konig

Obviously, the international students will usually have a dip in SAT scores (since the succession of mathematics topics, or even those covered at all, differ from the typical american model). For example, in my country (saudi arabia) we cover advanced math {more precalc and calc topics and concepts} more than my friends in Canada (alberta, as a specific example), who have focused a lot on the core concepts (including intermediate geometry and coordinate geometry, which KSA schools dont usually cover).

Seeing that the SAT is designed for American students, do adcoms look at International applicants' scores much differently?

Thank You

b@r!um

They will take your educational background into consideration, but they can only cut you so much slack. Once you are in college, your courses and professors will assume that you know high school geometry, so you will have to learn it eventually. Might as well learn it now and benefit from the higher SAT score.

On CC it sometimes seems as if international applicants typically score higher on the math section than their American peers. I always assumed that's because foreign schools place more emphasize on math than American ones and because international applicants tend to be a very motivated group of students to begin with. But there is also the faint possibility that CC is not a very representative sample of the real college world

Polyglot

I too think internationals who are applying to top US universities tend to have higher scores than US applicants.

SAT Reasoning scores are most meaningful in a context and are thus in such a way viewed by the admission committees. A poor student from an ESL country who got 2100 clearly shows more potential than an affluent, native speaker from NY who got the same score.

konig

yeah good point. But I mean, its all a matter of focus. What if I was the best in the entire applicant pool in calculus, it still doesnt matter. they dont value that in the SAT!

jakolmaster

I honestly think that as an international student, any score <2200 is a phail. Unless you're planning to go to a public university like penn state.

But who the hell would want to go to Penn State. LOL

konig

well, why? What do adcoms look for in internationals that they dont look for in Americans/Europeans/Canadians? Are there different standards? Im talking about HPYMS and top 15

Polyglot

Please do get a reality check.

konig

What is an impressive score for an international student? Im talking top 10%, Ivy quality international (not fluff internationals, like UK,Canada,etc, im talking Developing world international students)

timetravel

wow talk about aiming high.

above 2200 will be a safe number. Though thousands other US applicants will hv even better scores at these kind of schools

konig

wont your situation as an international student (with a full ride scholarship, full tuition, full health coverage, books allowance, laptop allowance, clothing allowance, and monthly stipend) help? Dont they want more diversity (and cash)?

timetravel

depends on what schools u r applying to. the top schools alrdy attract many of such cash-flushed, AND superachiever students. where r u from anyway?

konig

Im from Saudi Arabia( ). Hopefully getting a full-ride scholarship (full tuition, roundtrip plane tickets home every 9 months, monthly stipend, book and clothing allowance, laptop allowance...yeah) Im pretty sure they have enough asian,black, and east asian students in their body to call it "diverse", they need more room for us arabs!

How under represented is the arab population in the top 10 anyways?

Cermi

I hope Konig is right that schools want more internationals from lowly represented countries like Saudi Arabia or Czech republic...:-D

gary7

Internationals, especially from countries like India WILL tend to have a higher score. I guess the average for the Indian population on this forum is safely above 2200 for reasoning test and 2350 for subject tests.

carni

I HIGHLY doubt the average SAT Reasoning test score in India is 2200: should be more near 2000. As for the SAT Subject Tests, 2300+ might just be right.