<p>how important are they really?</p>
<p>i know an AA who got into brown with an 1870
and another AA who got into columbia with an 1850
another AA who got into columbia with a 1900
another hispanic who got into john hopkins with a 1700</p>
<p>um...I am an AA who got a 1950 and i am worrying thats its too low for an ivy league.
my ecs are strong and so is my gpa
should i retake the SATs or just focus on the APs and subject tests?</p>
<p>SAT’s aren’t everything when it comes to college admissions. EC’s, college essays, and recommendations are also a huge factor. </p>
<p>However you do have a better chance of receiving admittance to these schools with a higher sat scores.</p>
<p>hmm okay
its just that im being bombarded with so much conflicting information
some on here are like dont even apply to an ivy if you dont have 2100+ sat scores (o_O)
but then others are like it does even matter… ughhhhh</p>
<p>I know someone with a 3.6 UW GPA and 1770 SAT score who got into Cornell.</p>
<p>However, I would advise retaking the SAT if you’ve only taken it once or twice.</p>
<p>okayy i got a 1950 with the first attempt
i’ll take it again</p>
<p>You should check the “actual results” thread. I won’t heard anyone say it “doesn’t matter”.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/african-american-students/638464-actual-results-thread-african-americans.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/african-american-students/638464-actual-results-thread-african-americans.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/african-american-students/824871-official-2014-african-american-results-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/african-american-students/824871-official-2014-african-american-results-thread.html</a></p>
<p>There’s another thread available here, since the other “Official” thread got cluttered with a lot of commentary as THE DAY drew near.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/african-american-students/896299-official-official-2014-african-american-results-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/african-american-students/896299-official-official-2014-african-american-results-thread.html</a></p>
<p>Best of luck! pm me if you have any questions.</p>
<p>doesnt*</p>
<p>and when i was referring to other people, i meant those outside of CC.
but thanks, i remember looking all through those results thread 
the college process is just soo much 
but im going to get through it</p>
<p>My first time taking the SAT was last summer (just to see how I’d do w/o studying)- 1860
Next time (should’ve studied more b/c my summer program prepped us all summer)- 1880
Last time (studied a bit more and learned that I don’t have to answer EVERY question)- 2010</p>
<p>I just had a 3.6 GPA (lol I had B’s, never had a C), and pretty much everyone on CC has 3.7+ lol</p>
<p>It’s not about scores. It’s about how well you put yourself on a piece of paper. It’s like you’re selling yourself to that college. </p>
<p>We ALL got into some top schools, Ivy League schools included. I wouldn’t freak out. Anything’s possible.</p>
<p>Just thought I’d drop in. Being an African-American or a similar minority is not what you should depend upon to get into college. Do your best. If you can get a 1950 this early in the game, then aim higher and re-take those tests. Colleges don’t want people who rely on some obscure formula and anecdotal evidence about a minority benefit to get into college; they want people who bust their butts even when they don’t have to or when the odds are stacked heavily be against them. The people who got in with the lower scores probably had a lot of other things going for them besides standard good grades and ECs.</p>
<p>BeautifulNerd219 defied the odds in so many ways and had to fight not to become a part of what is a dismaying statistic for girls in her situation. It’s not being a minority that got her in; it’s her personal story. So perhaps those that you know who got in with scores in the low 1800-high 1900 range had overcome overwhelming odds.</p>
<p>Just my $.02.</p>
<p>Edit: I got in, and my scores (with the exception of my disastrous Math II exam) were all in the 99th percentile. I didn’t really discuss my family/problems I had encountered in my life in my essays; that was something I reserved for my interviews. Dunno if my take on this helps. Good luck, though.</p>
<p>Wahkimoocow, those who say that one should not even bother applying to Ivy’s with an SAT lower than 2100 is referring to regular applicants, not URMs.</p>
<p>^ Even then that’s not true… I know white and Indians who got into Ivies with 2000-2080s on the SAT. That test does not mean much when you’ve been tutoring underprivileged kids for free, building homes in Haiti, etc. for years and still keep a ridiculously high GPA.</p>
<p>^and even so, i’ve seen some of my white and asian friends get into some of the ivies with a lower SAT score than mine, which was pretty low. and no, they didn’t have any dramatic life stories or anything like that; like ksarmand said, these guys have a lot of other things going for them other than a 2100 </p>
<p>of course the scores matter; you would be a fool if you didn’t do your best and didn’t aim higher when retaking the SAT. but HYPSMD and other tier 1 schools look for much more than numbers. i believe they’re starting to realize that the SAT is starting to deviate away from the theory of competitive merit and now they’re reviewing applications much more holistically than they did 10 years ago . just make sure your application is well-rounded and that it’s as strong as it can be.</p>
<p>thanks 4 the responses!
