<p>How much do you think your kids SAT scores played into their admission/rejection/deferral? I just thought it was an interesting question to ask since there's a lot of debate regarding the importance of SAT scores for admissions anymore. </p>
<p>Hope to hear from you all :)</p>
<p>Actually, no idea to be honest...The schools that D1 was waitlisted at, her SAT/ACT was between 50%-75% or above the 75%....The schools she was admitted to, she was between 50%-75% to way above the 75%.....No rhyme or reason to her results based on standardized test scores.....</p>
<p>Well, in my D's case, in view of her admissions record, the GPA, courseload, ECs, awards, and her essays had a much greater impact than her SAT scores. Considering where a lot of kids in her class were accepted, I see a similar trend. Many of those with super high scores were denied to competitive schools when the rest of the application wasn't as great, and conversely many were accepted at those schools where their GPAs and resumes showed more quality than their SAT scores. There were a few surprises.</p>
<p>That's hard to gauge because SATs are one part of a package. In my daughter's case, one SAT subscore was the weakest part of her application. While I can say that I honestly believe that she was denied at her #1 choice because of that subscore, I can also say that she got into a bunch of wonderful schools <em>despite</em> her SAT score because her application was strong.</p>
<p>Perfect SAT scores don't mean an admission...</p>
<p>In my son's case, they were critical, as his gpa was not that good. That and the rigor of his courses and schools were his high points. Also we picked schools where he would be highly desired, out of area schools, schools where males are wanted, and schools where his major was not so typical. I know that all of the merit awards he was offered had SAT cutoffs but were vaguer about the grades.His application was really average, as were his ECs and essays. No leadership position, no passion , no hook, no awards.</p>
<p>This was 2 admission cycles ago, but her is what the results looked like for my daughter.</p>
<p>"safety": scores =/> 75% --> 4 admits
"match": scores between 25%-75% --> 1 waitlist, 2 admits
"reach": scores = /<25% --> 1 reject, 1 waitlist, 3 admits</p>
<p>So I would say that the scores are pretty significant at "safety" level schools for a kid who does not have spectacular test scores (so that the "safeties" really are less selective colleges) --- but that they are not a particularly important part of the package for the match & reach colleges.</p>
<p>If you think about it, that makes some sense. The scores are going to stand out where the student is above range, but they are so unremarkable where the student is mid-range, so they won't make a difference one way or another there. As to the reach schools -- well, obviously the scores don't help, but they aren't necessarily going to kill the kid's admission chances either.</p>
<p>My conclusion then and now is that there is no such thing as a "match" school -- either the school is a definite safety where the kid is sure to be admitted, or else it isn't. Once the application is in that pool where admissions is not a sure fire thing, then the entire application package is important and test scores are overshadowed by everything else. After all, there's not much to discuss or think about with a test score. (I'm sure that if the score is extremely low it would be a problem, but my d's experience was that coming in close to the ~25% level was not a barrier)</p>
<p>It really depended on the school and what they were trying to obtain for their incoming class. My #3 had very uneven stats, high SATs with a lower gpa. The results from 2 closely ranked comparable schools, one rejected him while the other gave him merit $ for the scores.</p>
<p>Mathson had: 740M, 800V, 690W and 3 800s on SAT2 (Physics, Math2 and US History)</p>
<p>His SATs weren't enough to get him accepted.</p>
<p>Deferred then rejected at MIT and Caltech.
Rejected at Stanford. (historical bias against our school + mediocre essays)
Waitlisted at Harvey Mudd.
Accepted at Harvard (legacy tip, and computer science were probably a plus)
Accepted at Carnegie Mellon (where stellar outside computer science recommendation and experience was probably deciding factor)
Accepted at RPI and WPI where his grades and scores by themselves might have been enough, but certainly his computer experience would have been a plus.</p>
<p>Mind you at the colleges he was applying to, everyone has great scores.</p>
<p>Having watched this a few rounds:</p>
<p>Low SAT scores are definitely a hurdle, and if they're really low relative to a school's general population they can be an insuperable hurdle unless there's something else important going on (like you are a projected lottery-pick basketball player). But high SAT scores don't seal the deal at any significantly selective college, and from a pure admissions perspective 20 or 30 point differences near the top don't have a whole lot of importance.</p>
<p>However, in the merit-scholarship derby, high SAT scores are practically a must, and the difference between "very high" and "ultra high" can be important.</p>
<p>A number of larger universities and public universities seem largely to base admissions on some kind of GPA/SAT formula. At those colleges, having at least the right minimum combination of SATs and GPAs is practically a necessity for serious consideration, and doing significantly better than that can almost guarantee admission.</p>
<p>I think my son's SAT scores helped (2310, one sitting). His school, until recently, has had a history of low performance. It really isn't hard to get As so GPA alone doesn't say much. Accepted at Stanford, Regents at UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCD.</p>
<p>GPA/class rank meant almost everything. Essays probably had a impact too. Super-high SATs, SATIIs, and ACTs apparently did not matter much to the colleges ranked in the top 25.</p>
<p>FM, counter example. DD's SAT I is very low. Got into Stanford too. </p>
<p>I like JHS's summary. </p>
<p>So, get a high score if you could. However, a strong and balanced resume could also get a student into the top schools.</p>
<p>Dad II: Your statement that your D got into Stanford with a low SAT is a bit misleading. You have posted your D's ACT score, which was high. That is the score Stanford looked at in reviewing her application. When colleges ask for EITHER the ACT OR the SAT I, they mean it. If an applicant submits both, it's the higher score they'll evaluate.</p>
<p>I think my son's 2250 was important but I think his teacher rec's and essay were just as important. Also, he was able to show true passion for his love of history by having a website for AP European History that provided podcasts for students. I really think this showed admissions that he had something different than other applicants. This summer he is doing podcasts for AP US Histroy since he received such a huge response from all over the country on his podcasts. I think his college prides itself at looking past the SAT scores and is looking for a well rounded student body. He cannot wait for September.</p>
<p>Basically concur with JHS's summary, although I do believe that perfect SAT/ACT scores get an applicant a very careful look at the most selective colleges. Not an offer of admission, but a good look.</p>
<p>For unhooked applicants, the most important elements of the application are grades, rigor of curriculum, and standardized test scores. Only if an applicant meets the school's threshold with respect to those components do others come into play -- recommendations, ECs, essays, etc.</p>
<p>It depends on which colleges you're considering. For my S, his SAT score is what clinched his acceptance to the state flagship because his grades were so-so .. he would not have gotten in based on grades.</p>
<p>SATs contributed to merit scholarships, direct admission to school/major, and admission to honors college. Otherwise, it's hard to tell.</p>
<p>Agree with JHS re: SAT scores and merit money. D had 1220 with a GPA of 4.4 = zero merit at her college. A friend from the same HS 1260 SAT with a 3.5 GPA received $2500. You needed a 1250 SAT math /cr. to qualify at the school. Her 3 part score was actually higher vs the 1260 3 part score. I could understand if they attended different HS that the SAT score could override the GPA but D and friend took almost all the same courses and D's GPA was a point higher.</p>
<p>For top tier schools-which for our kids were Vandy, Cornell, Dartmouth-SAT's/ACTS were the the initial threshhold-both kids had excellent GPA's, strong course rigor, EC;s athletics, awards- etc. D had 1320-way too low for Vandy this year-would have probably been accepted 2 years ago. Again, the same at Cornell-not being an URM-the SAT score was not competitive.</p>