This thread is chock full of possible exceptions, but for the most part the student in question and others like here are going to have to start at a CC or thereabouts and prove they merit transfer to a difficult 4-year, or admittance to a difficult program. Why ? Because most will fail.</p>
<p>There is good reason selective colleges demonstrate test score restriction in their admitted student bodies: experience. You are confusing the possibility of success with the likelihood of failure. These are not mutually exclusive. Should a person with a high likelihood of failure not try ? It depends … on many things.</p>
<p>How high is the risk of failure ?
What does it cost to try ?
How much does the person want to try ?
How motivated is the student to succeed ?</p>
<p>The U of New Mexico is our local flagship. It has essentially open admissions, and completion rates to show for it: about 10% of freshmen have a degree 4 years later, and a very large fraction of those diplomas are not in difficult majors.</p>
<p>So is open enrollement Good policy ? Bad policy ? One can (and we do) argue. But the facts are rather self-evident.</p>
<p>25th%tile scores:
Cal State Bakersfield: 380 CR/380 M
CSU LA: 350CR/380M/380CR
CSU Northridge: 410CR/400M
CSU San Bernardino: 470CR/400M/370CR</p>
<p>OP’s friend’s grades put her in the top 20-25% of the pool on that score.
Several of these CSUs say on CB that test scores are optional with a GPA>3.0.</p>
<p>Many of the CSUs do accept students with very low SAT scores. However the CSUs also have very high drop out and flunk out rates. For example CSU Dominguez Hills has 25th percentile scores of CR 360, M 350 but only about 30% of the students who matriculate at that school ever graduate with a BS or a BA. My eldest son, who had SAT scores of CR 640, M 620, is a sophomore at CSU Sacramento where the the 25th percentile scores are CR 410, M 430. It has to be remembered though that CSU Sacramento has many students on athletic scholarships and they disproportionately populate the bottom quartile of SAT scores at the school. Few students with SAT scores lower than 400 in either CR or M would be admitted to CSU Sacramento if they were not recruited to play in NCAA sports.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that of all the freshmen students that matriculate at CSU Sacramento, only about 40% ever graduate with a BA or a BS. Nearly all of the 60% who drop out or flunk out were the students who entered with the lowest SAT scores. </p>
<p>The mission of the CSUs is to extend the opportunity to as many California high school graduates as possible to attend four year universities. As a result many students with low SAT scores are admitted to give them a chance to show they can do college level work. The CSUs generally still maintain high academic standards and accept the fact that only a minority of the students they admit are going to succeed. The OP’s friend, if she is a California resident, could conceivably get admitted to a CSU with her SAT scores, particularly in light of her 3.7 GPA, but experience indicates that she would have very little chance of ever graduating.</p>
<p>It depends what school she’s going to, that’s a really nice GPA, she could retake the SATS, or taking the ACT. I would suggest prepping some more and then taking the October SAT (that’s what I’m doing, I ended up with a similar Scenario, not the SAT score I wanted, but I still have a nice GPA and am in a lot of advanced/intense classes and extracurriculars.)
