<p>This is an excerpt from a post in the Yale forum that I created. Although it refers to Yale as an example, I believe it applies to many colleges. Hopefully it is something that will help future applicants!</p>
<p>First and foremost, as I see on many chance threads, people worry about their SAT and ACT scores. Although no one can be for sure, from my experience and exploration through CC, admissions sites, and other resources, they have minimal impact on your chances <em>once</em> you reach a certain benchmark. For some colleges the benchmark may be 1750/2400. For others, it may be 2050/2400. For Yale, my guesstimate is it is about 2100, give or take 100 points. What this means is, in the preliminary examination of your application, you are categorized by your SAT score - whether this is a formal procedure or not, I am relatively sure it happens. Now having a score below 2100 does not mean you have no chance of getting admitted. What it means is that you better have a stellar application otherwise. In addition, once you hit that certain "benchmark," your score doesn't really matter. At that point, admissions officers know you can handle the coursework. This is why we sometimes hear people who score 2400 or 36 complain that they did not get in with their astounding test scores. Yes, they had the test scores to handle the course work, but did they have the rest of the package? Probably not. Test scores are important, but they do not always represent a person's ability to thrive in the college atmosphere. Especially at Yale, academics are not everything. Yale wants a group of students who will thrive in many areas of collegiate life - from academics to athletics and everything in-between. Ultimately my advice in this area is, if you have an SAT score below 2100, work on improving it if you can, but remember, you still have a chance, albeit a smaller one than if you had a 2300. If you have a score above 2100, GOOD JOB. This is something to be proud of - just remember there are 26,000 applicants who will have similar scores. Now focus on the rest of your application.</p>