SUB-2000 and still got into a top-tier school?

<p>S got into Berkeley with a 1930</p>

<p>Friend into Duke with a 1900-something.</p>

<p>Son into top LAC with less than 2000
Athletic hook</p>

<p>Brother got into UC Berkeley with a 1600 out of 2400.</p>

<p>This thread is...slightly inspiring? lol</p>

<p>lololololololl</p>

<p>I'll tell you if I get into Cornell Dartmouth or Yale with a 2020 later. lol</p>

<p>I did get into UNC-CH and UF though.</p>

<p>I got a 2030 SAT and got into NYU with a 20K per year scholarship. I'm not an athletic recruit (NYU isn't exactly a sports powerhouse anyway) or a URM. Heck, I'm not even a legacy or first generation college student. </p>

<p>How did I pull this off? Here's how:</p>

<p>1.) I did a lot of volunteer/service work that had to do with my major, education. I volunteered as a camp counselor at a nature camp for the month of August each summer. The other teen counselor from the camp who was a year older than me is currently in Cornell, so maybe there is something special about this camp.</p>

<p>2.) I wrote a pretty good essay which, again, had to do with my volunteer/service work and why I like my major. </p>

<p>3.) One of my teacher recs was from my math teacher, an NYU alumnus.</p>

<p>4.) On the NYU supplement to the common app, I tried to be creative with my answers to the questions, particularly to the question of why did you choose your NYU school (Stern, CAS, Steinhardt, etc.). It might have made me stand out from other applicants who might have given more generic answers.</p>

<p>5.) NYU was the highest rated school that I applied to, therefore NYU might have assumed it was my #1 choice (which it was). For some people, NYU might be a 4th choice or even a safety school. These people are less likely to get big offers from NYU because why would the admissions people want to offer a scholarship to a student who probably isn't going to attend their school?</p>

<p>So there you have it, the 5 main reasons I could think of as to why I got into NYU with a scholarship with a 2030 SAT. I hope this was helpful.</p>

<p>im a normal kid with no hooks, urm, or legacies and i got into bucknell with a 1960.</p>

<p>2070 cornell likely for intl, nothing really special (well since they dont count writing its a 1480/1600). but then you all should realize SATs are used more as a preliminary rejection tool for the obviously "no-chance-in-hell" students to weed down the pool. After that it is how well you connect through your app and how congruent your personality and traits are to what the university wants.</p>

<p>I had around a 1900 and 4.0 weighted gpa and I got into UC Berkeley. Was I supposed to have gotten rejected? haha.</p>

<p>On UCLA:</p>

<p>"kennyk616-No UCLA is very difficult to get into even for in-state. They had over 50,000 application for something like 4200 freshman seats I believe."</p>

<p>UCLA is, actually, not too difficult to get into for in-staters -- that is, in comparison to other top universities. They have a limited number of freshmen spaces, but they know that not all they admit will come -- thus they usually admit ~12,000.</p>

<p>UCLA's stats (as per collegeboard.com):</p>

<pre><code>* 91% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
* 6% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
* 1% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
* 1% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
* 1% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
</code></pre>

<p>SAT Critical Reading: 570 - 690
SAT Math: 610 - 720
SAT Writing: 590 - 700</p>

<p>Obviously, UCLA (and the other UCs) cares more for GPA than for the SAT.</p>

<p>"Brother got into UC Berkeley with a 1600 out of 2400."</p>

<p>Another one of the "I got in too!" cases, eh?</p>

<p>"Obviously, UCLA (and the other UCs) cares more for GPA than for the SAT"</p>

<p>or maybe many come from non competative california public schools where a 3.75 is not uncommon</p>

<p>OK first of all, before applying for college I went to this website and after spending like 5 min I felt like community college was the place for me.</p>

<p>But I figured out that only genius go to CC to talk about the most important things in their life, school. So all you people that are worrying, its alright, you'll be ok.
Anyways, so far I am 4 for 4. (Only applied to UC's) I got into Irvine and their campuswide honors program, Davis, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara. I know to CC these schools are for dirtbags and dumbasses. I know. </p>

<p>But I also applied to Berkeley, and LA and SD.</p>

<p>I want current students to help me out. </p>

<p>4.2 weighted like 3.85 unweighted BEFORE senior year...it dropped a little, especially unweighted, Hey I GOT A LIFE OK!!
1980 SAT
700 in history and MAth 2C
First generation immigrant I think that helps
team captain 2twice and var for volleyball
sunday school teacher-I did it cuz it shows leadership?</p>

<p>3 ap's 4.3 average score 3 more this year</p>

<p>am I in in ucla? I don't care about Berkeley, I live like down the street from it.</p>

<p>"or maybe many come from non competative california public schools where a 3.75 is not uncommon"</p>

<p>Or maybe, as is generally known, UCs care more for one's rigor of courseload and success in such courses than for test scores. (Come on, it was UC that caused the change in the SAT.)</p>

<p>In addition, I'm currently going to a very non-competitive school in California, yet the rigor of my courses are comparable to magnet schools' courses (I've compared the structure with a friend's). Really, the UCs, especially Berkeley and UCLA, take into consideration your 1) courseload, 2) GPA, 3) rank, and 4) school. They get a rundown of grading policies, rigor of curriculum, etc.</p>

<p>URM status is very helpful in that situation.</p>

<p>SSEERRGGEE: why would you apply to Berkeley if you don't care about it? Anyway, you're no shoo-in at UCLA, but it's a match, slight reach.</p>

<p>"I got into Irvine and their campuswide honors program, Davis, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara. I know to CC these schools are for dirtbags and dumbasses. I know."</p>

<p>I could tell you're a noob without looking at your postcount. No, the UCs are generally regarded highly at CC -- people are constantly talking about the University of California. Really, it's a very prestigious system. Irvine, Santa Barbara, and Davis are very common aims of students here and are thus regarded more highly. Santa Cruz is another good one, but arguably not quite as good as the former three.</p>

<p>A girl at my school got into Princeton ED with a 1940 ...she's a Native American though</p>

<p>My cousin got into CMC with a 1820 on the SAT.</p>