Trying to get into Yale. SAT score too low. Studied a lot. Advice? Please?

First of all your score was fine. You don’t get into Yale based on a perfect SAT score. You don’t get in based on being the perfect student or the perfect test taker that took it over and over and even took both SAT and ACT (my daughter did not take the ACT). Your score is fine. Now its time to move on to the other parts that make up your whole package. You have the GPA and the SAT checked off. It is the rest of the file that will keep the admissions attention when they spend the limited amount of time looking at it. They are not going to base admission on numbers. You will all have great numbers. If you spent more time stressing on that area of your application, you may miss the boat on the rest of the package required to make them say,“Wow this is one cool kid”. What else do you have to offer your first impression? Focus on that.

  1. "I thought TCB's stuff was worthless..."

–With only 6 official SAT tests available, you were destined to run out of material pretty quickly.

Solution: ACT. There are 40+ official tests floating around online.

  1. "...please do not tell me that I'll live if I don't get into Yale. It's easy for people to say stuff like that because it isn't their problem."

–I agree with you. Don’t listen to others who may try to dissuade you from your goal.

But… be prepared to fail. Have alternatives just in case it doesn’t work out the way you want it.

3a. “I just don’t know what to do. I’ve also tried the strategies you’ve mentioned. I’d get a handful of things wrong, and they’ll be different every time.”

–Maybe you’re not good enough to score much higher. Either you stop whining and try harder (eventually luck might fall on your side) or you try alternative options (ACT, different colleges).

3b. “I also feel that it’s hard to get a good practice test experience from Khan because there are a lot of mistakes.”
–Uhhh… see #1 above.

  1. "I'm not sure that you know much more than I do." --Sometimes ideas come from unlikely sources.

Meh. The OP’s score of 1450 on the new SAT is equivalent 2080 on the old SAT, which is on the low side for Yale. Accepted student’s with lowish test scores usually have something extraordinary in their file, such as being a recruited athlete, concert quality musician, URM, legacy, developmental case etc. Does the OP have that? https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/higher-ed-brief-sat-concordance.pdf.

We can quibble if it’s a majority or not. I can tell you this however, the majority of ADMITTED students are not Yale obsessed. They are balanced individuals who are already on a trajectory for great things and schools like Yale are the natural outcome of that already-started journey.

When I do encounter “obsessed” applicants to top colleges, in my mind, I pretty much write them off b/c that’s not a characteristic that the top colleges desire at all. It works against you – and you’re not even aware of it.

“Obsessed” about Yale is not a feature I would describe I found in ANY of my classmates or myself. In my mind, I see the boy who just tries too hard to get the girl’s attention. Eiewww.

We were excellent at some things – and felt incredibly blessed to be at Yale – but had the wherewithal to know that the earth’s axis didn’t spin on New Haven. After graduation, we definitely are of that mindset.

Good luck however.

@gibby But isn’t that broken down to different percentages now? I know that its not a total score of three assessments anymore. Perhaps I am switching it but when speaking to someone the other day about the new scoring, they said that anything over a 700 was good because it was based on just the two sections and not based on three. I could be confused though. It is very different from the 2400 that I am used to.

@gibby Do you know if Yale is even using the Concordance Tables? I know that other top and “holistic” schools are not using it at all.

OP - I do agree with with @Memmsmom ^^ says. However, @gibby also makes a good point (your score is on the low side irregardless of whether concordance is being used). Therefore, if your SAT score is making you second guess your chances for Yale and you have nothing else extraordinary in your application, you can always take the SAT again in January and ACT in February after you have gotten the applications done (these are the latest dates according to the Yale website) to see if you can raise your score.

@OP, you made one good decision in deciding against applying SCEA. Try to improve your SAT and try the ACT. Work on your essays, and do anything (that isn’t obnoxious) that might get you stellar recommendations.

That’s my advice, other than to remind you that Yale accepts a small percentage of applicants. You will thrive whatever the eventual outcome.

