so i got into a college and i recently found out that when self-reporting test scores, they want all SAT scores, but i only submitted my highest (wasn’t a superscore) because the requirements were kind of vague and almost contradicting from what i could find online and on the application. i submitted a 1550 but my other scores were 1530 1540 1480 and 1520 (going from most recent to oldest).
i just emailed the school about my misunderstanding and my intent to correct it, but im genuinely terrified; could i get rescinded over this? this is one of my dream schools and i can’t believe i made such a dumb mistake.
You should be ok, but IMO the mistake, the realization, and the way you solved it ALL seem off to me.
Focussing on the solution… When you emailed the school, did you also send the official scores for all tests? Did you even state what the other scores are and also the number of times you took the test?
I am not sure schools can actually enforce the request to send all scores. You are saying the mistake was the self-reporting, but my gut is that you also did not send the scores. Right? Finally, I am not sure I would have sent the email after the fact (unless I am missing something) but, again, you will likely be ok.
It would be helpful if you name the school. For now I will assume it’s not Georgetown because they don’t allow self reporting.
I doubt you will be rescinded for this oversight, if it’s Georgetown there would be some risk.
When you self report in the common app, you are supposed to enter the highest composite score as well as the highest section scores, regardless of test date…so if that’s not what you did, fix that for apps you haven’t sent yet.
Going forward if something important is unclear to you, contact the school and ask (or professor, boss, etc., you get my point.)
Yeah, I sent them my scores (as in I just wrote them and the dates I took them in the email, but not an official send from CollegeBoard). But I did also ask if there were more official update steps (the “intent” part)
The school is MIT and they have a separate portal from the Common App. My confusion came from the fact that their website states that they allow ScoreChoice, which allows us to “submit the scores of your choice”, however another page on their website says that students should self-report all scores. However, when I was applying, I was only aware of the info on the first page so I didn’t feel the need to email them for clarification because it was on an official website.
MIT’s website is fairly clear imo. Fwiw, which may not be much, they did discuss the need to send all your scores at the in-person info session. But, hopefully the fact that they superscore will mean that they don’t ding you.
Superscore
If you take the same test multiple times, we will consider the highest score achieved in each section. We do this in order to consider all applicants in their best light.
Students should report official full sittings (including future sittings) of the SAT, ACT, or English proficiency exams on the application. For each examination, required subscores are indicated with an asterisk. They should not list practice results or enter a superscore as a single sitting. Students should self-report scores from all exams taken, and MIT will consider the super-score in our review process.
Ah shoot okay. This is also what I found on MIT’s website (up to date), which was why I only submitted one score. I didn’t attend any info meetings which is probably bad :
Superscore
If you take the same test multiple times, we will consider the highest score achieved in each section. We do this in order to consider all applicants in their best light.
Students are free to use the College Board’s Score Choice option and the ACT’s option to submit the scores of your choice as well.
Just heard back from them today and they basically said that any updates to admissions file (SAT scores in my case) should be put in the “February Updates and Info” form that comes out sometime this month. It was a pretty generic response though, so not really addressing my situation specifically. In this case, I feel like it might be a bad idea to mention my SAT issue in the FUN form because apparently it’s not even a big deal (I’ve heard of current students who also submitted only their highest score but nothing happened to them). It’d be like opening a bad door that doesn’t need to be opened. Would y’all recommend I just leave it alone? I am an overthinker after all.
My initial response still stands. At this point, MIT knows what you did. I think there is only a minuscule chance they rescind if you do nothing at this point. If you tell the whole truth, I am afraid odds of them rescinding go up. Leaving it alone gives you the best odds of being able to attend MIT. Whether it is right is a whole different conversation.
Like the vast majority on the forum, I don’t have any specialized knowledge. And my sense of what’s right or wrong isn’t what matters.
But here is what jumps out in case you hadn’t thought of it. You were legitimately confused by their website when you only submitted your highest score. Now you know better and contacted the school about the error. They said put updates in the FUN. Seems to me that if you don’t, you no longer are acting in good faith. That may concern an admissions committee more than a good faith error.
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