question about immigrants and bad SAT scores...

Applying to College
1

<p>ok. so here's my story:
i moved here 4 years ago (i'm a legal citizen) and the first two years me and my parents thought that going to a community college and transfer would be best for me since non of us are falimiar with this whole admission process and language barriers. So i was determined to go to a community college after i graduate.</p>

<p>However, i've worked really hard and found out that my grades weren't that bad afterall(above 3.5) so i started to research colleges during junior year, i thought i could give it a try. I have pretty good ECs and Rec Letters but my SATs killed me (1700)</p>

<p>I mean, i don't really want the admission officers just only look at the test scores. I've gone through all this and i really wish that they see how i improved over these years instead of a score. But still, SATs are weighted pretty heavily in the admission process, and i'm taegeting for high up schools like UCs, UW, NYU, USC, UIUC...</p>

<p>I really don't know what to do about this, should i "explain" this whole situation in my essays??</p>

2

<p>You could, but you don't want to whine. When did you learn English?</p>

3

<p>in high school.
i knew how to speak a little bit before i came here but not enough to understand textbooks</p>

4

<p>most applications have a section where you can add any additional information you want them to know that isn't elsewhere on the app</p>

<p>this would be the place to explain your language situation</p>

5

<p>That SAT score is excellent for a lot of colleges! If you're only looking here for statistics on how selective colleges are, no wonder you're scared! A lot of people applying to Ivy League schools talk here. Start looking at your state universities. You'll be pleasantly surprised that you can get in!</p>

6

<p>My situation is similar to yours in that my family and I immigrated to US two summers ago. I guess you could talk about coming to the US in your essays, and having to learn a new language. However this should not be the focus of your essays. Honestly, even if you spoke absolutely no English 4 years ago, I would totally recommend against mentioning the SAT and your troubles with it in any of your essays.
You can PM me if you need some extra help in incorporating this in your essay. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Why not make it the focus of the essay? I say write your essay about your experience and apply to some state schools.</p>

8

<p>Why would any adcom be interested to hear about a student's dislike of the SAT? That's common. I'm all for focusing the essay on the immigration & acclimation if that's what you meant, though.</p>

9

<p>Yeah, you can make the difficulties of immigration into a great essay!</p>

10

<p>Trust me. If you're applying to UCs, writing about your immigration is perfect for your prompt 1 about family shaping your dreams and goals. 1700 won't get you into Ivy Leagues, but it's not like they won't read your essay. Mention the hard work you've put in and it weighs out the factors in your favor.</p>