<p>Hey parents,
I'm an upcoming senior just getting ready to start this college madness, and I have an ACT vs. SAT question for you. I'm planning to apply to a lot of east coast schools and schools that people generally say "prefer" the SAT, and I'm wondering just what that means. Are you less likely to be admitted if you submit only the ACT? Is the ACT looked down upon in some way? I ask because my current ACT score (34) is considerably higher than my SAT score (2160). I may take the SAT again, but if I can just submit my ACT score, why worry about it? What do you think?</p>
<p>(I'm sorry if this question has already been discussed, and feel free to direct me to any relevant threads if it has.)</p>
<p>Colleges on the East Coast are more familiar with the SAT but they do not prefer it. It's perfectly okay for you to send your ACT score. Remember, though, that if you submit SATIIs as well, the SAT score will appear on the score report together with the SATII scores. However, the college adcoms will consider only the best score, and for you that will be the ACT. </p>
<p>QuiltGuru's daughter only took the ACT - admitted to Harvard and Yale .. submit your ACT or both (they'll use the higher score) and don't worry about it!</p>
<p>the only highly selective schools that won't accept the ACT are Wake Forest and Harvey Mudd. Rumor has it that even P'ton will now accept the ACT fully.</p>
<p>I'll bet that after the SAT scoring fiasco this year, most colleges are going to start accepting the ACT. </p>
<p>FWIW, my daughter also submitted ACT only to her colleges, and got into a number of schools we considered to be big reaches. There are a handful of colleges that still won't accept the ACT, but there is no truth whatsoever to any claim that if they do accept it, that the SAT is "preferred". A 34 ACT score is awesome, and if I were you I'd stop and not have to worry about any more testing. Check carefully to see whether any of the colleges you are considering require SAT II's -- mosts will accept the ACT+Writing in lieu of SAT II's, even if they require the SAT II's for students who take the SAT. So that's another ACT advantage.</p>
<p>I would just submit both. Both scores are excellent and sometimes one test is better suited for the applicant than the other. If you had a 34 and like a 1900.... then that would be a different story. But I would say submit both.
Also, you could call the admissions office at the schools you are looking at and ask them what they want... never hurts to ask.</p>
<p>UVA, at least in the 04-05 admissions cycle required the SAT II's as well as the ACT. As Virginia SAT-land dwellers my D was also ACT-centric. Not sure anymore, but I believe Princeton and Wake are preferred SAT schools.</p>
<p>"I'll bet that after the SAT scoring fiasco this year, most colleges are going to start accepting the ACT."</p>
<p>Actually almost all already do and any "preference" for the SAT ended years ago. Of your top 300 or so colleges. the only two that do not accept the ACT are Wake Forest and Harvey Mudd, and it appears Wake Forest is changing. Princeton had a stated preference for the SAT but that appears to be changing. Brigham Young stands as the single school in that group that takes only the ACT.</p>
<p>UVA no longer "requires" SAT II's but they are "recommended" (translation: assume still wise to submit them). As a result, the UC's now stand as the only public universities in the US that "require" SAT II's. Duke has also gone from requiring II's to "recommending" them. Of colleges that require II's, the following take the ACT (with writing) in lieu of both the SAT and SAT II's: Yale, Brown, Penn, Hopkins, Tufts, Amherst, Barnard, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Vassar, Pomona, Bryn Mawr, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Swarthmore, Conneticutt College.</p>
<p>I think Stanford said they would take both, but would give more weight to the SAT scores. Ds had 35 ACT and 2140 SAT and VERY good SAT IIs. Stanford rejected him btw, but several selective schools accepted him. He's going to Columbia.<br>
momoffive</p>
<p>Someone should copy drusba's post and re-post it every time this question comes up. Vegangirl, do NOT waste your time or money taking the SAT I again. If your are NMSF qualified, your current SAT I is fine to be considered for NMSF. That's the only thing you "need" it for. My D had about 3 seconds of regret at not taking the SAT I when she saw her friends walk on stage to receive their NM scholarships. But that was it. She was accepted to Michigan, Wesleyan, Brandeis, Harvard, and Yale with her ACT alone. She did take 3 SAT IIs because they were required by Harvard.</p>
<p>There was a fairly recent article (last year or so) in Newsweek or another such magazine where Yale's admission director was quoted as saying that they look suspiciously at applications from traditional SAT states that only have ACT scores. They don't think twice if you're from an ACT state though.</p>
<p>Parent2009, This is interesting. I have read opinions on cc that the east coast student can take the ACT, and it will be accepted as the SAT. There are some parents who believe that the ACT is what helped get their child admitted b/c they did not score well on the SAT.</p>
<p>I have heard differently from some people in the hs that my son attends. I was beginning to believe that they were incorrect, but perhaps there is still a strong preference for the SAT for east coast students.</p>
<p>I think that is changing as the ACT is catching on, and that the changes to the SAT this past year probably resulted in a significant jump in ACT use. The changes to the SAT created a lot of uncertainty, and most colleges that had required SAT II's of all applicants in the past indicated that they would accept ACT+writing in lieu of both the SAT & SAT II requirements. </p>
<p>As both Curmudgeon's and Quiltguru's daughters were admitted to Yale with ACT submissions, I think that what was said even a year ago from an admission director may be changing. It will be interesting to see from this year's college stats whether the number of students submitting ACTs only has jumped significantly. </p>
<p>Quite frankly, at this point the only reason I can see why anyone should take the SAT is if they have NMSF- qualifying scores on the PSAT. If not, I'd think that the best strategy would be to take the ACT in spring of junior year and if the scores are good, stick with them and be done worrying about testing. If the student has good scores but is not satisfied, a retake of ACT is still less time-consuming than the prospect of taking/retaking SAT and also having to schedule SAT II sittings.</p>
<p>calmom states: "Quite frankly, at this point the only reason I can see why anyone should take the SAT is if they have NMSF- qualifying scores on the PSAT."</p>
<p>Huh? Absolutely bad advice for SOME kids, because SOME kids do better on one test or the other. For THOSE kids, the only way to know is to take both tests, and see which one works for them. </p>
<p>btw: by my calculations, an ACT ratake is only ~45 minutes shorter than taking the SAT --- not a big deal over 365 days....</p>
<p>Yes, but SAT + 2 SAT IIs is at least 2 sittings -- the ACT is one sitting -- so the single-sitting ACT+ Writing is essentially the equivalent of 5 SAT tests which require at least 2 sittings to complete. </p>
<p>If the student does not do well on their first ACT sitting then they might consider the SAT -- but the point is that they can sit for a test as early as February of 11th grade and if they do well on that test, be done with all testing, at least for purposes of the vast majority of colleges where they might apply.</p>
<p>I don't disagree with your position (which also holds for kids scoring well on the SAT first time). I was just objecting to the blanket statement, since it had no qualifiers. It's one thing like the OP and Cur's D who scored extremely high on one test the first time around -- of course, its logical to stick with that test to try to improve. But, a kid scoring a 26 on the ACT might try the SAT instead, since s/he could be in that 10% (20%?) of kids who do better on the SAT. But of course, your blanket post suggests otherwise. </p>
<p>btw: which colleges dropped subject tests as a requirment now that the new SAT includes W?</p>