Should I retake the SAT?

Applying to College
21

<p>@Sikorsky</p>

<p>From Collegeboard:</p>

<p>Brown University</p>

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<p>Math + CR: OP would hover around the 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Dartmouth University</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 50th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Cornell University</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 75th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 60th percentile</p>

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<p>University of Pennsylvania</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 50th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Columbia University</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 50th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Princeton University</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 50th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Yale University</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 40th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 50th to 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Harvard University</p>

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<p>Math: OP would hover around the 50th percentile
CR: OP would hover around the 50th to 60th percentile</p>

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<p>Those percentiles are not looking good. OP’s test scores seem to fit well with those of Cornell and Brown, however, when compared to the rest of the Ivy League schools.</p>

<p>Also, those with lower test scores tend to have lackluster ECs (I’m not saying all do, just a substantial number). If OP raises his test score, he may just as well significantly increase his chances. Just saying.</p>

<p>I think OP should also share his ECs/awards, that being said.</p>

22

<p>Right around the 50th to 60th percentile of enrolled first-year students–a subset of the ones who got in.</p>

<p>To be fair, it’s probably also very close to the median of rejected students, too. Because what these colleges do all through the winter is to reject several perfectly qualified students for every one whom they admit.</p>

<p>But I don’t see any basis to draw the conclusion that raising test scores would be very helpful. I think you’re drawing an inference you can’t support from these data. I believe what I’ve been told by people who work in admissions and by people (other than me) who interview for Ivies: you really just need your standardized test scores to be good enough to keep you in play. I think the OP would be wise to turn her attention to other parts of her applications, particularly essays. Good essays will help distinguish an applicant from the crowd more than the difference between 730 and 760 will.</p>

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<p>Or OP can go H.A.M. and get both the good test score and the good essays to make every part of his application look good rather than having one part neglected.</p>

<h1>allornothing</h1>

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<p>That is true. But I’m still disputing the premise that there’s any actual benefit in improving those SAT scores. These scores are within the appropriate limits; higher scores would also be within the appropriate limits.</p>

<p>The OP could also go accrue another 250 “community service hours” in order to include them in her applications. That might benefit the community, but I don’t think it would do much to improve the applications.</p>

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<p>I guess, regardless of whether he NEEDS to retake the SATs, I am wondering why it is considered wrong to retake them several times. Why would admissions staff view it as trying too hard? Why wouldn’t they view it as being motivated and determined to do whatever the student could to get in? Just curious.</p>

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<p>But really selective colleges don’t care very much what lengths you’d go to for admission. They can safely assume that almost all of their applicant pool has a pretty darn high level of interest.</p>

<p>I think you could legitimately worry that you’ll look bad by comparison if it takes you 4 or 5 sittings to get the superscore that the competition can get in 1 or 2. But I don’t have any real basis for saying this. JMO.</p>

<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>

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<p>My Amherst information session officer started off by telling us to retake the SAT unless we got a perfect score. Probably a bit of a stretch for some scores, but I don’t see the harm in spending one more Saturday retaking a 2230 in hope to superstore higher.</p>

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<p>“I think you could legitimately worry that you’ll look bad by comparison if it takes you 4 or 5 sittings to get the superscore that the competition can get in 1 or 2.”</p>

<p>This is a really good point. I guess the question is if you don’t do as well as you would like the first or second time around, do you just settle for it and possibly miss out on getting in on where you want because of low scores, or do you look “desperate” and take them again, and then not get in either! Yikes. Neither are great choices. It’s quite a dilemma.</p>

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<p>“or do you look “desperate” and take them again, and then not get in either!”</p>

<p>But you won’t look desperate if you superscore, right?</p>

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<p>^^ Not super score…use score choice is what you mean.</p>

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<p>It seems like everyone is telling me to take the ACT and see what happens. </p>

<p>However, in most of the universities I am looking at, >80% of the applicants had an SAT score, yet usually ~30% with an ACT score. </p>

<p>I heard that it is best to submit the test that is more often considered; is this true?</p>