Should I send....?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

Hello,

I applied to Princeton in the RD round this year. I was recently awarded a place to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Oxford, and although my teachers say it would be crazy to turn this down for anything apart from maybe Harvard or Yale, I liked Princeton when I visited (namely its campus, town, and closed-off nature), and had some good discussions with students. I felt I’d fit in quite well, and so would at least consider it if I was offered a place.

However, one element of my Princeton application was a lot weaker than that of my Oxford application - my SAT score. I achieved a high score in my TSA (Thinking Skills Assesment), a critical thinking and problem-solving based test, however, an extraordinarily mediocre SAT. My TSA score was in the 79-83 (top 3%) range and SAT in the 1350-1450 range. I’ve talked to a number of other Oxford offer holders whose TSAs are only in the 70-75 (top 8-9%) range, yet their SATs and ACTs are 1550+ and 35+, respectively. It is a rather bizarre situation, I know.

I believe this can partly be attributed to the fact that TSA scores remain stable with practice whilst SAT scores can be easily improved with practice (which I didn’t really have the time or will to do). It can also partly be attributed to the very time intensive conditions of the SAT, which I am not suited for. In fact, having recently had an officially certified educational psychologist assessment, I was diagnosed with neurological issues which hinder my performance under timed conditions and as such will be given extra time in my UK exams. This provision would also be given to me in future SAT/ ACT sittings according to my school’s department who deals with examination provisions. Three of my friends who were given extra time scored 35, 35, and 36 respectively in the ACT, because the extra time provisions are so generous (a minimum of 50% compared to the maximum of 25% which we get in the UK).

As such,

(i) Should I send my TSA score to Princeton to show them my SAT is anomalous and inconsistent with my potential (which I think they’ll already have a sense of from seeing the rest of my application – this could potentially confirm it for an AdCom)?

(ii) Should I send my educational psychologist diagnosis to Princeton to explain that my underperformance was due to not being given extra time which I should’ve had, had I done this diagnosis earlier? Or would seeing a learning difficult be seen as undesirable and a marker that I may not be able to cope academically?

(iii) Should I take the upcoming ACT/ SAT with extra time provisions and send in the score for that (it would almost definitely be a 35/36 on ACT, not sure about SAT)? Would it arrive in time?

(iv) To what extent, if at all, do schools like Princeton overlook a bad SAT that is anomalous and inconsistent with the rest of an applicant profile, in circumstances such as my own (especially given that I have only taken the SAT once, am from the United Kingdom)?

Sorry for the length of this post and thank you in advance for sharing any insights!

2

I would say do 1,2, and maybe take an attempt at 3 but I can’t tell if it would reach in time, so I don’t want you to waste any money. I think that Princeton and other ivies do take sat scores very seriously, but there is a cutoff range so that anyone above a certain score does not receive any more credit than someone in the same range.

Lastly, congrats on Oxford! That is an amazing opportunity and best of luck.

3

Thank you @iirRoMii - I’ll take your advice!

I guess I may as well try it. I’m expecting a reject letter come end of Aril in any case…

I’ll have a read into the ACT/ SAT to see if it would arrive on time and therefore whether it would be worth taking given the financial cost (I’ve been thinking about retaking it and scoring well just to not have a low score hanging over my head for life as well!).

And the reason I asked about SATs is that although I’m well aware of their importance, the John Locke Institute (who although not affiliated directly with Princeton run a program there and have had a lot of success in placing applicants there), write the following: “Some American universities make allowances for foreign students, but the better your score the stronger the candidate you will be.” But I take it these allowances don’t actually exist, then?

And best of luck to you too - I understand you’re also a Princeton applicant? Thanks again for your help!

4

If you prefer Princeton over Oxford, then you should do 1, 2 & 3.

If confident of a score of 35 or 36 on the ACT, then consider taking the ACT as it will be useful if you are waitlisted or if you decide to transfer after your first year at university. Also, some management consulting firms & other employers ask for one’s standardized test scores, so a 35 or 36 ACT score could also help secure a job.

5

Thank you @Publisher .

The reason I feel quite confident in getting 35/36 is the 100% success rate of 35/36s for the reason I outlined above with extra time being given perhaps a bit too leniently (50% extra time is a crazy amount IMO).

I never knew about management consultancies or other employers asking for ACTs - thank you for that! I always assumed it was an undergrad admissions test only.

Overall, I’m not sure which I’d take between Oxford and Princeton. Princeton’s huge financial premium would certainly be something I’d have to bear in mind too. Although having the choice is not a scenario which I envisage being in, in any case!

Thanks for your help.