<p>Is it possible to get in with slightly lower SAT scores (still with good stats in all other areas). When I say slightly, I mean 2100 instead of 2300…it seems like it never actually happens (at least from the sound of the people on these threads hehe).
I took it a couple of times a year ago and got a 2120, and just don’t want to go through the hassle of doing it again.
I have great ECs (President of Amnesty International’s letter writing committee, editor-in-chief of the school literary journal, won the best position paper at 2 country-wide MUN conferencesall writing-oriented stuff, then I also have piano and skiing which I’ve been doing forever but not in any real competitive sense)
I also worked on a month and a half long community service project in the Ladakh region of India (near tibet) last summer, building a boys hostel.
I held down a job at a coffee shop during my senior year to make a little money.
I also got a 41/45 on my international baccalaureate diploma (that is the actual score, all 6s and 7s, I took the diploma last may)
I’m also currently preparing to go on a trip around the world beginning in december. I was supposed to go to Berkeley in the fall, but then for family reasons I was forced to cancel my registration. I’m taking a 3rd year international relations course at a state college just to keep me thinking before my trip and my prof convinced me to apply to a few private places to see if I could get financial aid (UC is not too good for that)
I also have 2 great letter’s of rec from teachers that really like me and that, luckily, are fantastic writers. My application essays were also looked over by an ex-admissions officer from stanford, who told me they were very good.
I guess my real question is whether or not I should even bother to apply given my low-ish SAT scores, or am I just wasting my time.</p>
<p>BTW I’m white and attended a large public school (I was in the top 20 for sure, although school doesn’t rank so I could only declare top tenth…)
I also won a couple of state-wide awards for academic excellence…although I lived in san francisco CA (I’m now back there), I lived in Vancouver, Canada for my junior and senior years in high school…
As far as SAT IIs go, I have 4 of them (English Lit, Bio E, French and Spanish) and scored between 750-800 on all of them.</p>
<p>No guarantees, but if you were admitted to Berkeley I would guess your application is good enough for Harvard. However when most people who apply to Harvard are qualified and less than 1 in 10 get in, you have to realize that it’s a reach for nearly everyone. We know from published statistics that students are admitted with less than perfect scores, but we don’t know whether they were just low in one section (mathson for example had V-800, M-750, W-690), or if they had other hooks that overcame the scores.</p>
<p>many students get accepted with a 2100. I don’t belive that alone would hurt your chances of admission. Although it’s a reach for everyone, as mathmomsaid, if your good enough to get into Berkley you might be able to get into Harvard.
Good luck :-)</p>
<p>Thanks, I guess now I can only wait and see :)</p>