<p>I am a little confused. When I went onto Collegeboard.com three days ago to check my SAT results for the first time, I was ecstatic when I found out I got 2220, (CR: 750, Math: 700, Writing: 770), and I started exploring the internet for info on where these scores could get me. I was really happy when I found out that my writing and reading were both around the 75th percentile of students attending Columbia (my dream school), and my math is around 30-40th percentile. I was a little dissapointed but figured it wasn't a big deal sinced I was planning on going into some sort of Liberal Art-ish major, and whatever I did, wasn't planning on it heavily involving math. Imagine my shock and awe when I arrive at college confidential, and see high school students getting recommended to re-do their SATs so that they get over 2300! Is a score of 2220 really not good enough for Columbia (I thought it was even good enough for HYPS)?</p>
<p>People on here have absolutely no idea about chances of getting into colleges.</p>
<p>Each and every person who posts a reply to someones “chances” thread is purely speculating. They all like to boast about their own SAT scores by diminishing fabulous scores like 2200. </p>
<p>When facing the facts, 2200 is in the 99th percentile of all SAT test takers. 1.5 million kids take the SAT (at least in 2008). That means you are somewhere in the top 15,000 students in the world, in terms of SAT scores. Taking the worst possible situation and assuming you were at the bottom of the 15,000, are the other 14,999 students going to take every available spot at the Ivy League schools? Absolutely not.</p>
<p>In addition to this, 2200 is about the highest average SAT score of any college. Are these averages brought down by athletes? Yes. However, are they still a good measure of the average student’s SAT? Yes.</p>
<p>Is 2200 going to guarantee you a spot at Columbia? No, definitely not. But it is undoubtedly good enough to get you considered, and really, that’s what the SAT is mainly used for.</p>
<p>There is so much that goes into the admissions process that getting a 2300 instead of a 2200 probably won’t help you out too much. You should be extremely happy with a 2200, and it is definitely strong enough if you hope to be admitted to Columbia.</p>
<p>When reading over what others think of your chances, remember that they are basing their assessment mainly off of your SAT score and GPA. And when you look around, you can find that students with 2400s get rejected from schools who admit students with 1800. All in all, improving your SAT score above 2200 isn’t likely to help you out much, but 2200 is a score that can get you into any school, as long as the rest of your application is equally strong.</p>
<p>I don’t buy the “threshold” argument–up until the mid/upper-2300’s, the chances of getting into top schools increases as SAT score increases. </p>
<p>Remember that averages are not only brought down by athletes but by URMs, legacies, kids who fill institutional needs (oboe players, classics majors), prodigies (national debate champs, Intel winners), etc. For an unhooked applicant, the standards are higher. </p>
<p>OP, if you are committed to doing prep work this summer, I’d advise you to retake.</p>
<p>I took an SAT prep course, and the lady who ran it also held a college consulting business. Though I didn’t talk to her much about college, she did tell me most colleges essentially do this:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Look at your SAT scores, SAT II scores, and GPA and decide whether you meet the standards for the school.</p></li>
<li><p>Look at your essays, recommendations, and extracurricular activities to determine whether they want you or not.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In the end, SAT scores may be used to determine a tiebreaker situation, but honestly, I doubt these happen often, so again, 2200 is strong enough for any college. The fact that kids get into Ivies and Stanford with scores well below 2300, and the fact that many kids do this, simply shows how important your entire application is, not just SAT scores.</p>
<p>Retaking the SAT obviously won’t hurt. But in my opinion, why would you want to waste one of the last summers you have with all your friends just so you can attempt to slightly increase your chances at Columbia?</p>
<p>Really, your scores are good. Raising them that last little bit will be hard. Spend your time wisely and focus on other things. I would, however, also suggest doing some study over the summer in math , then taking the SAT 2 Math 2 subject test. I think Columbia tends to like some SAT 2 scores, and a Math 2 over 700 might calm any ad com who cares much about a ‘mere’ 700.</p>