<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I took the SAT as a sophomore and got a 2290. I know that’s pretty high compared to the nation’s average score, but is it good enough for an Asian female to get into Harvard?</p>
<p>And yeah, I have strong EC’s and stuff.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Probably. If you’re worried you can probably just retake it as a junior or senior.</p>
<p>I would take it again. There’s never a guarantee, and if you think you can do better, then it’s worth a try. You can even give yourself a year, and take it in the fall of your senior year.</p>
<p>A 2290 on your SATs is one data point to show you’re capable of handling Harvard’s workload, or to see if there’s a good match with you and Harvard, or to see if you fit into the diverse mosaic they’ll be creating for the incoming class. It’s only one piece of the multifaceted equation that the adcoms will use when reviewing your application.</p>
<p>The important thing is to never fall in love with any one school you’re applying to.</p>
<p>I know a girl who got a 2230 and she got into Harvard. Obviously she was very talented with an instrument.</p>
<p>2290 was ~ top 6700 (out of ~ 1.5 million) students for 2008 (last year for which I have data)</p>
<p>so it’s a really good score</p>
<p>Harvard matriculates ~ 1650 people per year</p>
<p>so it will not on its own get you into Harvard (the Ivies reject about 3/4 of students who get an 800 on Math or an 800 on verbal) </p>
<p>schools you apply to will look at GPA and SAT and ECs and essay and recommendations</p>
<p>But Go For It!!!</p>
<p>The big question for you is . . . what are your safeties :-)</p>
<p>Because for almost everyone No Elite School Is A Sure Thing</p>
<p>i’m an asian female that received a 2290 also so I am also curious about this.</p>
<p><a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-by-Gender-Ethnicity-2009.pdf[/url]”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-by-Gender-Ethnicity-2009.pdf</a></p>
<p>Sure, why not?</p>
<p>What is your score breakdown? Saying you have a 2290 is meaningless without knowing whether you were 760/770 across the board or even below 700 in a section.</p>
<p>There is no minimum score requirement. This is why many schools now report a “middle 50%” range (with 25% of either successful applicants or total applicants falling below the range, depending on which is reported). It’s been noted that over 3000 kids scored 2400 on the SAT in 2008 (not sure if it was in one sitting or superscored); not all got in to Harvard. One of my kids scored 800/800/760 Writing that year and was waitlisted/rejected (he’s now at MIT). The stats are just one aspect/criterion, so go for it!</p>
<p>A 2290 is not “too low” for anyone. As long as you’re a well-rounded applicant, you needn’t worry about it. Don’t bother retaking it unless you really want to spend all that time studying, just to get a score within about fifty points of your old one. Just focus on being a good student with some outstanding extracurriculars, and you’ll be set.</p>
<p>Here are my scores for each section:</p>
<p>Critical Reading - 800
Math-760
Writing-730</p>
<p>A 2290 with that breakdown is definitely good enough (Writing is probably the least important section of the 3) - I would suggest trying to boost your other stats (focus on AP tests and SAT II’s) instead of studying for the SAT to marginally boost your score. Obviously if you think you could do significantly better then go for it, but if you are unsure I can almost guarantee you that your SAT score will not hurt you.</p>
<p>Would an asian female with an SAT of 2230 be detrimental at any of the Ivies? This was my second try and I would really much rather study spanish, extracurriculars, etc. not another test but would it be worth it?
780-CR
680-Math
770-Writing</p>
<p>
The actual number is around 300.</p>
<p>I don’t think OP should bother retaking–I’m still not sure what writing tests, but I think that colleges (especially the Ivies) give it a bit less weight than CR and M. (There’s a reason we also list our CR+M SAT scores sometimes.) Based on that scale, I do think that below-700 in math could well hurt you, Image of God. As everyone else has said, though, the SAT is just one data point.</p>
<p>I received 2290 as well, 800 reading, 800 math, 690 writing. I’ll focus on studying for the grammar/preparing for the essay. But above what level should I aim for my retake on math/english? 700? 750? Does it matter to Harvard?</p>
<p>Plumbob, </p>
<p>On Math and English, you should definitely go for the 800s, seeing as how it’s certainly possible for you. Although your superscore will be amazing after improving your writing section, isn’t it better to get that good score in one sitting? </p>
<p>But that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>That Harvard “superscores” means that it considers the highest score you get in each of the three constituent tests of the SAT, and whether or not the highest three scores were obtained in one sitting makes no difference, It makes a difference only to the ego.</p>
<p>Browniebaker,</p>
<p>Just wondering, would a “real” 2400 be better than a superscore of 2400? Also, would a “real” 2350 be better than a superscore of 2350?</p>