<p>This sounds like one of those ridiculous posts in the Chances thread, but it's not. A friend of mine has asked for advice. His son, a junior in high school, has first-time SAT scores of 800 M, 780 CR, and 680 W. People are recommending that the kid take the test again to pull up the writing score. I told him no way, that most schools are not looking at the writing score anyway. Any opinions?</p>
<p>The student wants to do engineering. Thanks for any info.</p>
<p>No. Let it stand.</p>
<p>scores are great–
check admissions pages of schools the kid wants to apply to–as many schools do not count the Writing portion at all</p>
<p>If that was our house–we’d be doing the happy dance–</p>
<p>Celebrate! No reason for a redo.</p>
<p>let it stand…
If he wants, he can take the ACT and not have the score sent unless it’s somehow “better.”</p>
<p>Some schools do look at the writing score, and at least in the past Harvey Mudd used to have a scholarship that required getting over 700 in each section. (I’m not seeing it on their website now though.) With that in mind, I might have my kid take it once more. My older son did that with similar scores. He just practiced the essay section. He *did *write a better essay, but somehow managed to do worse on the multiple choice section so his score didn’t budge. His CR score stayed the same, and his math score went up 10 points so no harm was done. He spent a few hours practicing essay writing (which was probably good for him) and a few hours one more Saturday morning. I don’t think it hurt him.</p>
<p>Why not take it again? Schools really do “Super-Size” the scores. It cant hurt, and every year the number of schools that do look at writing goes up, so even the ones that dont require it this year Might next year. Give the kid a class in writing, and make sure he knows that there is not the same pressure to do well. While he is at it, take the ACT too!</p>
<p>Forget it! Live an interesting life in your final months in high school, write nice essays, meet with your references and be articulate, keep your grades up, get interviewed by alum, visit classes, read the college newspapers where you may attend, and develop those kind of skills…they come in handy once you are in college…I think my college freshman has already been interviewed four times so far for various jobs positions and opportunities–rejected a couple of times, chosen a couple of times. Entry into college means entry into more applications.</p>
<p>Build up a reasonable college list with a lot of strong matches where these scores are at the top of the top quartile.
Don’t get carried away with thinking you will get into schools with 20 thousand applicants and above just on those SATs…be realistic about waitlists and deferrals.</p>
<p>Always have financial safeties…many tip top students get zero merit money</p>
<p>The ACT is not a bad idea if you apply to a school that also wants 2 SATIIs but accepts the ACT for that category.</p>
<p>The writing score does matter…I don’t care what a website says about it being disregarded. In this student’s case, the writing score is JUST FINE. Good writing scores are Pluses. Bad writing scores are merely question marks…</p>
<p>There is still the need to do well on 3 SATIIs for some Ivies and on 2 for many colleges. Focus on that!</p>
<p>I agree with others- move on to the SATIIs. This is a great score. The strength of the CR score helps the writing score seem less important, and the grading on the writing is subjective, which the colleges are well aware of.
And how does the student know he would improve next time? </p>
<p>If the student is actually a good writer (which I wouldn’t doubt), have him get a letter of recommendation from his English teacher. Good essays and a positive English rec will negate any questions about the writing score.</p>
<p>CC is misbehaving tonight! I will try this post again. I would advise the student NOT to retake with such great scores. There is the distinct possibility that scores would go down the second time. Some schools require that all scores be reported (Yale and Tufts come to mind) and what might admissions committees think when they see a 1580 re-taken? That the student had nothing better to do on a Saturday morning? Most schools consider the writing section a distinct third in the trilogy of importance, and some still do not even count it. </p>
<p>Agree that it’s better to spend time on the SAT 2’s. Harvard and Georgetown still require three of those. Every other school I know about only requires 2 (or none).</p>
<p>My daughter - hs class 2009 - made a 1570 CR-M score on her SAT. </p>
<p>Breakdown: CR-800; M-770; W-700 Overall: 2270</p>
<p>She wanted to retake it; she felt she had nothing to lose and also felt that the W-700 go up. She retook the SAT and made a perfect score on the writing section on her second SAT.</p>
<p>Breakdown: CR-750; M-750; W-800 Overall: 2300</p>
<p>Not much of a difference EXCEPT for the schools that took the highest score in CR-M-W from the two separate tests and in that case she went from a 2270 to a 2370 - a nice bit of difference.</p>
<p>Was it worth it? My daughter doesn’t stress over tests, so in her opinion it cost her only 4 hours one Saturday morning. She felt the time spent was worth it - but she also would have shrugged and said it was worth the Saturday morning attempt even if she hadn’t scored so high on writing the second time.</p>
<p>When DS2 and I visited Johns Hopkins the funniest moment was when the admissions officer for the Maryland area recounted how he knew of 3 students who scored a perfect 2400 on the SATs and still TOOK THE SATs AGAIN!</p>
<p>Yes, he should take it again. 1580 once is really not very good when you are up against people who get 1600 two or even three times.</p>
<p>Another reason to retake might be to try and ensure selection as a US Presidential Scholar Candidate. 1600 M/CR will ensure candidacy while 1580 will not in many states.</p>
<p>retake it.</p>
<p>Thought I’d add a comment to perhaps help your friend’s son, in case he chooses to retake.</p>
<p>Look over the errors made on the multiple choice section of the writing. My daughter’s move from the 700 to the 800 had little to do with her essay. To be honest, if the essay weighed more than the multiple choice, my daughter wouldn’t ever have made a perfect score. Anyway, she scored an 8 on her first essay and a 9 the second time she took the SAT. However, she didn’t miss any of the multiple choice questions the second time. I learned that an 80 (out of 80) on the multiple choice section and a 9 on the essay equals a perfect score. At least it did Spring 2008.</p>
<p>Truthfully, I think that the young man’s decision boils down to whether or not he minds the time spent to take the SAT again. If it stresses him, then he should be happy with his scores. If - like my daughter - he can walk in and take it again, no worries, then why not?</p>
<p>
The scholarship my daughter accepted looks for that 700 in each section also. I don’t know that it’s a requirement, but still …</p>
<p>A 2400 will not guarantee admission to top schools. Some schools will admit students to a university as a whole- therefore he is competing against all applicants, not just potential engineering majors, so his writing score could be a factor.</p>
<p>Many schools compare students’ essays against their W scores as a way of determining whether they may have been outside input in the essays. S may want to retake.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>All I have to say is that the idea of retaking with those scores is only something I would find on CC!</p>