<p>If you live around the tenafly area, check out RECAS. It is a sat tutoring place where you are literally overcome by SAT work. It is pretty expensive and you will have to go everyday for a month during the summer, but if you are hell bent on getting a high SAT score it will do wonders. Many of my friends have went and every one of them has gotten a 2200+. They did not start out at high scores either with most of them at the 1700- 1900 range. Could not hurt to give it a look.</p>
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Yes, exactly. That’s what she fears most. Good advice. I did tell her to select at least one school that is not popular in our area.</p>
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Clearly. But go tell that to a 17-year-old :-)</p>
<p><<<
our understanding that the most competitive colleges, especially the ones in the east, tacitly prefer the SAT.
<<<</p>
<p>absolutely not true…and also not true that you should “pick a test and stick with it.” who is telling you this?</p>
<p>I know that all colleges accept SAT and ACT, but the word on the street is that highly selective colleges tacitly prefer the SAT – but will never say it.</p>
<p>The pick a test and stick with it advice was from the tutor. But she did not mean never switch to a different test. She meant don’t prepare for both at the same time.</p>
<p>“but the word on the street is that highly selective colleges tacitly prefer the SAT – but will never say it.”</p>
<p>The “word on the street” is wrong. </p>
<p>My son also prepared for both the SAT and ACT at same time with the same tutor. He did better on the ACT so submitted those scores. </p>
<p>My daughter prepared for both tests at the same time and it worked out fine. She took the SAT and the ACT in December. I think it depends on the kid. Colleges do not care which test you submit. </p>
<p>“I know that all colleges accept SAT and ACT, but the word on the street is that highly selective colleges tacitly prefer the SAT – but will never say it.”</p>
<p>Adcoms state that they looked at SAT and ACT equally. Even if you choose not to believe it, an ACT of 32 beats out an SAT of 2000 all day long</p>
<p>ACT SAT
36 2390
35 2330
34 2250
33 2180
32 2120
31 2060
30 2000
29 1940
28 1880
27 1820
26 1770
25 1710</p>
<p>Has she taken any AP test’s yet? If she gets 4’s and 5’s on her AP test’s then that will help show that her GPA isn’t inflated.</p>
<p>SAT is not nearly as important as CC’er make it out to be. Really.</p>
<p>My daughter had a 28 ACT, 1200 CR/Math score, was accepted to Barnard & U of Chicago as well as many others. That was 8 years ago so admissions has tightened somewhat, but the score ranges for these schools haven’t changed. </p>
<p>She’s in the position where her scores aren’t going to be what gets her admitted anywhere, but they aren’t going to keep her out either. The ad com at the most competitive schools are going to be looking at other factors. Her chances at the elite school depend more on her interests and accomplishments than on the test scores. Obviously GPA and academic record are of paramount importance, but from the OP it looks like that’s covered.</p>
<p>I’d stop stressing, focus on colleges that tend to have more more holistic admission practices, but don’t think you need to find SAT optional schools. </p>
<p>The merit money is a different issue, so I think that’s just a factor that will have to be investigated before applying to a college in the hopes of a substantial merit award.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to an interactive chart that I posted a while ago on another thread:
<a href=“The Harvard Crimson | Class of 2017”>http://features.thecrimson.com/2013/frosh-survey/admissions.html</a></p>
<p>This is from a fairly comprehensive survey of Freshman admissions last year – look at the chart labeled “GPA vs. Test Scores” and move your cursor around. </p>
<p>I’m guessing you will probably find similar triangular patterns at most schools – GPA functions as a counter-balance to SAT. So a high GPA student is going to be able to get accepted at many schools where a lower GPA student might be turned down – and of course a high test score can offset a lower GPA --but there is a little more leeway overall with test scores than GPA. (That is, Harvard admits more A students with test scores under 2000, than B+ students with high GPA.)</p>
<p>You need to run out to the store for the ACT Red book. Seriously. I know the type of HS your daughter goes to and I understand how impressive it is for her to be at the top in that environment. My D doesn’t attend that type of HS but her grades are very similar to your D’s. And you know what? My D sucks at the SAT. After the PSAT, she switched over to the ACT. First time she took it, she got a very good score. Second time she took it, she got a very very good score. And now’s she’s done and concentrating on subject tests. Forget the SAT and make the switch now. </p>