i am definitely going to retake the test now…i am striving for a 2050+.</p>
<p>Honest I was NOT the best applicant. I suufer from testing anxiety and some other alignment that render my attention span during a test little to none. Futhermore when I took the SAT i got a 1650 then a 1850. I took the ACT(way better) and got a 26 then a 30 and took a couple of subject test to make up for my aforementioned scores and did well(650+ on 5 exams) I got in to Dartmouth(wnt be going), Northwestern, Hopkins, Notre Dame, Emory, Upenn, Cornell and Duke. waitlist at WUSTL(GAY). But now the ENTIRE college process is (as said above) a holistic approach. </p>
<p>If it was not everyone with 2400 & 4.0 GPA would get into HYPSM AND THAT DOES NOT HAPPENS.</p>
<p>To be completely honest, I don’t think I would have applied to v. selective schools with SAT scores far below their ranges. On the off chance I got in, I wouldn’t want to look at the acceptance email/letter/web page and think that it was okay for me to be less qualified because I can benefit from AA. I wouldn’t want to accept that view and to benefit from that resignation to something less.
But if you do the best you can, and get the highest score you can, there is no reason to not apply to a reasonable number of reach colleges and hope for the best, with realistic expectations.</p>
<p>so millancad, what you’re saying is that college admissions should simply be driven by test scores and only test scores can determine how qualified an applicant is for admission?</p>
<p>like a few posters said earlier, even AAs are being rejected with high scores and white/asian applicants are getting into the most selective schools with low test scores … how do you explain that? AA status can only get you but so far and to be honest, the weight AAs receive is starting to fade away.</p>
<p>i don’t mean to be aggressive or anything, but can you clear that up a little?</p>
<p>I don’t think I stated in any way that “college admissions are simply driven by test scores and only test scores can determine how qualified an applicant is for admission.” In fact, your writing that you inferred that from my post, which was strictly about what I would do and was written as such, seems to suggest that you are looking to debate. As a general rule, I don’t debate online. </p>
<p>I’m not going to respond to what you have asked me to explain, because to do so would suggest interest in a debate or discussion and would not further clarify my initial post, which – again, as stated both above and within that post – was about what I would do and how I would feel and was not meant to be taken nor, I believe, written in such a manner that would suggest that it should be taken as my beliefs about the decisions of others.</p>
<p>I will, however, restate the sentiments of my above post. Had I low SAT scores – or scores I consider to be low – I would not apply to those schools which mostly accept students with higher ones, as I would consider that to be a betrayal of myself, my nature, and my beliefs. This is my view, of course, coming from a situation in life which, statistically speaking, should not lead to test scores incommensurate with my achievement in school. Had I come from an alternate environment, my perspectives would likely be different.</p>
<p>Basically test scores are not everything. But there is a heavy correlation between high test score and academic performance as well as competitiveness of an applicant. But this is a holistic approach( and unlike Korea- forgot which one) there are many other attributes that can put an applicant over in College Process aside from how well can you take a test. That is why they ask for other things such as an ESSAY or recommendations or other supplementary material to better assess a candidate for admission…THEY ask for many other things otherwise they would just except everyone with a 2400 and 4.0 GPA and that does not (i repeat) does not happen!</p>
<p>No millancad, I was not looking for a debate or cyber argument but based on what seems to be hostile text coming from you, I see that you are a little defensive about the matter and that was surely not my intention. I wasn’t giving any incentive for you or anyone else to spark debate or an argument. It was simple inquiry; I just wasn’t clear on your post. Seeing that you have emphasized your “I’s,” I now see your point more clearly. </p>
<p>However, I felt that since you felt the need to post your personal opinions on a public forum, it seemed as if you were attempting to spread your rhetoric for the purpose of influencing a large audience. It may have not been your intention, but your previous post may have a detrimental effect on a reader who happens to be in the process of applying to college. Even though you said it was personal and you italicized the Is, it still can have an impact on an applicant who is unsecure with their test scores. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, I respect your personal standards and beliefs. I congratulate you on your successes and I wish you the very best.</p>