soo confused right now =[</p>
<p>Yay. Moving from the 99.6 to 99.9 percentile will have so much effect on your college admission.</p>
<p>Anything above a 2300 sufficient and should not be retaken. Colleges aren't going to think higher of you because you turned a 2330 into a 2360. The fact you got something above 2300 is impressive enough. Harvard will not reject with a 2330 but admit you with a 2360. Are your parents obsessed over this or something?</p>
<p>To address the second point, they shouldn't care. I am not certain, though.</p>
<p>^ I don't know. Colleges are getting more competative each year, and every little point counts. I say shoot for a 2400, since it is not out of reach. A 2400 will, despite what poeple may think, look better than a 2330;however, it won't look better by much. So, go for it. Your SAT skills are one of your best recources, so why not utalize all of its potential?</p>
<p>I wouldn't do it. The admissions officers know that the difference between a 2400 and a 2330 is only a couple of questions. A 2330 vs. a 2360 isn't going to keep you out of a school...</p>
<p>I think that retaking it is just ridiculous and a waste of time and money. Once you're in the 2300's, you're fine. At that point, do you think colleges will really care whether you improved from, say, a 2330 to a 2360? No! One mistake doesn't matter; it was probably just silly. You clearly have the potential to get a 2400; you know all the material you need. Colleges aren't going to compare you to someone who got a 2370 and reject you because you got a lower score. They're going to look more at extracurricular activities, recommendations, etc.</p>
<p>Well, I'm in a similar boat. I got a 2340 on the SAT, but it really ticks me off that I missed an 800 math (I'm intending to go into computer science/mathematics), so I'm retaking. </p>
<p>I reccomend you retake for a 2400, too. Hey, I mean, if you get perfect, it'll give you a 50/50 shot at Harvard (they reject half of their perfect scorers ;))</p>
<p>haha thanks for all the replies
I wish I could believe that a 2330 would work for any college
but so far from my familys friends, only people who've gotten 2380s have gotten in to Columbia/MIT -__-</p>
<p>but has anyone scored lower on the second time who can share their thoughts on this?</p>
<p>You definitely do not need to get a 2380 to get into Columbia. My friend who got in early decision to Columbia had, I think, a 2300. Listen: there is pretty much no difference between a 2330 and a 2380. Stop worrying! You're being ridiculous, really. I mean, when colleges see a 2330, they're going to say, wow, that kid did well, what else is in his application... </p>
<p>If you get rejected, it's not going to be because of your 2330.</p>
<p>If for no other reason, you should take it the second time in order to appease your parents. Objectively, you have more or less a 50/50 chance of doing better or doing worse; there's no good reason not to try again. However, you do have an exceptional score (which is well above Columbia's 75th percentile of SAT scores); slight variations in it are not going to be a paramount admissions consideration.</p>
<p>Once you hit the 2300 mark, there really is no difference between the scores. Maybe you took the test where the curve was harder...or maybe if you retake the curve will be harder and you'll get a much lower score. At this point, I would strongly suggest that you just focus on your essays. Everyone who applies to Columbie/MIT has similarly good scores. It's the essays that really set you apart.</p>
<p>But if you really just feel the need to retake, I would first look at whether or not Columbia and MIT superscore. If so, then you could just focus on studying really hard on your worst area (not like you have one since you got a 2330) and bring that up. But really, I think what you have is perfect.</p>