<p>My son, Chris and I are wondering if he should take the SAT again on October 11. His college counselor recommended that he should do it, but Chris is afraid of losing his 800 score in math. I don't totally understand superscoring, but I think it means that most schools will pick his best scores, so it's not a big problem even if his scores went down a bit; is that right?</p>
<p>He took the SAT in June and got: </p>
<p>math 800
reading: 720
writing: 730</p>
<p>He is hoping to get his reading score up by taking the test again.</p>
<p>The schools we are most serious about right now are:</p>
<p>ASU (Barrett Honors College)
University of Miami
Stanford (huge reach I know)</p>
<p>Any thoughts on this would be really appreciated!</p>
<p>Ok thanks! The counselor says that schools want to see scores from the senior year so he should take it again…but you think it’s not necessary? Would a better reading score help him with a scholarship at U of Miami? (It’s pretty much not affordable for us without a lot of merit aid.) Yes he really wants Stanford, but I would be shocked if he was accepted, even with a better score. I guess I’m just intimidated by their 6% acceptance rate!</p>
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The counselor says that schools want to see scores from the senior year so he should take it again.
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<p>Sorry, but your counselor is mistaken. </p>
<p>Both my DSs took their tests in their junior year and both got into the very top schools, such as Stanford etc. And they have several friends who did the same and are also in top schools. </p>
<p>The key is that his M + CR score is 1520; not sure what is the point of trying to get higher there. Plus his total of 2250 is already above the enrolled average of all schools in the country, except probably for Caltech and Mudd. </p>
<p>If it were me, I would make sure your DS focuses on the subject tests and not wasting time with the SAT again. Not sure Stanford even needs subject tests though.</p>
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<p>And that is the reality check to keep in mind. </p>
<p>With a 1520 M + CR, a higher score is not helpful when the rate is that low. What is helpful is working hard on presenting the best overall application possible, not just scores, but excellent essays and descriptive ECs etc.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much! This is exactly the information I needed to make the decision. Chris really does not want to take the test again, so I won’t make him. It sounds like his scores are already high enough for all three schools, and that getting into Stanford is just super hard no matter what we do. We are definitely working on presenting the best overall picture with his test scores, gpa, course load and extracurriculars. I think he has a very good chance at the other two schools, and in the end it many just come down to price. (We have a few other schools in mind that we might apply to as well, but these are our top three choices.)</p>
<p>I don’t think he has taken any subject tests…are those required? I’m not sure why the college counselor has not mentioned them. Chris is a top math student, but he’s getting really sick of math and computer science and now he is planning to go into political science and then law. What subject tests should he be thinking about?</p>
<p>You need to check with each school to which he is applying as to their requirements. Most schools do not require them, but do not want to get in a position that his particular program does ask for them.</p>
<p>If he takes subject tests, the Math 2 for sure and then a humanities like US history or something like that. If he is going for the sciences then Math 2 and a science test are more appropriate.</p>
<p>At most top schools, anything that is recommended really should be read as required. Therefore, he probably should take at least two subject tests to be truly competitive at Stanford: Math 2 and one other. </p>
<p>I think you’re making the mistake of depending too much on the counselor, especially since this counselor seems poorly informed. I don’t think colleges care at all about senior vs. junior scores. Such a thing was never mentioned in the 12 or so college information sessions I attended. Why would they care anyhow?</p>
<p>He needs the subject tests, and if this were the sort of counselor you could rely entirely on for guidance, then this counselor would have made sure he took them at the best time, which would have been at the completion of his history class in may or june. That clearly didn’t happen.</p>
<p>You need to carefully read the requirements of all colleges he may apply to and make sure he is meeting them. Don’t depend on the counselor to usher him through this. And you should get rid of the “we”. “We” are not applying to college. <em>He</em> is applying to college and <em>he</em> should take the lead on organizing all this information and deciding which tests to take.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information! I will check into the subject tests right away. </p>
