<p>Is a 710 or 720 too low for the Critical Reading section on the SAT - granted that you get a 770+ on Math and a 740+ on Writing - if you are applying to HYPSM and Ivy League schools?</p>
<p>It’s below median and would be a concern. It would probably not keep you out if you were an applicant they wanted.</p>
<p>Then what would be the minimum ideal score? 730-740?</p>
<p>790 is about the 75th percentile in each section at these schools, without a hook you want to be as close to that as possible.</p>
<p>Goddangit >_></p>
<p>Redroses is not completely accurate.
Harvard’s 75th percentile is 780, not 790. The range goes all the way to Cornell’s which is 730 in CR…
Your score isn’t ideal. But, it is in the ballpark, especially at the less competitive ivies.</p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>
<p>I stand no chance???
CR: 620
M: 770
W: 750
2140???</p>
<p>According to Harvard’s published admissions info (I’m sorry that I am too lazy to search for it right now - but you will find it), a student who earns a 600 CR is qualified to do the work at Harvard. That said, a 600 CR will not be good enough to get you in without some other outstanding accomplishment on your part.</p>
<p>I used the word ‘about’ because it’s only 780 in some sections. Stanford’s is a bit lower because they bend more for athletes not being part of the ivy pact that disallows that.</p>
<p>The issue is that over a quarter of every class at the top colleges have uber high scores. When you factor in that half the class was admitted with a hook that allowed lower stats (athletes, legacies, URMs, development, staff children) you begin to understand that the unhooked need to pull the numbers up. That the unhooked are very high stats on the whole.</p>
<p>So when we see an unooked candidate with a key score below the median, with the median including all of the hooked, it’s an uphill battle to say the least. They can certainly be admitted if they have something the college wants, but they will not be admitted on academic prowess.</p>
<p>As for Cornell, look at CAS alone and you’ll see a higher number, large parts of Cornell serve as a state school for NY with lower admissions standards. If you look at Brown or Dartmouth, you’ll see medians about 770.</p>
<p>Simply, these schools are brutal to get into today.</p>
<p>Buh what if I get like 800 in Math and 770 in Writing? 
Will I still be a good applicant for Harvard and Princeton with a 740-ish score in Critical Reading? (2310 superscore)?</p>
<p>I have a similar scenario: I got a 700 on Critical Reading, but a 800 on Math and a 790 on Writing (superscored). Will my 700 still be a problem, or do my Math and Writing scores make up for it?</p>
<p>^ Without a doubt 700 is definitely too low. That’s like around 690.</p>
<p>^NOOOO WAAAAAAY a 690 is around a 700?! OMG!! I also heard that a 680 is around a 690 - is that true? Is there like…a PATTERN to all of this?</p>
<p>What I meant that it’s literally borderline. A 710 is not comparable to a 700 simply because you have gotten over that border.</p>
<p>Uhh 10 points is 10 points, whether its 690 to 700 or 700 to 710. You’re acting like you’re in the clear while I’m practically going to be rejected. Well, 690 is the 25th percentile cutoff at Harvard, and although 700 is close to the borderline, it’s still inside the average range. I really don’t want to take the SAT again just to try to get 2 or 3 extra questions right. Do you think it would seriously be that much of a problem on my application?</p>
<p>No, I do not think I am in the clear. I’m scoring around 680-690 on the practice tests. I think you should get at least 720 or 730 to increase being safe. A lot of people in HYPSM have no less than a 740 from what I observe. It will be a miracle if I even get 710…</p>
<p>High math scores are way more frequent than high CR scores, yet CR scores are more central to a liberal arts education and perhaps any education. Even at MIT and Caltech, median CR scores are very high. They speak to how fast you intake what you read and how accurately you process. The bottom line is that top schools have way more applicants with top everything than they can accept.</p>
<p>^That. </p>
<p>OP, it is on the lower end of where you want to be, especially considering that hooked applicants drag down the middle 50% somewhat. But, like Redroses said, it would not be an obstacle were you a remarkably compelling candidate.</p>
<p>Ok thanks RedRose I see what you mean now. I will try to get at least a 740 to be safe but I don’t think I can get any higher than that on CR. I’m pretty much set for nearly perfect on Math and Writing. Can you describe hypothetically what types of extracurriculars one would need in such a situation, especially someone who is planning to major in Business (particularly Finance or Investment)?</p>
<p>Of the schools you mention, only MIT (and Penn and Cornell among the other ivies) offers a business major. You can launch a great business/finance career from all, but your major will not be one of those.</p>
<p>It would not matter what the EC was, these schools want to see you take a passion and accomplish something few do in it.</p>