<p>I'm in my summer before senior year and I have taken the SAT twice in junior year. My scores were 2090 and the second time, this May, was 2180 (Reading 720, Math 730, Writing 730). I took two SAT IIs as well: Biology E was a 750, World History was a 770. I have a 4.0 (all As) and the AP classes I've taken are AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP World History, AP US History, and AP English 11 (would have taken more if the school offered any more). I'm pretty sure I got all 5s on my AP tests. And I have a pretty good extracurricular package (unfortunately no school activities, but do you think a black belt and 10 years of martial arts experience makes up for a lack of school sports?). So, I'm just wondering if any of you think that I should retake the SAT I in October and if I should take a math SAT II? I've come up with a list of schools I think I will be applying to in the fall and they are the University of Washington Honors, MIT, USC, Johns Hopkins, Yale, University of Pennsylvannia, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. I'm asking whether or not you guys think I should retake the SAT I because I'm only in the middle 50% in basically all of these schools except for UW and my chances of getting into MIT, Yale, and Harvard are probably pretty close to 0.</p>
<p>You take the ACT yet?</p>
<p>No, and I really don't feel like I would do better on the ACT, just looking at the study materials.</p>
<p>Bump. Advice please.</p>
<p>Yes to math sat ii, some schools require/recommend 3 and i think Harvard is one of them...as for the sat i, i would say no. your scores will likely not improve very much and since you are class of '09, you can't omit scores so colleges will see u as a neurotic nerd.</p>
<p>Yeah. You should really take the SAT again. You should try to aim for something higher than at least 2250 if you want to attend Harvard, MIT, etc. All your other stats look pretty good to me. =) Good luck.</p>
<p>A retake would be a good idea, yes. If you're aiming for those caliber schools, a 2250+ is a must.</p>
<p>I actually don't think the very best schools care all that much about the sat. harvard turned down like half of 1600s...</p>
<p>I think your SAT is fine. I would definitely take a third SAT II, probably Math 2.</p>
<p>Do colleges look at percentages? I got a 97% on both the math and reading and a 98% on the writing. And I'm looking at the problem breakdown right now and don't you guys think that it's a bit of a harsh curve for me to only have gotten a 730 on math and writing when I only missed 3 questions on each of those sections? God these ****ing colleges just can't take anything below perfect can they?</p>
<p>actually -3 730 on math is a pretty nice curve. I have heard horror stories of people who missed 2 and gotten 730ish scores.</p>
<p>I'm leaning towards not taking the SAT I again because I feel like I have pretty balanced scores and a good package non-SAT-wise. So, for all of you who advised me to take a math SAT II, which math do you think I should take? Math I or Math II?</p>
<p>definately take the Math 2c...i left 6 questions blank and still got an 800...the curve is beautiful :) plus, ivy leagues like math 2, not math 1.
as for the SAT, i have just about the same score as you, and I'm pretty much going to be applying to the same schools as you are. i agree with you, i dont think you need to take it again. even if you get in the 2200 range, its not really going to make that much of a difference anymore, for 10-20 points.</p>
<p>4 say no to retake</p>
<p>2 say yes to retake</p>
<p>zfox- I got a 730 on the math section for omitting 1 question and getting 1 question wrong... pretty annoying</p>
<p>"I actually don't think the very best schools care all that much about the sat. harvard turned down like half of 1600s..."</p>
<p>o yes they do care. It's no coincidence that they admitted a class that has a 50% range of 2090-2380. Unless you are an athlete, URM, etc. you need to have a high SAT to get your foot in the door. However due to the "abundance" of high SAT applicants applying to HYPMS it often won't be the deciding factor. But a 50% chance of getting into Harvard is pretty dang good considering that is 7 times the normal admit rate.</p>
<p>nd09 makes a good point. Sure, Harvard rejects 1/2 of its 2400s, but that really does give you a 50/50 shot. I mean, with a 2400 you're bound to get into at least one good school...</p>
<p>I would assume the vast majority of those with perfect scores also have lots of other hooks and such in their application?</p>
<p>Not necessarily.</p>
<p>Maybe you guys can better evaluate my situation if I told you the rest of my resume because I know that I definitely have to take the SAT II Math II in October, and now I'm not so sure about retaking the SAT I, because a lot of people who got into Yale, Duke, Harvard, etc. are telling me that my SATs are already really good and that I would look like a fool if I tried to take it again, especially since I've already taken it 2 times in junior year. I'm just not sure if you guys think being more "well rounded" makes up for the imperfect SAT I of 2180.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
-martial arts for 10 years (really a mix of stuff from kick boxing to Kyokushin Karate) and have a 1st dan (black belt) in Tae Kwon Do at the dojang I've been going to for the last 6 years
-Solo Piano for 11 years, Adjudications, Washington State Concerto competitions, got a few awards, etc.
-Knowledge Bowl
-Academic Decathlon (been to nationals)
-Chinese/Mandarin School
-Ping Pong club (haha as if anyone gives a crap)
-volunteer at the hospital (looks really official and stuff, and I plan on doing at least 200 hours)</p>