What Scores Colleges Expect

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>I recently signed up here to discuss the SAT, but I've been reading posts every once in a while for some time, and I've noticed that NO SAT scores seem to be acceptable here for ANY school. Every comment seems to be "IMPROVE SATS"...</p>

<p>In reality, what scores do colleges expect? </p>

<p>Harvard, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Grinnell, Amherst, Williams, Michigan, CalBerkeley, UCLA, NYU, USC.</p>

<p>What would you say these schools expect?</p>

<p>On the January SAT: 2150 - Got easily flustered, got a 9 essay, and made a ton of stupid mistakes. Is this really such a low score for top colleges?</p>

<p>March SAT: </p>

<p>Math: Found area for the curve question, screwed up block grid in (22), gridded incorrectly another grid-in. Assuming another mistake somewhere within the test.</p>

<p>Writing: Don't think I will get anything lower than a 780. Essay should be 10+.</p>

<p>Critical Reading: Perhaps 4 Vocabulary wrong, don't believe I had any actual reading questions incorrect.</p>

<p>So, what score do you think I'd receive? To what colleges does this appear to be a good score? To which ones does it appear to be average or bad?</p>

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<p>I know that on collegeboard’s website for students you can research colleges and find out what ther 25-75 percentile range is. I reference that a lot, but you can also check on a college’s website.</p>

<p>Also, lots of colleges consider things besides SAT’s too. As long as you do decent or above average, and everything else is good, you have a pretty nice chance of getting into a good school. But then again, with an Ivy League school, everyone will probably share your qualifications, or maybe even surpass them.</p>

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<p>Wieners, you have great scores. Most colleges, even top ones, like to see great scores, but most college Admission departments will tell you that, in looking at grades, essays, activities, rigor, community service and everything they look at, scores may often be lower down in the list of things they look at. They want to see a student who promises to be a contributor to their college community. A college full of students with only perfect grades and test scores would be a boring community. Show that you can do the work. Tell them what kind of community member you intend to be. College Confidential contributors tend to be pretty driven…there are a lot of other kids AND many terrific colleges out there, top tier, second tier or others. Find a few you could love and go for it!</p>

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<p>Thanks, SJTH, for your response. It is certainly belittling when my only exposure to SAT scores comes from this site…people in school never discuss their scores.</p>

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<p>For the very top schools, 2150 is an acceptable, even good, score. It’s at about the 50th percentile for schools like Brown and just below 50th percentile for schools like Harvard and Columbia (for which the score at the 75th percentile is almost 2400, meaning 25% of their student body have almost perfect scores). For the other schools you listed it’s well above the 50th percentile. Given that the bottom half of the very top schools is largely filled (not mostly, but more so than the top half, so considerably) with students with hooks, athletes, etc., who basically get their spots before you, it’s a good idea in general to shoot for a higher score, not because the original one is bad, but because one could be significantly more competitive than they would be. But at the same time it’s a good, safe score to have, and for schools not in the Ivy League especially, 2150 is a great score. (For example it would be at the 75th percentile for NYU.)</p>

<p>And your SAT score should be around 2250-2280, if my estimations are accurate.</p>