Just to be sure: MITs views on Score Choice

QuantumArbiter · 10-31-2009, 01:28 AM

My counselor said that all the top colleges that I'm applying to (MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Duke, Cornell, and Princeton) all view Score Choice with contempt.

He advices me to send in ALL the scores I have to ALL colleges, regardless of their policy. While I am satisfied with my highest scores on the SAT and subject tests, I am NOT satisfied with my lower scores. I want to hide the lower scores, but my counselor says ALL the colleges listed above will only look at the highest scores...he says I'm all good.

But why ask the lower scores if you're only going to look at the highest? I just don't want to be judged by my lower scores...

Djokovic · 10-31-2009, 01:44 AM

I have similar dilemma, but I score choiced for MIT anyways. The MIT website already indicated that MIT welcomes score choice if the student wants to do so... I am not sure why your counselor is bitter at that. I am not ever sure if colleges even know if you score choiced!

tomjonesistheman · 10-31-2009, 01:51 AM

Yea, MIT allows Score choice for sure, that's what I did.

lidusha · 10-31-2009, 02:19 AM

I say if you have something to hide, go ahead and hide it. But I read from a potentially shady source that colleges can contact collegeboard for more information than you might want to give, though they can't release your actual scores without your approval. Again, no idea if that's true. Can anyone confirm/discredit this?

I didn't use score choice for any colleges because I don't want them to think I'm hiding more than I actually am. But if you consistently scored below 700 on any test or took a test more than twice, it might be worth hiding.

oasis · 10-31-2009, 04:14 AM

QuantumArbiter,

Judging from your successive string of threads, I feel like you are double-guessing on way too many things. You should really try to RELAX and not stress out so much about these minor details. Believe it or not, these things don't make much difference in the long run - they won't be the deciding factor between an admit and a reject. In many ways, what you did up to this point, your activities, and your essays already decided for you whether you're going to be rejected or admitted.

Just do whatever you feel comfortable doing, and go with it. Nitpicking your way through all of these topics will just make you feel more stressed.

My $0.02, just had to be said, thanks.

molliebatmit · 10-31-2009, 10:59 AM

Regardless of whether you use Score Choice or not, MIT will only look at the set of scores that makes you look best. Seriously.

QuantumArbiter · 10-31-2009, 01:47 PM

^Thanks so much Mollie, I understand.

However, while I know you do not represent other colleges, why do colleges like Stanford and Cornell want ALL scores while they claim that they would only look at the highest?

Why ask for the lowest then? I can't help but think that an applicant who took the SAT twice and ends up with a 2020 and a 2240 is at a disadvantage compared to an applicant who received a 2240 on the first try....hypothetically assuming that all their other stats/activities are the same.

feuxfollets · 10-31-2009, 04:32 PM

They want to make sure you didn't take the SAT 8723648761 times and get a 2400 superscored by luck.

molliebatmit · 10-31-2009, 11:05 PM

I can only speculate as to why schools like Stanford or Cornell would want to see all scores, but I can advance a few hypotheses:
1. They want to see how many times you took the SAT, perhaps as a measure of parental resources (# of times taken, jump in scores due to tutoring) or as a measure of applicant obsession.

2. They want to collect a complete data set on the applicant pool, even if that information is not used evaluatively (similar to the way MIT requires the writing score, but is not using it in evaluations).

3. They want to be able to make the determination of which set of scores is the best. If, for example, a school superscores, but you only report the administration with your best math score because that other time you had a really bad day and your math score was low and you don't want them to think you're stupid -- you're hurting yourself. Requiring applicants to report all scores allows the admissions office to choose the best set of scores without applicant panic editing.

*mcgmit* · 11-01-2009, 10:36 AM

Molly, #3 looks pretty good to me vis-a-vis MIT Admissions. Score choice "allows" applicants to choose what foot to put forward, but our system of parsing out individual subcomponents and floating the best of them to the top actually benefits applicants more in the process. That being said, standardized test scores are only a small part of the application.

-McGreggor (MIT Admissions)

credstar · 11-02-2009, 03:02 PM

Does MIT superscore ACT score with SAT score?

Let say my SAT reading is 760 and my ACT reading is 28.

How would MIT look at those 2 numbers?

fireshark · 11-02-2009, 07:45 PM

I would think that they consider them separately; there is no absolutely reliable way of converting ACT/SAT scores and CollegeBoard only publishes equivalence tables once every lifetime.

kemcab · 11-02-2009, 08:13 PM

Who really cares? Unless you've taken it an unacceptable number of times your best will stand out.

QuantumArbiter · 11-04-2009, 04:33 PM

Alright, thanks for the input you guys.

One more completely random question: Is it okay if I don't report AP scores but simply list that I'm AP Scholar with Honors in the awards section?

While I DID pass all my tests, I feel I didn't do as well as I could have. I didn't have a good day when i took those tests...nor did I know it was all that important untill I came here.

*mcgmit* · 11-04-2009, 09:06 PM

That AP score question is great. We don't get your official report of AP scores in Admissions. We rely on your self-reported scores and your official transcript to provide us with that information. (Your HS transcript, 99.99% of the time, has the AP score report appended to it when your Guidance Counselor mails it in.)

We ask on the application for you to list your AP exams and your scores. If you forget to do that, we'll also be able to see them on your transcript.

As for ACT versus SAT, the higher equivalent floats to the top. You would be amazed to see how different ACT versus SAT scores are for the same test-takers. Kids along Tornado Alley tend to do much better on their ACTs, while kids on the coasts might do better on the SATs. It's all quite complicated and unfortunately not very helpful!

(I confess, I remember taking the ACT and feeling that it was really testing how my school taught me. I am from Tornado Alley, though... My friends from NYC thought the opposite.)

-McGreggor