<p>I'm currently an international student from Asia, taking my A-levels this year (equivalent to senior year in the US) I recently took the June 2013 SATs and got a score of 2240. I was actually aiming for 2250 and that 10 points really annoyed me haha.</p>
<p>The problem lies with the score breakdown:
800 CR, 750 M, 690 W</p>
<p>My dream school is Stanford and my other target schools are Columbia, Upenn, Cornell, Brown and Berkeley. Especially for Stanford and the Ivies, will my 690 Writing score affect my application? </p>
<p>There are a few factors that I have considered:
1.Various threads on College Confidential have stated CR>M>W and that CR+M is accorded a lot more weight than W scores (my 1550 CR+M score is quite strong in that case)
2. There are many threads that stress the importance of breaking the 700 barrier (I understand that there is a psychological diff between 690 and a 700 but... 10 points GAHHHH!)
3. I have put in a few months of preparation and my writing scores for practice tests are usually in the 720-740 range, math and CR roughly 750. So my composite is usually around the 2200-2300 score. (Would it be worth it to retake just to increase Writing score but risk a fall in CR score?)
4. I am of Asian descent. Overrepresented bleh.
5. I understand that International students are expected to have higher SAT scores as application is even more competitive (my friends suggested that to be competitive for the Ivies I should obtain a 2300 though I am unsure whether this refers to single sitting or super scored? Can anyone verify this?)</p>
<p>In summary, the factors kinda cancel out and I'm in a dilemma :X </p>
<p>So yeah, should i retake the SAT? I would really appreciate any advice from anyone out there, and thank you very much in advance, really!</p>
<p>From your description it certainly looks like we’re from the same country (just only a guess but quite certain it’s accurate), and definitely the same year! Firstly just wanna say that I’m in no position to give any advice since my June SATs were abysmal with only 2040 - I know, I fell really really short - but:</p>
<p>Hmm from what my seniors say, Berkeley seems to place a lot of value and emphasis on Math (especially since you’re gunning for the science and math-related courses) so whilst a 750 in Math is good, a higher score in the Math section would be preferable. Of course at the end of the day it really depends on what are the courses that you’re planning to take in college, and you should refer to the respective websites to check the score breakdowns (mean, median, average etc etc) for the course that you’re aiming for. </p>
<p>By the way, schools like Penn and Berkeley will require you to submit all your SAT scores (all attempts), and I have seniors who’ve gotten 2100+ and have gotten admission into these schools. </p>
<p>Yes, international applicants like you and me definitely need to have “higher credentials”; the colleges don’t say it but that’s a known fact. You don’t need a sure 2300 to get into the Ivies (though it’ll boost your chance a little), I have seniors with 2100+ in the Ivies. After all admission to US colleges emphasizes on the holistic and well-rounded aspect - sometimes applicants with a SAT score of 2380 are rejected. </p>
<p>At the end of the day it really depends on yourself and whether you want to retake the SATs or not. I suggest looking at your Prelims and A-level timetables (when they’re finalized and out) and see if any of the Oct, Nov or Dec dates clash with your papers (or too close to/in between a particular paper). Also, you might want to think about your preparation level for the As - do you think you’ll be ready by Prelims? If so, you can sign up for the Oct SAT date (since that is probably 1-2 weeks after Prelims). Though I won’t advise signing up in November because As will already be taking place, and you’ll want to concentrate on that. </p>
<p>In no position to advice, but hope that helps! All the best with Block/Common Tests! (:</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply! Haha great to see a fellow Singaporean on the site! My main question now is whether a 2300+ super scored is significantly better than my 2240 single sitting such that it warrants me to retake the SATs. As you have mentioned, the test days all fall within our Prelims and A-level period and that is principally why I am having such a tough decision! If it boosts my chances only marginally I believe I am better off focusing on the As, but if its quite significant for us International students then there’s no choice but to ACE it on the second attempt! </p>
<p>Also, I have checked the score breakdowns (mean, median, average etc) for my target universities and CR and math both seem to be decent (>75 percentile and >50 percentile respectively) though yea, there’s still room to improve for math! However, writing is around 25th percentile for the ivies which is what I am most worried about! :X</p>
<p>Anyway, all the best with your own Block/Common Tests and A-levels of course!!! :D</p>
My main question now is whether a 2300+ super scored is significantly better than my 2240 single sitting such that it warrants me to retake the SATs. As you have mentioned, the test days all fall within our Prelims and A-level period and that is principally why I am having such a tough decision! If it boosts my chances only marginally I believe I am better off focusing on the As, but if its quite significant for us International students then there’s no choice but to ACE it on the second attempt! </p>