Look at each schools requirements and what they look at, with a GPA like that I’m sure there are plenty of schools that would accept her! </p>
<p>There are also a few things she can do about the low score. Retaking the SAT is a must. There is always the chance she may get a better score. Perhaps some last minute SAT preparatory classes for tips on test-taking. Generally, scores don’t go that low unless your friend made some major testing-taking errors. Tell her to try again just in case.</p>
<p>Hi, I have aspergers. I have a really high GPA (like 4.2 range), my school is also competitive so it wasn’t like I got this GPA easily. However my standardized tests really suck. I did SAT tutoring but it didn’t really do anything for me since I’d get really confused on the problem solving due to my condition. I would recommend the ACT. I took it and got a 30.</p>
<p>1100? I thought it was impossible to get below 400 in a section…like I literally thought you signed your name and got 400 in each for a lowest possible of 1200…</p>
<p>^No if you randomly guess you average 250. Besides average SAT is 1500 so for it to be that low people would need to score below 1200 to compensate for the 2000+ scores.</p>
<p>Why doesn’t she just apply to schools that don’t require the SAT? Simple. Or take the ACT as a lot of people said and pray that score is higher.</p>
<p>I completely empathize with your friend. While the college admissions process is made as holistic as possible- it also means that there are more areas in which you can fall down. Many students are not great test takers, and how well she was able to circle in bubbles on a Saturday morning should not be any indication of her ability to cope with college level academics. If she takes the test again and scores poorly, she should begin to consider some SAT optional schools. Most of these schools are competitive liberal arts schools such as: Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut, Hamilton, Hampshire, Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Pitzer, Smith and Union Colleges are only some of the examples of schools who are SAT optional. Here’s a link with the full list, and they go into more detail on each’s school’s policy </p>
<p>I know a student who was a Johns Hopkins Talent student (SAT 7th and 8th grade) and had an IQ score of 130 (WISC at age 12) but actually got worse at taking the SAT as she got older. She graduated in top 20% of class with 3.85, was an AP scholar with distinction (5 AP exams) and scored 5’s on 4 (AP calc: 3). </p>
<p>To OP’s friend: True - difficult to get into Ivies but I certainly wouldn’t suggest to just give up the idea of a 4 year college if that’s what she wants. I agree in trying the ACT (worked for the above student) and looking at test optional. </p>
<p>There really are bright kids that just don’t test well - this kid above over thought the answers and as college time rolled closer had test anxiety on top of it. A 3.7 in honors and AP courses does not show a school environment that is slacking.</p>
<p>btw…the student that I know is on the Dean’s list at a top 50 university and thriving.</p>
<p>I realize that the majority of CC’ers are going to think that SAT’s and GPA’s should go hand-in-hand most of the time, and this might be true. It most definately was not for me. </p>
<p>After managing to get my terrible GPA in 1-5th grade up, I got accepeted to the best in state school for my 9th-12th grades. Needless to say, I felt a lot more confident about my own abilities and went on to do the usual CC things with focused interestes in several areas and a high GPA in a challenging AP/honor curriculum. APUSH earned me an A- but I ended up with a 4 in the exam and a 720 on the subject test.</p>
<p>The SAT crushed my spirit in spring. A 1680, when I had been expecting around 1950. My first reaction was a major panic of, “omg, are my grades inflated?? Am I kidding myself with my grades, do I have a MENTAL ISSUE?!” As a junior at the end of the year, I felt very hopeless and cheated. The 720 in USH gave me hope when it came out that summer. I studied the crap out of my SAT book. </p>
<p>My final submitted superscore this december was a 1840 (640 CR, 490 M, 710 WR) and I am incredibly proud of it. It convinced me that the SAT really had nothing to do with my work ethic or mental capability (LOL!) My math score, though scary, merely shows that my work ethic is not very well adapted to brain teasers on timed 25 slots. My A’s and A+ in math classes will hopefully carry though with the rest of my A’s and A+'s from reading and lit classes. </p>
<p>Understand that your child should try to stay motivated with the SAT (even if she hates it with a heated fiery passion) the same way she has been with her grades every year. Keep in mind that the more AP’s she takes though out the years could help her get used to the repitition of college board’s tests. Subject tests and AP scores might help contribute other skills of memorization and retention of material that can help boost her chances of acceptance to colleges. Make sure she’s also involved in EC’s that she likes and as a last effort, get her GPA up to a 4.0 if she can manage it. </p>
<p>Hi. I am a senior in high school dual enrolled at a community college. I will graduate in May 2012 with an AA degree. My current GPA is 3.97 unweighted and 4.7 weighted. I have a learning disability where I receive more time taking test. The community college has given me this disability and I take all my test in a testing center however the ACT would not approve me for extra time and wanted more testing (which would have taken to long to obtain by the ACT test date) I only received a 20 on the ACT and left a significant part of it blank. In our state, you must apply first as a freshman to a state university with an AA degree. While 20 is the minimum test score required, I was told that the college really only accepts students with a 28 or higher. If I apply as a transfer student, I am short three courses for biology major (organic chem and calc 1) prereqs. Once I graduate from the community college, I cannot go back, so the question is where do I complete these last three courses if no one accepts me. I am so frustrated. I scored a 109 on the IQ test timed and a 127 not timed.</p>