Which tests to report SAT or ACT or both?

Applying to College
1

<p>My S is a HS senior and will be applying to colleges this fall. His college list is as follows:</p>

<p>MIT
Harvard
RPI
WPI
UConn
Marist</p>

<p>He wants to study Comp Science or something science/math related. His scores are:</p>

<p>SAT Math 740
SAT Reading 750
SAT Writing 780
ACT Composite 35 but he got a 9 on the writing
SAT Subject Math II 800
SAT Subject Chemistry 760</p>

<p>He has good EC's no need to list here.</p>

<p>Ranked #1 as far as we know heading into senior year.</p>

<p>My question is - should he report his SAT's and ACT's to all schools? A 35 on the ACT is great but I'm concerned about the 9 on the writing. </p>

<p>We are looking to maximize the merit scholarships from the schools that offer. We realize Harvard and MIT do not offer merit. He received the RPI Medal Award. We live in CT so he should receive the UConn Presidential Scholarship (free tuition). </p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback.</p>

2

<p>I would go with the ACT, as a 35 is impressive and a 2270 is just a little bit above average at a school like Harvard. Don’t worry about the 9. Colleges know the ACT and SAT are not the best indicators of a student’s actual writing ability.</p>

3

<p>You can determine whether each college on his list even considers the ACT essay score by searching for the name of the college and “Common Data Set” and looking at Section C, which gives all kinds of good information about freshmen admitted to the college.</p>

4

<p>Report all. They will choose which one they believe is better for him, SAT or ACT, in determining admission, and the ACT writing score (a) is actually fine, and (b) will not mean much.</p>