<p>After taking the SAT twice, I thought that I would just let my score be and not risk dropping even more. However, no matter how much I think about it, it seems like my writing score is too low to get into some of the schools I'm aiming for. I'm also Asian which means I'm probably expected to have gotten a better score.</p>
<p>My GPA is pretty strong and I was hoping to make a better impression with my essays. But I'm not sure if that'll be enough.
I'm a senior and the January SAT is the last time I'll be allowed to take it. I've applied/am applying to: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Penn.</p>
<p>I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some feedback! Thanks :)</p>
<p>Is Columbia your “safe” school? It seems as you are putting all your eggs in an Ivy basket.</p>
<p>Good recommendations will be important for you, as well as a “genuine” essay (one that is yours, not the accumulation of four or five people’s suggestions, edits, and revisions). </p>
<p>Your superscore is fine. If you want to take the test again, it’s only money, but it looks like you have a baseline for your writing score, as 680 and 700 are essentially the same score, while 750 is significantly better than 700. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about the perception that Asians should be test-taking whizzes. If anyone takes SAT scores with a grain of salt, it’s the Ivies.</p>
<p>no one says asians should test better. Just because they tend to work harder doesn’t mean they are smarter or more intrinsically adept at test-taking. I hope you get rejected for this pompous (not to mention dumb) post!</p>
<p>I’m guessing you studied a lot for your second test - considering your score didn’t improve, I don’t think taking it a third time will help. And honestly, if the rest of your app is strong, you’ll be fine. No worries.</p>
<p>@johnwaas
He has a point. Unfortunately, Asians are somewhat discriminated against in the college admissions process. Because the group as a whole tends to score significantly higher on tests than the general population, they’re held to a higher standard. Think about it. If every Ivy League let in the best group of student without regards to race, they would probably have an Asian majority, which is very unlike the US population and would therefore look bad on paper. Google something like “college discrimination asians” and you’ll see that this is a legitimate concern. </p>
<p>And @mashedpotato…
Please do yourself a favor and consider places that aren’t Ivies. They’re a crapshoot for literally anybody. I scored a respectable 2270, and I fell in love with a lovely women’s college (I applied ED and am now enrolled for next year), so I never even bothered with the Ivies. Don’t get hung up on the famous names, because there are a ton of other great schools that can provide you with the same opportunities.</p>
<p>Im sure just because OP listed 5 ivies doesnt mean he isnt applying anywhere else. </p>
<p>Honestly, your score score is fine. If you feel you can improve, then why not. On another note, im gonna assume that youre already registered since the deadline has passed.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your feedback! I ended up not registering again. Haha, I love how you guys all assumed I was a guy. But anyways, I’m a Canadian, and I will be applying to many Canadian schools. Ivies are just a dream of mine, and I thought why not. @johnwaas: I’m sorry if I offended you with my concern. I had read and heard a lot about this issue, so I was getting genuinely worried.</p>
<p>Asians are definitely discriminated against in ivy league admissions. Asians make up 20% of the ivy league student body while only making up 5% of the American population. Thrrefore in favor of more diversity, college admissions officers scrutinize asians more making them pull ahead more because they’re competing against many other 4.0’s and 2250+ students that are also asian.</p>
<p>Taking the SAT a 3rd time won’t hurt you, but the Ivies are not all about SAT scores. Your essays and teacher recs will mean a lot. Best of luck.</p>