help on finessing blip in record

Parents Forum
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<p>We believe that my S has a shot at top schools (but, clearly, he is nowhere close to a shoo-in). On standadized tests, he has a 2210 SAT, 800 in MathIIC & Physics SAT IIs, 5’s on AP exams (Math, Physics, Eur. Hist, Govt). He has a 3.9 UW GPA with possbily the most demanding schedule (8+ AP courses, a bunch of honors classes, diverse course load). He is currently taking math at a big-10 university. His school does not rank (but, he will NOT be valedictorian). On the EC front, he is an Eagle Scout and a youth class instructor for martial arts. He also is on the state-championship math team and a AMIE qualifier. He has some community service / volunteering and many years of music, but nothing extraordinary. Fits the bill for someone looking to major in math/economics, right?</p>

<p>So, what’s the problem? He also took the German SATII in June '06 and scored a 540! This came as a shock because he has 3 years of German (with A’s in grades 8-10) and got an A at the Concordia German immersion camp last summer. However, he could not fit German IV/V into his junior schedule, so he was a year rusty when he took the test. We think that he must have skipped a bubble / forgot stuff wholesale / who knows? </p>

<p>The Q is how to handle this blip in the record? He has other German related stuff that he can point to for competance. He also worked as a counselor this year at the 6-week at Concordia. He actually is reasonably fluent! His camp “Dean” has agreed to write in support. Finally, of course, he is taking the test again (with listening), after registering for German IV/V in his senior year.</p>

<p>Any help on how we could handle this issue? Or, are we dead in the water?</p>

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<p>{Lord, I’m feeling cynical today!}</p>

<p>Is he planning on going to school in Germany??? Sorry, that was facetious and uncalled for, I remember the angst you are feeling.</p>

<p>There is nothing that you can really do about the score, because it will appear on his SAT record. I’m assuming he has 3 acceptable SAT scores in other subjects. He should never apologize, and I would be reluctant to have him “explain”. Let his GC write about the bare facts surrounding his taking the test, and the camp “dean” should write a letter of recommendation for your son as a person and language student, not specifically addressing the SATII - then I would let it drop, he has lots of things going for him, and any school that would exclude him, even Harvard, isn’t worth it. Think of it this way, if the school is so selective that the kids aren’t allowed to have a bad day, or make a poor choice of a stupid standardized test - then does he really want to be “so perfect”</p>

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<p>Quite honestly, I don’t know that I would even try to address this. Most schools don’t even require the SAT II, and those that do seem to only need two, which he has. I would just focus on his strengths and goals. Most schools would ignore the lowest SAT score anyway.</p>

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<p>I have to echo Cangel here. there’s nothing to finesse, and this doesn’t even count as a “blip.” He’s not applying as a German major, after all. With all the many wonderful grades he has on standardized tests, one somewhat lower one on a non-essential subject just won’t have much effect. And if he does end up with a grade more in line with what you say his abilities are, I have trouble imagining an admissions person saying “well, Johnny got a 700 the second time, but that 540 the first time around really bugs me–denied!”</p>

<p>As a sidebar, my S (the one who doesn’t study for exams) scored in the 40th percentile for the Math 2C SAT, then did slightly better on the 1C. And skipped the physics one be cause he realized he didn’t know enough of it.</p>

<p>He applied to an Ivy as an astrophysics major, and got in, despite that.</p>

<p>Please don’t worry about this.</p>

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<p>I would not address it either. I know kids who got into HPY with a blip or two on their records. It seems that if the kid stands out enough to be a desireable candidate without the problem, then the problem is ignored. Kids with “perfect” profiles are often rejected just because they did not stand out enough from the crowd, and there were enough kids who did.</p>

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<p>stop the world, a kid with a great record got a less then steller score on one test…</p>

<p>please, take a chill pill and let it go…</p>

<p>how much perfection should we expect from already great kids</p>

<p>sorry to be snippy, but these posts make me crazy…</p>

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<p>Thanks for the input. We will hope for the best in the November test. (I will be sure to alert the GC to the blip and give a bit of background. I will leave it upto the GC to figure out how much to write on this.) Thanks again.</p>