<p>I hear you about him taking the lead, and I’m sorry to say he is expecting me to do everything for him. And yes I admit I have been that kind of mom all along which has created the situation. But I can’t fix that instantly and the end result is a 17-year old boy who is pretty smart academically, particularly in math, but also a little immature. Actually, I’m not sure a school like Stanford is really a good option, because in addition to not being very self-motivated Chris also gets anxiety attacks about his classes and grades, even though he’s never gotten anything less than an A throughout his 4 years of high school. So Stanford might just be too intense for him. I think the pressure would be less at either ASU or the University of Miami, and hopefully he will continue to grow and mature over the next 4 years. In the meantime, I have to help him with the college process or it might not get done! To his credit, he is working hard at writing all his essays and answering the short questions, as well as listing and describing his extracurricular activities…I’m just organizing everything for him and doing tons of research on which colleges he may want to apply to. (This situation is even more complicated by the fact that he is currently attending a boarding school out of state, so we are doing everything by phone, text and email.)</p>
<p>It sounds like the college counselor we are working with is not the greatest. I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s good to know so I can seek information elsewhere. Thank goodness for this board; I’ve gotten so much helpful info here! Thank you very much to you all! :)</p>
<p>So I just looked at the schedule for the subject tests. He still has time to sign up for the October 11 tests, and Math2 is offered on that date. The only humanities test that would be offered that day is US History, and I’m not sure he would do great on that…do kids study for these before the test? Math2 he would probably do great, but US History would be a lot of very specific info I would imagine…Another test offered is Spanish which he would probably do pretty well on. He is good at Spanish and is actually fairly fluent in the language because he has had a lot of Mexican friends over the years, and he has spent time in Mexico. Plus he has taken like 6 or 7 years of Spanish if you count middle school. Would taking the Math2 and the Spanish subject tests be a good idea? (He will be majoring in political science and he hopes to go to law school later.)</p>
<p>Yes, kids study for subject tests, which are important for admission. Have him look at the practice tests available, and chose the tests that he’s doing best on. Study to get as good as possible. Math 2 is one that is able to be very important (and fairly easy to get an 800 on) though you should have him see if he’ll do better on the Spanish or the AP US before committing. The College Board website has practice tests that you should use, and they also offer a specialized Math Subject test book.</p>
<p>Kids definitely study for the subject tests. He should still study for Math II, even if he is good at math. Spanish would be a perfectly acceptable second test. Again… he should study. The college board has practice tests, and you can also get study books at any major bookstore or online.</p>
<p>Unless he is applying for ED or early action somewhere, there is no need to rush either. He wants to get a good score and take the tests only once, like the SAT.</p>
<p>The tests are also given in November and December - gives more time to study. A month or two of getting comfortable with the information and format is much better than 2 1/2 weeks. </p>
<p>The goal should be one test day (2 hours) and done. With his SAT scores, that should be no problem.</p>
<p>Ok thanks! He will be applying early action to both of the schools we are most serious about, ASU and U of Miami. We have to apply early to both of those in order to be considered for the maximum scholarships. He will apply regular decision to Stanford, and possibly a few others. </p>
<p>But then he has no chance to try again if he is not happy with his scores. Agree he should prep, though. And I think Stanford probably wants to see all scores, so he would have send the first set if they are lower along with any higher ones later. But I still think they weigh the highest scores most heavily.</p>
<p>It sounds like he kind of has to take the tests on Oct 11. How long does it take to get the results back? I wonder if the Oct 11 tests will even get back early enough to make a difference at U of Miami and ASU? We are in the process of applying to both places now! Perhaps we can submit more info as it comes in though…Stanford should be fine either way, since he is applying regular decision anyways. </p>
And yes I admit I have been that kind of mom all along which has created the situation. But I can’t fix that instantly and the end result is a 17-year old boy who is pretty smart academically, particularly in math, but also a little immature. Actually, I’m not sure a school like Stanford is really a good option, because in addition to not being very self-motivated Chris also gets anxiety attacks about his classes and grades, even though he’s never gotten anything less than an A throughout his 4 years of high school. So Stanford might just be too intense for him. I think the pressure would be less at either ASU or the University of Miami, and hopefully he will continue to grow and mature over the next 4 years. In the meantime, I have to help him with the college process or it might not get done! To his credit, he is working hard at writing all his essays and answering the short questions, as well as listing and describing his extracurricular activities…I’m just organizing everything for him and doing tons of research on which colleges he may want to apply to. (This situation is even more complicated by the fact that he is currently attending a boarding school out of state, so we are doing everything by phone, text and email.)</p>