<p>I agree that your daughter should try the ACT. She could spend the summer prepping and take it in September. </p>
<p>I doubt the colleges care that much between SAT and ACT and in any case, it would still be much better to have a significantly higher ACT equivalent.</p>
<p>Done. Will get ACT Red Book first thing tomorrow morning.</p>
<p>From here on in she will concentrate on ACT. I’ll report back.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone.</p>
<p>I don’t know if anyone mentioned this school to you, but Gettysburg College is ranked the 50th best national liberal arts college in the country by US News, and is test optional. They require the submission of SAT scores for merit awards; however, your D’s M+CR score are higher than their average (1288), so she should be fine! I would say if anything, this school would be a good fit for her, and she would benefit from applying to it as a safe school. It’s also my advice that she apply to a couple of reach schools. I think she has a chance at the more elite universities with her GPA, especially with a good college essay and high school recommendations. Hope this helps! </p>
<p>Taking the ACT, finding colleges that are within her reach are all great pieces of advice. It sounds like she is in a high-pressure school where your daughter feels compelled to apply to highly prestigious schools. If she is that driven and cannot get past the reality that it will be very difficult to get in to some of her dream schools, she might benefit from counseling. Seriously, many highly driven, perfectionistic teens become tormented by this college process, disparage their remarkable accomplishments, and refuse to accept that they will be fine at a slightly less prestigious school.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Your daughter just needs a well balanced list of colleges to apply to. Certainly, she can include a few of her “prestige” schools. Then a few sure things, and a few probables. The reality is that those tippy top schools are not a sure thing for anyone (unless you are the offspring of the President).</p>
<p>So…let her apply. You never know what may jump out at the adcoms.</p>
<p>brantly, I am very familiar with the high schools you have mentioned, having grown up in one of those areas and living in the other now. The high schools are ultra competitive and the bumper sticker war is fierce. It must be so frustrating for your daughter to be achieving so well academically without the SAT scores to “match.”
You’ve been given good advice which you seem to be taking to heart. Have her take the ACT. Have her prep for the ACT because it is a very different test than the SAT. Perhaps you have heard that the SAT is going to be revamped in the future. They are making it more like the ACT.</p>
<p>Studies show that girls generally do better on the ACT. Their brains are just wired differently. And baloney to the “word on the street.” The ACT is accepted everywhere and in equal measure. I “get it” that half her class will apply to Ivy League schools. But, most will not be accepted. Let’s see how she fares on the ACT and then many of the posters here will have suggestions for you. </p>
<p>I agree that taking the ACT is a good idea in this case.</p>
<p>A couple of pieces of information (maybe correct) that might be useful:</p>
<p>1) I have heard it said that the differences in physiological reactions to stress between men and women tend to make it harder for women to deal with stressful situations of the SAT-testing type. Since the OP’s daughter has scored better on practice tests under the same conditions as the “real” SAT, this may apply to her.</p>
<p>2) The New York Times magazine about 6 months ago had an article on “worriers” vs. “warriors,” or something similar. The gist of the article was that there are people who perform better in stressful situations than day-to-day (the “warriors”) and others who perform worse (the “worriers”). The good news is that there are de-conditioning strategies that can help the “worriers” perform at the level of their capabilities. In some cases, just the recognition that some nervousness is natural to them, and can actually enhance their performance, is enough to reduce the problem significantly.</p>
<p>I think the OP’s daughter should work on strategies to remain calm during the test. The ACT might be better in this regard than the SAT, because (probably) there is less chance of hitting a tricky problem early on that could throw the test-taker off.</p>
<p>One question your OP asked about highly competitive schools was why they might pick certain students over others based on test score. That’s where ECs and perhaps essay can come into play, as well as her recommendation letters. You haven’t mentioned if she has some special EC in the mix of qualifications (also legacy and URM and athlete come into play.)</p>