When you read about 25-75% SAT percentile, where should you fall?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>When a college profile provides the 25%-75% of students, do these scores:</p>

<p>1.) Comprise of last year's incoming freshman or the whole school?
2.) Also, I would presume at a top university 25% and below consists of people with serious serious hooks. As a candidate, where should you fall?</p>

<p>3.) If you fall in say near the 65% of combined SAT score in which 75% in one category (i,e, math) and near 25% in say verbal, how do colleges look at your score - would they look at individual component or the combined score. In my case I have a 1480- math= 790 and verbal= 690</p>

<p>Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.</p>

2

<ol>
<li>incoming freshman</li>
<li>You should get the highest SAT score that you can possibly get. There is no way to tell you where you should fall.</li>
<li>If you notice on applications, only the ACT has a composite score. The SAT section separates the Verbal-Math-Writing sections. Even though we add the scores up when talking about the SAT (probably just to make our lives easier when talking about it), I believe the college looks at each score individually. Anyway, the general consensus of colleges is that SAT scores are mattering less and less each year.</li>
</ol>

3

<p>I agreeee,.</p>

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<p>other answers to the questions?</p>

5

<p>" Anyway, the general consensus of colleges is that SAT scores are mattering less and less each year."</p>

<p>I have not seen that to be true.</p>

<p>IMO, for a school to be a safety, you need to be above the 75th percentile, and the school can NOT be a place like HPYS, which are safeties for no one except perhaps billionaire donor's kids with high stats!</p>

<p>For a school to be a match, your scores need to be within the 25th-75th percentile, and you also need to take time with your application, show interest, etc.</p>

<p>For it to be a reach, your scores need to be below the 25th percentile. Keep in mind, however, that the most competitive colleges HPYS, etc. are reaches for everyone, no matter how wonderful their scores are. Even if a school is a reach, unless you'd be an automatic admit (as is the case at some numbers-driven public institutions), still take time with your application and if it's a rolling admission college, get your application in early while there still are plenty of spaces.</p>

<p>The ranges refer to incoming freshmen, not, incidentally, accepted students. Accepted students scores probably are higher.</p>

<p>Also, it's important for you to break your SAT scores down into cr, m, w. Many colleges this year are disregarding the w score because the colleges don't know what it means. Also, the individual cr, m scores are important, not just the composite. For instance, a 1200 score that comes from a 400 v, 800 m would not give a student as good a chance of admission as a 600 v, 600 m. That's because virtually all colleges view the verbal score as begin most important since regardless of major, all students have to do extensive reading and writing in college.</p>

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<p>what do you think of the score breakdown in my situation?</p>

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<p>if you're shooting for a tier 2 school (not sure if that's how they are labelled), you're okay. i think.</p>

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<p>You need to compare your scores to that of students at the colleges that you are applying to. I think that the US News web site gives (for a $15 or so one-year membership fee) the SAT breakdown and other info for most colleges in the country.</p>

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<p>NSM usually gives excellent advice; I think in this instance she may be a trifle optimistic regarding her match and safety comments though. If you are a not-hooked candidate from an overrepresented region and/or ethnic group, your scores will probably need to be at least in the top half for a school to be a match; for a safety, I'd say you ought to be in the top quarter. At HYPS/AWS, all bets are off for almost everyone; at top schools other than those (I would extend this to perhaps the top ten or twelve LACs and the top twenty or even twenty-five universities), I would say the school is a reach or at best a high match if you are not at the top of the top quarter (again, assuming no hook). Your 790/690 will be helpful at most schools but not at those I've singled out; obviously, too, a lot depends on your grades and other credentials, so the scores are only part of the puzzle.</p>

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<p>I agree with mattmom. I was overly optimistic.</p>

<p>I continue to suggest that you also pay the bucks to get info from the US News site. It's invaluable, and will give you a very good idea of where you stand at the colleges that you're considering. Also keep in mind that admissions this year is expected to be even more competitive than last year. Remember to love thy safety.</p>

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<p>what about for... duke?</p>

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<p>Look up the info as I suggested. Don't rely on anonymous websites where well meaning posters may accidentally give wrong info. You can either find the info on Duke's site or on the US News site.</p>

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<p>SAT - Verbal Range (25-75%): 660-750
SAT - Math Range (25-75%): 670-780</p>

<p>Thus for verbal, I fall under perhaps the 45-50% region. And math, I lie above the 75% region. Is this legit to make Duke, for statistcal purpose only, a match-reach school as far as Early Decision goes?</p>

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<p>I'd call it a reach school for ED and RD.</p>

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<p>any thoughts?</p>

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<p>It's hard for anyone to judge how the admissions offices of schools, especially elite schools, will react to a given candidate, and without knowing anything about your qualifications beyond test scores it is even harder. I am inclined to agree with NSM that it is a reach school no matter when you apply, but if you have some very strong academic or EC qualifications, you may have a somewhat better shot ED and it may be a more realistic reach. In our part of the country, the very top students do not apply early to Duke; they prefer either Ivys or the top LACs. Speaking from local experience only, Duke lately has had a pattern of accepting very strong candidates RD who either also got into Ivys and did not ultimately choose Duke or candidates who had qualifications that suggested that they shoud have/would have gotten into Ivys but did not, and were then likely to attend Duke. If you are that kind of candidate (other than your test scores, which are not quite on that level) ED probably would give you a little edge at Duke.</p>

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<p>"It's hard for anyone to judge how the admissions offices of schools, especially elite schools, will react to a given candidate."</p>

<p>So true! But, I imagine it's also hard for the adcoms at these schools to know how they'll react in any given year. Without the whole applicant pool (or at least the majority of it) in front of them, it's impossible for them to know who is going to help them build their class. And while test scores play a different role at each institution, I don't know of any where they are the single most important factor. Which should tell us that it would be a very rare occurrence that SAT scores would get a student in ... or keep a student out.</p>

<p>Really, the only way you can have a shot at being admitted is to apply.</p>

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<p>75th percentile....only 25th if you have a hook.</p>

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<p>I thik you guys are getting hung up too much on
numbers i.e. test scores. From what I can tell,
you have the avg score to get into the most competitive
colleges (Stanford avg SAT was last year was around 1500). What's going to make or break you is the rest
of your app. Assuming you're not URM, recruited
athlete, outstanding talent, or donor/legacy:
1) Do you have a near perfect GPA with a demanding
curriculum - lots of Honors and AP's?
2) Do you have 5's in your AP tests?
3) Do you have some stand-out EC's in sports, leadership,
community service, work experience?
4) Did your recommendations reflect the strength
in the rest of your app?
5) Did you write a genuine essay that stands out?
6) Do you have mitigating evidence that negates
any weakness in your crtitical reading scores?
e.g. the grade you're tracking in senior year
(mid year school report) in AP english literature;
chief editor of the school newspaper; published
article in local newspaper or magazine etc.</p>

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<p>Alright, what if you're well above the 75th percentile in one area (specifically V/CR), but below the 25th in the other? I got an 800 CR but a 580 M.</p>