See, the point some of us make is that this desperation (you brought it up and the idea Yale is the single “best,”) are what can trip you up.
It can cloud the way you approach your application. At the very least, it’s not the mature and balanced thinking tippy tops look for. And you note the near nervous breakdown.

No, the PhD degree matters next to nothing in LoRs. That’s their accomplishment, not what you’re vetted for. (Are these teachers? Because those are the most valuable letters. And the depth and quality of what is actually written.)

The 3.94 means some grades less than A. That can matter. Rigor is important. But you have to grasp that thousands+ will have rigor and 4.0, more than there are seats for. Plus the right sorts of activities, attributes, and the ability to create a strong whole app, to show their match.

And then there’s the issue of competing apps from your hs and local area. If this is a hot private hs, what’s your GC say?

The idea is to control for what you can. Sure, keep trying. But don’t be desperate. Being informed includes a wise, mature, and balanced perspective. Not just dreams.

@Memmsmom: If you look at the concordance tables, an individual score of 700 in Math on the new SAT is equivalent to a 670 in Math on the old SAT. And 700 on the new SAT for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing is equivalent to a 1310 on the old SAT for Writing plus Critical Reading. So scores from the old SAT to the new SAT are not identical, and 700 in one does NOT equal 700 in the other. And, while having a score of 700 on all three sections of the old SAT was thought by some to be “good enough” the same is not true with the new SAT. Yes, it’s confusing.

To @londondad’s point: I would think Yale (and all colleges) are using some sort of concordance table – and I would assume most colleges would be using the College Board’s concordance table, which administers the test. That said, I don’t know specifically how Yale Admissions evaluates the new SAT scores.

I understand that many of you have good intentions…butno one is really being helpful here, so I’m going to delete this thread as soon as possible. You do not know me as a person, and you do not know what I have done outside of the classroom. If you looked closely, I mentioned that I had a 3.94 GPA and took the absolute hardest courses of any student in my grade. I mentioned my recommenders (who happen to be my teachers, I have a bit of an unusual circumstance) and other things only to make it clear that I’ve been strategizing when it comes to the other parts of my application. Yes, I do see the “big picture.” Unfortunately, my SAT score is going to be a big part of it.

At this point, I’ve beent told that I’m incredibly desperate, and I’ve also been told to stop whining and just study. Wouldn’t a desperate person study as much as it takes? As I mentioned, I’ve already studied 80 hours. Just doing random stuff is not going to help me out.

Maybe I should have been more clear. What I’m really looking for is:

  1. A student who received a very high score on their SAT (preferably about 1550 or higher)

  2. A parent with a kid who received a score like the one mentioned above

  3. A person who somehow has some special insight when it comes to the new SAT (I doubt I’ll find anyone like this)

I would like those people to tell me what worked for them/how they prepared.

If you are not one of these people, chances are that your advice will not be helpful.

I really need to figure out how to delete this.

OK, I will try to help. My son got a 1580 in one sitting on the new 2016 SAT. (800 math, 780 critical reading). He did not use Khan Academy. He used the College Board book since we didn’t want him to waste time on anything not written by the College Board itself as they are the folks that write the exam.

I know it is hard because there are so few exams available to study from, so I do see how you are running out of valid unseen material. I believe Khan Academy uses some of the same tests, but I am not sure it is helpful to waste time on any test items Khan Academy may have added that are not directly from the College Board. Also, the Khan Academy is on the computer and you will be taking the exam on paper, so practicing on paper is best. My son worked through the College Board book taking everything timed, some as timed sections, and some as a full timed test. He made sure he understood everything he got wrong and went over those items with his dad. My son was one of the first to take the new SAT so there was not a lot to go on other than that book.

There were probably a few things in his background that helped him, but you can’t go back in time to do those things, so I will just mention them in case they help someone else. One was taking the SAT in 7th grade for the talent search so he was absolutely familiar with what the SAT was like and confident about it. No nerves. Another was having taken the Math SAT II two years before the SAT, I think his review for that carried forward. And lastly, he did study a bit for the PSAT which for the class of 2017 was similar to the new SAT, but again he only had the limited material from the college board to work from.

