I got 52 out of 58 questions right on the SAT math part (I don’t know what happened since I had a really good feeling about it. I might have messed up things when reporting my answers on the answer sheet).
Anyway I got a 690 in math which is low by MIT standards (I found the SAT math curve particularly harsh for this test). I also took the toefl and will get my scores on Tuesday. I had already decided to send all my scores to MIT so they have probably received them by now.
The thing is, will they care if I got a bad score on the SAT but a good score on the toefl? Will they only take into account the best one only or did I just kill my chances?
What about other schools (Harvard, Stanford and Columbia)?
Your SAT math score, while excellent for many U.S. colleges, falls 80 points below MIT’s 25th percentile. Realistically, they couldn’t help but take notice of this.
A high TOEFL score (generally 100+) is expected at top U.S. schools. Therefore a good TOEFL score will not offset a subpar SAT result.
The TOEFL tests your ability to speak English well. A good score on it shows that if you are studying at an English language university (as far as I know this includes every university in the US) then English will not be a problem for you.
The SAT math test is a measurement of your ability in mathematics. This is a very different skill. MIT is going to care about your ability in mathematics. 690 in math is very low for MIT. When I was there, approximately half of all students at MIT had gotten 800 on the math SAT. I think that the median is now about 790 for MIT. Basically, for many students at MIT, there was not even one single question on the math SAT that was remotely challenging.
I think that MIT is pretty much not going to happen. Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia will be very high reaches with a 690 on your math SAT. Your application would need to be pretty nearly perfect in other ways.
I’m from France and got 730 on Math 2 and 670 in physics. The thing is that I took both the SAT and the SAT subject tests on the last test dates possible: Nov and Dec (couldn’t take them before) and most of the material are things I’m going to study during my senior year.
I had to go (almost) from scratch and study all of the material in a few weeks at night after high school. Even though I’m fluent in English, it was my first time studying math and physics in English and my first time taking an MCQ test in both subjects (that might sound weird, but French people write a lot).
I know my scores are low for MIT but they’re far from reflecting my level in math and physics. I just hope they’ll at least look at the rest of my application to realize that…
Engineering but I don’t know what exactly (probably something around computer science though)
690 on the math SAT, 730 on math 2, and 670 in physics are relatively good scores. These are good for many schools. You would get in multiple other universities in the US. However, I would be surprised if you would get in anywhere that was worth the cost relative to very good universities in Europe and in Quebec (where I think that you would pay Canadian prices based on being a French citizen).
If I were in your situation then I would be looking at U. de Montreal and McGill, and/or schools in France. My guess is that your SAT scores will probably be just good enough for McGill, which will turn your admissions decision into primarily a GPA issue, where I am guessing you are going to do well.
The competition is so fierce, with so many applicants with better than 690 or 670. On top of that, engineering requires math and physics skills, so they do check those scores and how they compare. And the success of your application depends on how you match in other ways, as well. Unless you have the rest, it’s going to be tough. Same for any US tippy top college, when you want stem, particularly engineering. The competition isn’t just difficult to get admitted. It’s also the reality of the level of preparation and expectations, once there.