<p>sb is begging for attention IMO.</p>
<p>imo it would be an utter waste of time to retake after a 2360.</p>
<p>Instead of stressing over what does not matter, concentrate on making yourself into a better person and making the rest of your application stronger.</p>
<p>Pretty much what everyone said…</p>
<p>FYI, Harvard rejects 2400’s. No kidding.
That should indicate that ivy league’s aren’t going to base their decisions on test scores only. If that were the case, nobody would have to worry about getting in anywhere as long as they had a certain score.</p>
<p>2360 is in the 99th percentile, so really there’s absolutely no need for you to retake that. It won’t make much of a difference even if you get a 2400. They can still reject you if someone else has better EC’s, recommendations, essays, etc.</p>
<p>So focus on those other things; ivy league admissions can be extremely subjective at times so you want to be as honest with them as possible and demonstrate on paper the kind of person you really are, not just a kid with high test scores.</p>
<p>Good luck and congrats on that 2360! You have no idea how many people would love to have that score…including me, lol.</p>
<p>No Harvard will not take a 2360. To get into Harvard you have to score at least 2450 if you want to have the slightest chance. Usually everyone who gets in Gets about 120% of the answers on the SAT correct. Tough luck, have fun at community college.</p>
<p>EDIT: lmao, I don’t think me and the person above realized this thread is 2 years old</p>
<p>It’s my understanding that Presidential Scholars have already been picked for 2009.</p>
<p>^ lol nice. yea exactly, i can’t believe you actually asked this. and for that matter, i can’t believe your counselor actually asked this. </p>
<p>dude, ask your counselor what he/she was thinking!</p>
<p>also keep in mind that 25% of harvard students don’t have 2370 or above. a small minority of students there will be above the 75th percentile for all three sections.</p>
<p>I understand why many would ridicule the OP for considering retaking a 2360, but there are legitimate concerns.</p>
<p>First of all, most people here have nicely convinced themselves that there is little difference between a 2300s score and a 2400, but the fact is that 2400 scorers get into top colleges at a significantly higher rate.</p>
<p>Second of all, I’ve looked through the Harvard decisions thread before, and although it’s a small sample size, I did make one crucial observation: typical unhooked and accepted candidates didn’t necessarily have an 800 on the Math section, but the vast majority did ace the CR and Writing. I think for a school like Harvard where engineering is not as emphasized, a 2360 of your type is the “worst” 2360 one can have (Harvard probably weighs CR the most), whereas a 2360 with 760 Math would be better. </p>
<p>With all of that said, your score is still superb and it can take you to any college if the rest of your application is up to par. Certainly it will be an admissions boost. I do think that people tend to underestimate the power of a 2400, however, and if you can earn a 2400, by all means go for it because it will further distinguish you.</p>
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<p>Do you happen to have any solid (released by Harvard) figures on this? And correlation does not imply causation. Even if people with a 2400 had a 10% higher acceptance rate, it might not be the 2400 that got them in. They might be better at writing essays, have better ECs, have higher GPAs…</p>
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<p>Which is more likely Situation 1 or Situation 2?:</p>
<p>Situation 1:
Harvard admissions officer 1: Great ECs, essays, and grades. What did he get on his SAT?
Harvard admissions officer 2: A 2360.
Harvard admissions officer 1: What!!! How dare anyone applies with anything less than a 2400? Thats unacceptable. Wheres the shredder?</p>
<p>Situation 2:
Harvard admissions officer 1: Great ECs, essays, and grades. What did he get on his SAT?
Harvard admissions officer 2: First he got a 2360. He then retook and got a 2400.
Harvard admissions officer 1: Wait, he retook a 2360? Why would anyone do that?
Harvard admissions officer 2: Maybe he is test obsessed?
Harvard admissions officer 1: I agree. He is obsessed with tests. Retaking a 2360 shows poor judgement. He wasted a Saturday and instead could have been doing things like volunteering, ECs… Not the type of person we want at Harvard.</p>
<p>The original question is preposterous. Of course having a 2360 will not keep someone out of Harvard. With all other aspects of the application held constant, replacing the 2360 with a 2400 is very unlikely to tip an applicant into the “accept” pile. At that level of score, the key issues are quality of transcript (rigor and grades), EC’s, essays, recommendations, national awards, and the unquantifiable “extras” that make the admissions committee want to accept an applicant.</p>
<p>I hope the OP took the SAT II’s already.</p>
<p>However, it is not necessarily utterly pointless to retake the SAT I, provided that the OP does not waste any time on prep. Then it’s just 5 hours or so. </p>
<p>The OP’s counselor knows what the Presidential Scholars program is. This puts the counselor ahead of most in the U.S., and it’s clear that the counselor thinks of the OP as a potential candidate. 1560 on CR + M will not suffice to qualify, except in a very small number of states, such as (probably) Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The counselor probably has some experience with students whose qualifications are similar to the OP’s, and may think that the OP could manage 800 CR (on the other hand, it’s possible that the counselor was being sarcastic). Also, the OP prefers SAT CR to ACT reading. So, if the OP would like to shoot for Presidential Scholar status, I see no real harm in retaking (assuming that the 2360 was a first-time score). </p>
<p>Presidential Scholars are selected as seniors, which the OP will be next year. There is no money involved, and it doesn’t help with admissions; but, if selected, you do get to spend time in Washington, D.C., and meet the President, which is bound to be interesting. The odds are low, but they are basically zero with 1560 CR+M . . . unless the OP already has an ACT sum of scores that is 142 or higher, in which case, qualification via ACT is probable (higher cut-off possible in CA).</p>
<p>There is also the issue that if the counselor’s advice was real, and not a joke (and assuming that the counselor is the school guidance counselor and not a paid consultant), then it might be a generally good idea to follow the counselor’s advice, regardless of outcome. Just be really careful on M in case of a retake.</p>
<p>Post Script: Retaking a 2360 would be a total loser of an idea for someone applying to MIT. But I don’t necessarily think Harvard would take such a bleak view.</p>
<p>um guys im pretty sure the OP was a senior in 07-08 if this was originally posted in may 2007…so he’s in college now.</p>
<p>but interesting information on the Presidential scholars program and whether or not a 2360 is “ok” (that’s what I got too, 800 cr, 780 m, 780 w, and i’m not planning on retaking)
SO if a 1560 isnt good enough for the Presidential Scholars program, what is?</p>
<p>lol yeah guys this OP already got into harvard last year.</p>
<p>D’oh! In Michigan, 1590 is not good enough for the Presidential Scholars program (one data point).</p>
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<p>doesn’t harvard accept score choice?</p>
<p>Yes, they do have score choice. But that really isn’t a reason to obsess over a 2360 and re-take it.</p>
<p>WHAT THE EFFFFFFFF?!?!?!</p>
<p>Is this a serious thread? Do you think being in the 99th + percentile is going to hurt your chances of getting into Harvard?</p>
<p>Typical CC post.</p>
<p>EDIT: Just realized that this thread is old. He/She got into Harvard.</p>
<p>Now I’m curious whether commodore24 retook the SAT I or not.</p>
<p>Well, he got into Harvard, and he probably would have gotten in with the 2360 even if he did retake it.</p>
<p>I’m going to crawl into a corner and pretend that I’m not jealous.</p>
<p>this is one of the dumbest questions from a smart person I have ever heard. This is does not even require an answer. It seems like you posted this to seem pretentious.</p>
<p>They would decline you because its a low score, NOT.</p>
<p>Its an absolutely excellent score, yes they will accept it.</p>