I think there is something to studying for the SAT a bit (7th grade) and then not thinking about it for a few years and then studying again (Math II) and then not thinking about it for a while, and then studying again briefly(PSAT) and then letting it go for a few months, and then studying again (SAT). There was also an ACT i(35) interspersed in there too. So studying, taking the exam.dropping it for a few months to a year, and then doing it again seemed to be the right thing for him.

@TrudiRexar

Thank you so much for your post. This is the type of post I am looking for. I have unfortunately found that most people just don’t get it, but I’m not really surprised about that. What’s really unfortunate though, is that I’ve discovered that you can’t delete your threads or posts.

So all he did was use that College Board book? I believe that there are four tests in that book. Those same tests are on Khan Academy. Also, do you know how many hours he studied specifically for the new SAT? How does he think it compares to the old exam, especially the math section? I did thoroughly review my responses after each exam, but maybe they are worth going back to. I am also studying for the Math II exam. Maybe resuming SAT prep after not looking at it for a month will be helpful for me.

Again, I am very appreciative of your post. I might PM you if I have more questions. Thanks!!! : )

Yale lets in fewer than 10% of the kids who apply, so even if you got that SAT up to 1500+, it’s a reach.

Try to find schools that share some similarities with Yale. If part of the draw is the residential college system, for instance, Rice has that. That’s just one school based on one variable, but you get the idea.

@prezbucky I’m looking for SAT strategies only. Thanks.

So so wrong. There is no preference for ACT or SAT. Both tests are difficult. And your line begging us to think you aren’t stupid…what’s that about? You won’t get into Yale with your score but you know you aren’t stupid, so don’t be disingenuous. Meanwhile, I hope you are applying to other schools, and you should consider the ACT.

By the way, I tutor for both tests. You will not find anyone who knows the tests well that thinks ACT is easier. If anything, due to the time constraint, it is more difficult for some people. I haven’t tutored a single student for the SAT since May, and I live on the East Coast. Everyone wants to try the ACT now, and I recommend you do too.

Are you sure you are looking for strategies only? If so, why include Yale in the title? I am a test prep tutor, and here is my advice to you. Focus on the answers and eliminate incorrect ones, rsther than trying to find the correct one. There is always a reason why an answer is incorrect, but people often focus on just trying to find the correct answer. They (college board) deliberately make it difficult to do that.

Is that helpful? A little more advice. You will get more flies with sugar than vinegar.

OP, you’re lucky you posted your question here on CC rather than Reddit.

If you think we’re being tough on you here, you would’ve been verbally murdered on that site.

Nobody holds back on that site.

:slight_smile:

@mmk2015 I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have only asked for SAT strategy help. That is it. Your comment is not helpful. Please do not post unless you fall under the criteria outlined in post #14. Thanks.

@Lindagaf I mentioned Yale in case someone had any Yale-specific tips. This was mostly for parents of Yale students or alums (I’m guessing that actual Yale students have better things to do than hang around on this site). For example, if you said something like, “I wrote about (blank) on this essay in a (blank) manner, and I think that it really stood out to the admissions officers,” that might be helpful. Mostly, I mentioned Yale because I thought it would be good to mention that I would like to improve my scores for the purposes of attending an institution comparable to an Ivy League school. In my case, my first choice would be Yale. I thought that otherwise I would get a lot of responses telling me not to worry about my scores, ect. If you do not like me, you can feel free to stop posting on my thread. I would really appreciate that. Your “advice” has not been helpful.

On an anonymous forum, all people can deal with is the message that comes thru. And just as in holistic admissions, it’s not always what one thinks he said. Or asked for. Think about it.

@lookingforward I am only looking for a specific type of response. I would rather not have to deal with all of the “advice” that does not answer my question nor apply to me. That I why I have asked that people refrain from posting unless they fall under the criteria oultined in post #14. I think that it will save everyone a lot of headaches.

I understand if my initial post was not clear enough. I hope that my query is understandable now.