<p>I am a junior and have already taken the SAT 3 times. The first 2 times in my sophomore year and the scores were all around 2080. 3rd time I took it in January last month, my scores are :
CR 790
Math 770 (I got 800 on my Math II subject test so I don't know why I haven't been able to get 800 on this T.T )
Writing 730 Essay 8(my essays have always been getting terrible scores from 6-7)
Total: 2290 (this is also my superscore :( )</p>
<p>I am going to apply to Cornell, Rice, Carnegie Mellon, Yale, UT Austin, Duke, U Penn, and maybe USC and Columbia. Intended field is Engineering/Computer Science/Pre-Med.
I have heard that taking the SAT more than 3 times is not going to look good on the college applications, but I feel like my score is not good enough to get into the schools I am applying for. My ECs are very average and I am applying to summer research internships to help out with my ECs. </p>
<p>So should I take the SAT again aiming for a 2400?
if so, can anyone give me some helpful study tips for me to reach my goal?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I just got my January SAT score, and it wasn’t bad (it was around your superscore). However, I wouldn’t waste more time trying to get that elusive perfect score. Perfect scores are usually luck of the draw, and if you have the 2290 superscore, you’re perfectly fine. I can’t believe you got an 800 on math ll! I need help on that. Anyway, I would say that a 2290 super score is great. Many would die for your score.</p>
<p>You likely won’t be denied admission to any of those schools because your SAT scores are too low. </p>
<p>I would move on. </p>
<p>How much time are you spending studying for standardized tests instead of engaging in academic or intellectual pursuits, or meaningful extracurricular activities?</p>
<p>@Hoping4Stanford I am an Asian, though, and my family income is not below 60,000. My ECs are also poor. Do you think I can get into a school like Cornell with my 2290? Not to be racist or anything, but I feel like because I am an Asian my competition is greater. Therefore I need to get as close to 2400 as possible.</p>
<p>@arwarw My parents want me to focus on standardized tests a lot. I am going to take the ACT in June to get hopefully 35-36.
To be honest, I didn’t spend an enormous amount of time studying. All I did was take a practice test a week for 2 months to get to my current scores.
Even now, I spend time more on homework and “useless” things like anime, haha. </p>
<p>@arwarw What ways are distinguishable? I am trying to apply to some free science research internships for this summer. I applied to WISH NASA program but the entire program was cancelled… </p>
<p>@Hoping4Stanford For SAT II Math II I would suggest getting the Barron’s book and reading through the entire book. The guide is really through. I highlighted the important stuffs and used sticky notes to keep the pages so I can easily flip to a page and study/memorize the highlighted spots. I also did around 6 practice tests. I always got terrible scores on the Barron’s practice tests because it is way harder than the actual test, which is good practice. If you take a lot of hard practice tests you will gain more confidence for the actual test. Hope these tips helped! </p>
<p>Hey, you’re fine. Calm down. I’d focus more on having good extracurriculars to differentiate yourself in the applicant pool. And for the record, you should especially focus on EC’s and other activities /because/ you’re an ORM, and if the only thing you have going for you are a couple of test scores then you’re not going to stand out. Cornell and a couple of the other schools you mentioned don’t participate in score choice, so they’ll see all your scores, and then they might wonder why you decided to retake a perfectly competitive SAT score. </p>
<p>And yeah, it must suck to be so close to another score threshold (10 points!) but honestly, that’s still great. I’m sure many people would be delighted to get a 2290 on the SAT. </p>
<p>“@arwarw What ways are distinguishable? I am trying to apply to some free science research internships for this summer. I applied to WISH NASA program but the entire program was cancelled…”</p>
<p>What are your EC’s and interests? You’re a junior so I would focus on going deeper on what you already have. What do YOU enjoy doing the most? The “useless” things may make you more intriguing to an admissions committee, Try to present yourself in your application so that you don’t get pigeonholed as the typical Asian STEM applicant (I know that sounds terrible). Your recommendations and essays can help you (or hurt you). Will your teachers say you’re engaging and creative (good) or diligent and hardworking (not so good).</p>
<p>@arwarw By the way, do colleges really want to see leadership in every applicant? I think the only true leadership I might have shown is in creating a chat group with around 100 members for Chinese students in US to help them with English and the college admission process. Do you think I can use that as an EC? </p>
Not to be racist or anything, but I feel like because I am an Asian my competition is greater. Therefore I need to get as close to 2400 as possible.</p>
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