<p>I'm not looking for chances, I'm just wondering if it would be worth the stress (I get very anxious) of retaking either the ACT or SAT or just worrying about the SATIIs instead...</p>
<p>(I'm a white male from the northeast as well, if that changes anything...)</p>
<p>It couldn’t hurt because they are all selective/super-selective. But you need to take the SATII on the Oct. date, and the SATI on November, which is cutting it close for EA/ED.</p>
<p>Your score is relatively fine. If I were you, I’ll probably retake it. Yale’s avg SAT is like 2240. SAT IIs are rather easy if you’re good at those subjects youre taking. .</p>
<p>your score seems close enough to the average that imo it won’t hurt you
on the other hand i’m not really interested in ivies at all so i might not be the best person to trust</p>
<p>Hm. That makes me feel a little bit better. I just worry that the scores will do more harm than good unless I retake and shoot for about a 2200.</p>
<p>Yale requires all SAT scores but not necessarily all ACT scores (since you have to pay for each sitting). Unless you can pull a 2250+, another SAT score will not help. A 2170 is strong, but it’s always better to be above the mean if you can be.</p>
<p>Thus, I’d recommend taking another crack at the ACT. Your weakness is the Science section which is really a speed-reading test. Practice at home with a timer and do a passage or two in 8-10 minutes, and break. Practice, practice…</p>
<p>I’d retake. If it takes 4 hours to take the SATs and 6 hours for studying, those 10 hours could mean a 50 point increase, and a 2220 looks a lot better than a 2170 for a school like Yale, Colombia, or Swat</p>
<p>Fyi, my daughter (who graduated HS in 2008) had the same scores. Her SAT2s were in the 700s and she had 5s on AP exams. She only applied to some of the same schools as you’re interested in. She got into Vassar, Barnard, Macalester, Grinnell, Kenyon and a few others. She wanted out of the East Coast and chose Mac (is very happy there). Her mom (me) couldn’t talk her into applying to Ivy League (Brown). Her guidance counselors were not that encouraging about her getting in there, though I felt otherwise. She also had strong ECs, esp music, which schools really love.
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<p>Good luck! You’ll have some great options, I’m sure.</p>
<p>The lowest score in the SCEA accepted pool of white applicants was 2280 for the SAT and 2210 for the SAT II. Your legacy status may help, but I’d say it would only get you so far as to not be rejected outright.</p>
<p>Since November is the last testing date you can submit scores for SCEA, it would be best to retake your SAT I again after the Subject Tests in October. The reason being that if you leave your Subject Tests for November, there is a chance they will not reach the admissions committee in time. (Small chance.)</p>
<p>So it sounds like for most of the schools I’m applying to, the scores will fare pretty well, but for Yale, Columbia, and Swarthmore, I would need higher scores to be competitive? If I were deferred from Yale SCEA, would my score of 2170/32 still be deleterious to my application there?</p>
<p>Yes, a score of 2170 is definitely a weakness on an application to Yale. However, it is important to keep in mind that your application is reviewed holistically and it’s possible to be accepted with a 2170 provided you have strong ECs/Essays/etc.</p>
<p>Will the current scores not hurt or help me at any of the other schools? I think I will retake them, but if for some reason I can’t, how will, for instance, Amherst, Swarthmore, Vassar, Wesleyan look at them?</p>