<p>I've been told that standout EC's are rarer and much more valued than top SAT scores at the best schools -- especially ones like Caltech, MIT, Stanford and Harvard. True or false? Or MUST you have both?</p>
<p>Published research in professional journals, University internships, Intel/Siemens prizes... what EC's do you think it takes to stand way, way above the crowd?</p>
<p>If you can publish research, you can learn how to ace the SAT. You need both.</p>
<p>Need both, unless you have some absolutely amazing EC’s (which very few have). </p>
<p>Sorry, if you get a 1300 on your SAT some colleges will question whether you really can handle their work; after all, if you plan to major in engineering, how will your national award in violin help you become a successful engineer?</p>
<p>You can play music for the real engineers you get to do your work for you? XD</p>
<p>there you go! XD</p>
<p>mowmow</p>
<p>What do you consider “absolutely amazing”?</p>
<p>Nationally ranked athlete, international renown for talents in something or humanitarian aid, etc. </p>
<p>Basically, if a college doesn’t think you can handle the work for your major, the only exception they’ll give you is if your special talents somehow can replace a strong academic career.</p>
<p>I would say EC > SAT any time! ahah however, they do for well roundedness so don’t f up your SAT either, just study that thing and you can do decently</p>
<p>Good extracurriculars are definitely more important than good SAT scores. I’ve asked admissions officers from top private schools (Yale, (U)Penn, Columbia), and they don’t seem to respect the SAT as much as they used to. The guy from Yale was all nonchalant about it too, saying how he rejects 2400s all the time. =</p>
<p>That’s not the point of the SATs. </p>
<p>Basically, those scores are “everything”, and yet at the same time they are “nothing” for the top tier private institutions. (For large public state schools, they are FAR more important, though). </p>
<p>The way I see it, the SAT is sort of a “qualifier”, meaning they look at your scores and say “He can handle our work, but so can tons of other applicants- I’m going to look at his EC’s now”. On the other hand, if your SAT isn’t up to par, doubts will be raised whether you have the mental aptitude to handle the curriculum, and whether your GPA is really because of easy teachers- In this case, don’t expect your EC’s to make up for that. </p>
<p>So basically, if you’re SAT is already 2100+, then the difference between a 2200 and a 2100 isn’t going to be huge. But unless your some amazing person, don’t expect to get into Harvard with an 1800, no matter how good your EC’s are.</p>
<p>I’d assume if the EC isn’t something academically related, then it can’t cancel out horrible SAT scores for top tier universities. College is for learning, everything else is extra and the extra just makes you stand out if you’ve already proved that you’re good academically for the college to use their time and resources on you. Why would a school care that you’re a piano prodigy or something (unless you’re going for music) if you can’t handle academics that are the point of college. I’m sure if you’re amazing at something the requirements might be slightly lower but I still don’t think they’d get a 1700 SAT with a mediocre high school record into Harvard. (And by mediocre I mean 100/200 of their class with B- average since that’s the mediocre for the real world, not CC mediocre which is like 20/300 and an A- average with only 5 AP’s LOL)</p>
<p>Although I know of a just-above-average student who was admitted to Harvard because she is an actress.</p>
<p>We all know of those random success stories. Don’t for a second think that your EC’s will make up for a shabby academic record, though, unless it’s incredible; i.e. one in a hundred-thousand.</p>