SAT dilema

conartist500 · 07-14-2007, 11:24 PM

ok, so heres my problem; I took my SAT in the fall of my sophmore year, and i got a 1860 ( math-650, reading-640, writing-590). Now these aren't good scores for the schools im applying to: caltech, cornell, michigan, vanderbilt, carnegie mellon, rensselaer ect. However, I got a 32 on my ACT ( math-34, science-33, grammar and reading-30, 11 on the essay); I got a 740 on my chem 2 and a 750 on my us history 2. Now, I've read that that when i send in my sat 2s my SAT scores are also sent. When colleges see those SAT scores, will they disregard them because i took them as a sophmore or because i did well on the ACT? Also, do you think i should retake the SAT? I was just going to send in my ACT, because i still have to take my math 2, and i want send in my aps early to places like caltech. Help is appreciated

SubMachineNips · 07-15-2007, 12:19 AM

a lot of schools just take ACT instead of SAT + SAT2s. If those schools do that, then send the ACT it's much better.

mrsopresident · 07-15-2007, 12:37 AM

yea, and schools that don't take the ACT as the only alternative to the SAT usually still take the ACT in addition to SAT subject test. So, if that's the case, still send in your ACT and SAT subject tests.

be careful though, because some schools call that being "dishonest." for instance, when i was at a college of arts and sciences information session meeting at cornell (before i was accepted to the university--attending in august), we were told by a dean that we should send in everything. and that often they still find out if you don't. if they find out without you telling them, she said that they consider that "dishonest" and frown down on that. she also said the same thing about ap scores, so be very careful.

Ashraf Eassa · 07-15-2007, 12:57 AM

As a sophomore an 1860 is a fine score. That said, I think you should retake the exam in your junior year when you'll undoubtedly do much better.

Colleges won't really care about your 1860 -- it's a sophomore score and the adcoms know this. I took the SAT as a sophomore as well and am planning on retaking when I'm a junior. I'm not at all worried what colleges will think of my soph score, and I don't think you should be, either.

conartist500 · 07-15-2007, 05:44 PM

but im a senior, which is the issue.

conartist500 · 07-17-2007, 02:42 PM

bump..........................

mj93 · 07-18-2007, 11:17 AM

dillema or dilemma?

Tsenguun · 07-18-2007, 11:45 AM

its def dilemma. i like nelly.

mj93 · 07-18-2007, 12:35 PM

yup, good song

Tsenguun · 07-18-2007, 01:06 PM

how many posts do i need to become just "member", not junior?

tokenadult · 07-18-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

When colleges see those SAT scores, will they disregard them because i took them as a sophmore or because i did well on the ACT?

Colleges will indeed know the dates of the tests you took, because the dates appear on the score report. But, most important, colleges generally have policies of giving applicants the benefit of their best scores. You already have, with your ACT and SAT II combinations, scores that may be competitive at some of the colleges where you plan to apply. Probably an SAT II test (or more than one) would be the best use of the upcoming October test date in your senior year.

See

A Retake on How Many Times to Take the SAT or ACT

for more information on how colleges treat test retakes.

sunnyflorida · 07-18-2007, 08:46 PM

Take the SAT again in Oct.

MstrLinks · 07-18-2007, 09:35 PM

So can you send ACT, SAT and SAT IIs to the same college? Or can they take just one or the other?

siserune · 07-19-2007, 01:07 AM

Quote:

(tokenadult wrote: )

colleges generally have policies of giving applicants the benefit of their best scores. You already have, with your ACT and SAT II combinations, scores that may be competitive

It is an open question whether colleges "generally" mix and match ACT and SAT-I scores, forming a super-duper-score from both score reports. As the information from the Cornell admissions dean indicates (see post #3), admissions is quite interested in seeing the entire record including presumably lower scores not included by some applicants. If all they did was "superscore" and ignore the lower scores, that wouldn't make a difference, so this is yet another indicator that a highest-scores policy is not the end of the story.

laurstar07 · 07-19-2007, 12:51 PM

SEND YOUR ACT! especially for cornell, the 50% range is a 29-32 (i think) so you definitely fall in that range. send your SATs also because they are connected to your SAT IIs. i know that cornell, as well as a lot of other schools, will look at your higher ACT score and disregard your SAT score

but for the schools that only need the ACT (like michigan, with no sat IIs), only send the ACT. dont pay collegeboard another $8 or so to send the SATs to a school that doesnt need them