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<p>Sorry, did not mean to offend any one. The intent for my Q was much more toward how much we should “explain” and the replies seem unanimous on that front. I have zero experience w/ college admissions, and was seeking some neutral advice. Thanks again.</p>

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<p>gwe all said there is really nothing to explain, you don’t have to report the score to most schools…I wouldn’t even bother explaining it to the GC, cause to be honest, I can see eyes rolling, going with all the other strengths on this transcript an AVERAGE score on the german test is so minute in compared to the other acheivements in the language, have not worries</p>

<p>on an application you can OVER explain something to the point of tedium </p>

<p>is he taking german again so he can take the test again or taking it because he wants to take the class, because if it to just to well on the test, that is a waste of time</p>

<p>relax, your son has done very well, and perfection is not needed, especially in a subject like language and one test</p>

<p>I get snippy because parents and kids don’t see the trees for the forest or whatever, and need to not get all caught up in one test score</p>

<p>We promise, that score will not be the make or break deal for colleges, it will be other things- a good fit, how the rest of the class looks etc…</p>

<p>So have no worries, don’t try and over explain the score, GC see that stuff ALL the time</p>

<p>Think about it this way- if the GC spends time trying to exlain away one AVERAGE test score, that is space taken away from describing all the great things about your son…would you rather the GC put in a short paragraph trying to talk about a test score, or using that space to talk about your son’s accomplishments</p>

<p>If you ask them to explain a score that is a pretty small part of your son’s total pacakage, other stuff will get left out</p>

<p>Priorities need to be looked at and this aint one of them to bring to the attention of admin people</p>

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<p>My d got a low Math Level 2 SAT II score for her first sitting, because she actually got up and left the exam due to poor testing conditions (fight in the hall, proctors an hour late, kids had to move their own desks out of a storeroom, etc…) She called to cancel the scores, faxed the written request and report of testing conditions…and CB fouled it up and scored her anyway. CAUTION to all: if CB scores it, you can forget getting that score removed from the record. After months of CB assuring me the score would be removed and months of us waiting for them to actually remove it, we gave up.</p>

<p>She took the test again, got a respectable score, she didn’t explain it and she got into good colleges and honors programs. So I agree, the last score will tell the tale. The low score will most likely be brushed off as a sick day, bad testing environment or something harmless.</p>

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<p>I agree that I am perhaps agonizing too much over this but that is part of my make up. Based on your input(s), I am more comfortable just letting this drop and seeing how things work out. Thanks much.</p>

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<p>Kanakaishou–believe me, we are ALL guilty at some points about agonizing too much over something, especially when it concerns our kids. So take the advice given knowing we, (at least most of us), have been there or someplace similar.:)</p>

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<p>Kanakish, you certainly haven’t offended me, if I haven’t offended you ;). Speaking from the other side of this he**ish process, you are entering a twilight land where you will say things, do things and worry about things that, in a year or so, will seem so asinine! Your son sounds like a fine young man, I believe he will do well, and his blip is, well, a blip.</p>

<p>I</p>

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<p>Most schools now only ask for 2 SAT IIs, and will only take the 2 highest scores. If your son is applying to a school that requires 3 SAT IIs, he should probably take one more in a different subject. Language SAT IIs are notoriously difficult because all the native speakers take them, driving up the curve.</p>

<p>Just to put his score in perspective, 800 in Korean is 70 percentile. A score between 550 and 650 (depending on the language) would satisfy the foreign language requirement at Stanford.</p>

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<p>Even Harvard only requires a 600+ on a language SAT to get out of the language requirement. If you want to know whether the low score was caused by misbubbling I think you can order the question and answer service. You can for SAT1s anyway. I’d go ahead take the German again in November and perhaps one other SAT2. But I agree with others nothing to explain.</p>

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<p>But if he’s going to re-take the test, he should definitely get the study guides and study for it. My S didn’t realize that studying could make such a big difference on SAT II’s as opposed to SAT I’s. He didn’t study for his French SAT II at all and got a 710, not chopped liver by any means, but he had just gotten an A in AP French, so he expected higher. If he re-takes without studying and gets a similar score, it will look worse, IMO, than not re-taking at all, because the Admissions people will probably assume he studied.</p>

<p>But I agree with the rest of posters; this is a practically invisible blip. Don’t magnify it.</p>