I made a previous post on the Harvard thread, but I’m pretty interested to know, how much weight does the SAT hold? Not just Harvard, but top schools. I previously heard that the SAT is simply used to measure if a student can handle the course load rigor of the University, and that once a student hits a 2100 (or a 2200 for some schools) the SAT is irrelevant. However, when I searched through the admitted students threads… I could find a handful of kids who scored between 2100-2200 (I heard that this is only because the top .01 of students hang around college confidential). So this brings me back to my question; how much weight does the SAT really hold in regards to Ivy league and top college admissions?
A high score will not get you admitted, but a low score is likely to get you rejected.
It’s not everything, but I think you want to hit at least a 2200 to have a shot at it.
2250+ will be enough for those schools. Those schools have holistic process so they do see more than grades and scores. They see the weakness and the strength on your app, and you don’t want to have low score because as post #1 said you will be likely rejected.
The score doesn’t get looked at in isolation. It is looked at as part of the whole package.
@Jr12317 so is the cutoff at about a 2100 or 2250?
ucbalumnus said it earlier and I’ll put a pro golf spin on it:
You can’t win a U.S. Open with a good score in the first round, but you can lose it with a poor score.
SAT = US Open first round
2250+ will open all the doors from most schools not saying you will get in on the top schools but it’s a good start. 750+ on each section will be great. You want to be on the top of those schools. @prezbucky couldn’t say it better.
a lot cause a lot of people from all over the country apply to these colleges unlike state colleges. standardized tests are one way of ensuring fairness cause some teachers (at almost every school you’ll find these kinds of teachers) tend to inflate their students’ grades a lot (curves, easy grades, etc.) and colleges know that. so SATs and ACTs and tests like those compare you to other applicants fairly. if you are within the 75% percentile score wise (scored higher or equal to 75% of student at that university who got admitted) you should be fine.
@marie122 , the 25% - 75 % is an incredibly wide range… for ivy leagues the 25%- 75% is 2100-2350… so if you have a 2100 are you safe?
@Jr12317 isn’t a 2200 enough? why does everyone have a different answer
" isn’t a 2200 enough? why does everyone have a different answer"
If there is a cut off at any of these places, it is a closely held secret. All anyone here has to go on, is data that they have collected from information published here or released by people they know or by a high school they are familiar with.
There is no score that will guarantee you a safe admission into any of the Ivies. If 2100 is the bottom of the 25%-75% range, and you don’t want to re-take the SAT, and you have excellent grades, ECs, letters of recommendation, etc. then yes, you can quit now. Raising your score to even 2400 will not make it more likely that you will be admitted.
No I am not saying that a 2200 won’t be enough but you won’t be on the top of those schools. There is more than standarized test scores and GPA on those schools. If you have strong EC’s, recommendation letters, then you can increase your chances.
@happymomof1 - what are you talking about?
The quote above is totally incorrect.
OP, going back to your comment about the 25% - 75& range, you should hope to be on the high end of the range (2350 based on the numbers posted above) if you are not hooked, i.e. URM, athlete, etc. The bottom end of the range with nothing else helping you standout will not result in a reasonable probability of success.
I’m tempted to use the old phrase “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.” Every student admitted to an “Ivy” will stand out in at least some way. If there is nothing exceptional about you in terms of athletic prowess, leadership, extracurricular achievements, community contributions, artistic talent, or family legacy, you will have to count on being way out in front of the pack academically. Everyone admitted is an excellent student, and all will have at least good scores that prove they can handle the work. These schools have the privilege of selecting exactly the student bodies they want, and the resources to devote to the selection process. They might determine that a particular student with a 2100 has more to offer their community than another one with a 2400, but if you don’t have any special attributes that would compensate for test scores or a GPA near the bottom of their range, then a 2100 probably isn’t “good enough.”
Agree with above that under those circumstances 2100 probably isn’t good enough. You never know though. An amazing essay and recommendations could possibly get you in. Again, unlikely but you’ll never know unless you apply. It couldn’t hurt to apply to at least 1 “dream school” even if it seems like very much of a reach.
General guide for sat score needed ;
2300: asian male
2200: white male or asian female
2100: sibling or grad school legacy, white female maybe
2000: latino, full legacy maybe
1800-1900: double/triple/multigenerational legacies, blacks
1700: top notch D1, big time donor
hahahahahahahahhaahahahhahahah
Wouldn’t the general rule for any super-selective school be that one has to stand out in some way and have no “defects”?
It is rather difficult or impossible for test scores to make an applicant stand out at a super-selective school, since they get lots of applicants whose test scores approach the maximum possible. But it is certainly possible for a lower test score to be a “defect” that will lead to rejection, at least in the absence of something even more exceptional than is usual for admitted applicants.
@CHD2013 - Given that Harvard and its peers have admission percentages in the single digits, the OP needs to look at this as a lottery ticket. If he/she really, truly doesn’t want to be bothered to re-take the SAT but everything else is in line, then he/she can go ahead with the application, because really, truly, the absolute improvement in the chance of admission is very nearly zip.
@theanaconda for the athlete, depends on the sport and the school. I know a basketball player at one Ivy that scored less than 1700. For football and at another Ivy, I know a kid who was told he needed a 1900 for the acceptance, and another who’s at an Ivy with high 1800s. For soccer, my understanding is 2000+. Pretty crazy how much this varies.