<p>Can anyone help? I'm taking the reasoning test(s) on Saturday but am starting to panic a little. I'm applying as an international student and with no guidance counsellors/anyone with even a vague understanding of the US college system in the small area in which I live, I have been studying for the test alone.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is it common for international applicants to be matching the flawless scores of US high school students? Or do the admissions team tend to tolerate lower scores?</p></li>
<li><p>I have read that colleges look more closely at the CR and Math sections than any other; is this true? In particular, for Ivies? </p></li>
<li><p>The main section I am worrying about is the CR section. All the extended vocabulary is so unusual I have been using the College Board practice test mainly as I assumed that these would be the most appropriate. Do the tests themselves tend to fare a little easier than the practices??... this seems to be the case more often than not over here so I suppose this is really just wishful thinking </p></li>
</ol>
<p>With the CR section (and I guess the others as well), it may be really easy or very hard depending on the test, but the curve will probably get you somewhere around what you were getting on practice tests.</p>
<p>^Are you guys sure the test isn’t easier than the practice? Because last time before I took the SAT for the first time, I took the collegeboard practice test and got a 510 on math section. But the VERY next day (without any further studying after the practice test) when I took the SAT, I got a 600.</p>
<p>hey, same situation here, are applying to princeton this yr? where are you from?? i think its unfair that they dont lower the standards, i mean high school spends the last 4 yrs preparing for this stupid tests and we havent even heard of it ^^</p>
<p>Why should American colleges lower the standards for foreign students? Our private citizens and government have been financially supporting these institutions primarily for U.S. citizens. The colleges are incredibly generous to international students in terms of admissions and financial aid as it is. I doubt if our child could go to an Austrian university on full aid- could he even be accepted?</p>
<p>International students can apply to private prep schools in the U.S. and thereby be ready for the US college admissions process. </p>
<p>Our high school students do not spend four years practicing for the tests- only the wealthiest private schools have SAT prep as part of the curriculum. Most students self-study with a book or CD, some pay for private classes, held after their regular academic classes.</p>
<p>austrian universities dont “accept” people. we dont have any admission process whatsoever. if you graduated from highschool all you need is your leaving certificate. thats it. also, you dont pay any fees. so much to our uni-system.
my siblings go to school in the us. the sat test is adapted for the use of skills that high school students gain in their 4 years of education in high school. i doubt that american students would do very good in an austrian exam- the system is just too different. i want to see you adapting to a completely new way of answering absolutely different problems within a month or so.
@ saugus: im sorry, i was not speaking of colleges catering to the “needs” of internationals. but you try and take an exam in german, and then we see how high you score…
it is just that the test does not really say much about your actual qualifications as a college student. i have been auditing lectures here at princeton for the last 2 months, have written papers, and did the midterm exams. i got As everywhere.
however, there is a high chance that i will not be admitted to princeton because my score in the quantitive section is 60 points below average…
now thats an effective system…</p>
<p>To my belief, VERY few applicants are not accepted solely on the basis of SATs. Even if you did have a 2400, the chance of you getting in (nothing personal, just based on statistics) would be quite small.</p>
<p>The system is very effective for it’s target audience. You can apply to U.S. colleges. Can my fluent German-speaking child enroll in Austria’s? And receive financial aid? If he can’t, then is that unfair?</p>
<p>^
And he should be held to the same standards.</p>
<p>Why do you think Internationals should receive special treatment? If they want to go to school in the U.S., then they need to be completely capable in every aspect of English, including the SAT.</p>
<p>umm. everyone relax a bit?
hi austriangirl, i feel your pain TOT
im an international too, but i guess its easier for me because i live in an english-speaking country anyway.
i know a lot of the application can be difficult, especially the testfee is about $100US (approx, i cant remember exactly), and since the examination is so different in structure etc. that said, its not a hard test, its supposed to be ‘standardized testing’.
but youknow, we cant really carp on about how hard applications are, like most of the people here said, the US system is primarily aimed at US students. besides, the admissions rate for internationals is even more competitive than for US citizens.
we’ll just have to make do. sigh. if you want advice, come to the internationals’ thread~ goodluck!! :)</p>
<p>@ sora2712 ok, thanks, i dont know what people have around here, i was never speaking of “special treatment”, i just say that you cannot apply the same standards to someone who was raised in english language and someone who was not- not that we deserve any advantages or something…
but after the way people attacked me after (actually it was not even meant that seriously) one statement, i think i actually have to think over my decision…</p>
<p>^
“Cannot apply the same standards”- The definition of special treatment.</p>
<p>You want to have your cake and eat it, too. You want to go to a school in the U.S. but claim that you are not fluent enough in English to earn a high enough score on a standardized test.</p>