<p>I think this is a joke too.</p>
<p>But just in case it’s not, she’s not going to get into any of the Ivies with that SAT score.</p>
<p>You guys, Williams and Amherst are as hard to get into as many of the ivies – anyone who says they are anything other than reaches for this girl are crazy (and, even if this is a joke post, that’s good for people to know in general). Middlebury is also highly selective. If the op (or their girlfriend) intended those different groupings to correlate to chance of getting in, then they have a lot more research to do. </p>
<p>Anyway, if this is serious (or, just general advice): </p>
<p>I agree with the people who say that these schools are basically ALL reaches because of her scores – Bates is, I believe, testing-optional so that might be more of a match, but certainly not a safety. I’d also suggest she sub in Bowdoin for one of the other LACs, since it is also testing-optional, and the rest of her stats are good – I find it way more likely that she would get into Bowdoin, having not submitted scores, than many equivalently selective scores. But it’s still really selective. </p>
<p>Anyway, this list is ALL over the place. It has all the ivies, schools ranging in size from fairly big unis to tiny LACs, locations from New York City to small towns in Maine, and schools ranging in atmosphere from Notre Dame to Wesleyan. It really looks like prestige hunting, which won’t help her. </p>
<p>She should try to figure out what she really wants in a school – size, location, atmosphere, majors, music and dance availability, etc, and tailor her list to that. Not only will it save her money, but it will also probably increase her chances of getting in. At this point, I seriously doubt she could give a good explanation “Why X school” for most of these places, other than “it’s good.” If, on the other hand, she really puts some thought into it and can let the schools she applies to know why they are great fits for her, that could help them overlook her scores.</p>
<p>The thing is, her grades and res are good, and her ECs (music and dance) are impressive. But those scores are going to shed some serious doubt on the quality of her school. She REALLY needs some more matches and safeties, or she really could end up going nowhere. She should definitely looking into scores-optional schools, as well as schools where her scores are in range, as the rest of her stats will help her out at places where her scores don’t hurt her. If nothing else, she should definitely apply to UT Austin for the auto-admit. Wasting that opportunity would be completely idiotic unless she is willing to find other TRUE safeties that she likes better.</p>
<p>@Brownie56–Is there a way for schools to find out which other schools you’re applying to? That is, other than explicitly ask you in the interview (which is against policy for some schools) or on some sort of supplement (like Rice and UT’s scholarship application).</p>
<p>**where you’re applying</p>
<p>None of those schools are safeties for her (or anyone). I hate it when people say “chances are they will get in somewhere”. She has an 1890 SAT and she has a good GPA, but it isn’t a perfect. She really needs a true safety school.</p>
<p>Also, she clearly has no idea what she wants to do or where she wants to go. She just picked 20 top schools…</p>
<p>Lol @ post #7. The only thing stopping this girl from getting accepted into at least one of the school mentioned are her SAT/ACT scores. I think she spent too much time ‘beefing’ up her extracurricular activities, and forgetting to study for the standardized tests- which determines half of her chances of being admitted into a top notch school.</p>
<p>I dont want to sound harsh, but if your gf is doin this with her SAT scores, and she thinks she has a legitimate shot, then is she really ivy caliber, putting all her eggs in one basket???</p>
<p>Show her this site, and maybe it will refresh her mind, anyway best of luck to her</p>
<p>Reality check:</p>
<p>Admissions won’t give a damn if she has the greatest EC’s in the world when her test scores are that low. As much as I subscribe to the “testing doesn’t measure intelligence” argument, tests DO give a loose picture of a student’s grasp of basic skills and concepts. Her SAT writing score is good, but they won’t save the shockingly low math and average reading (less than average considering the school’s she’s applying to).</p>
<p>If I had the money to **** away over $1000 on applications ALONE, I would cut the apps in half and pay a professional to review my writing…</p>
<p>It seems like she looked at rankings and checked every school on the list.</p>
<p>Unless there’s some mighty act of god…
All schools- Rejected</p>
<p>She needs to bring up those SATs down. She has a chance at some of those schools but she needs to improve SAT scores. She CANT POSSIBLE be interested in all those schools. She should pick about 10 schools in total including safeties to apply to</p>
<p>I agree with cookiemonster7: she needs to bring those SATs down. Right now, she <em>might</em> have a chance! We wouldn’t want that now, would we?</p>
<p>To the OP: TEST OPTIONAL SCHOOLS.</p>
<p>To everyone else: LIGHTEN UP. Some of you are overlooking the OP’s accomplishments, in my opinion.</p>
<p>In the top 10 students in a class of 250+
Unweighted GPA of 3.9
State-wide recognition for academics</p>
<p>State-wide and regional recognition for cello
State-wide and regional recognition for tap-dancing
Extensive leadership experience
Extensive work experience
Extensive community service, including tutoring for prisoners and impoverished children</p>
<p>Yes, the OP has weak test scores, and yes, the OP is overshooting with the Ivies, and yes, the OP may even be exaggerating, but the least you could do is take her information at face value or at least be more constructive.</p>
<p>To the OP (again): Check out test-optional schools. Most would see everything else on your resume and beg you to apply.</p>
<p>Below is a list of more selective test-optional schools:</p>
<p>(From Fiske)</p>
<p>Bowdoin College
Lewis and Clark College
Louisiana State University*
Furman University
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities*
University of Texas – Austin*
Texas A&M University*
Texas Tech University*
Wake Forest University
University of Oregon*</p>
<ul>
<li>denotes colleges that only waive test scores for applicants whose GPA/class rank are not above a certain threshold (check with each college for more details).</li>
</ul>
<p>This is far from a comprehensive list, so do a search on your own, too.</p>
<p>I find it highly unlikely that a student smart enough to do that well in classes would do so terribly on the SAT.</p>
<p>There are two possibilities here: her school is a joke, making a 3.9 GPA unimpressive, or she’s simply exaggerating her “accomplishments” (more likely).</p>
<p>If the information is genuine, then I agree: look into test optional schools.</p>
<p>Well, actually, I know a guy who takes the hardest course load and has been on either Honor Roll or Principal’s List every marking period but got in the high 1800’s in his SATs. I think standardized tests are a matter of preparation for the SPECIFIC TEST, not to be determined by classroom performance.</p>
<p>
Then explain how people get great scores with 0 prep on their first time. The SAT is specifically designed to test reasoning, not preparation or content mastery.</p>
<p>A more likely explanation is that many high-achieving students are grinds: they work hard and don’t question authority, so end up getting grades, but when it comes down to it aren’t actually that smart—which shows up when their reasoning ability is tested.</p>
<p>she probably won’t get into any Ivy League</p>
<p>You could’ve figured out that I meant up, genius.</p>
<p>True to all those positive comments listed above, #31. She does balance out her very weak SAT scores with good grades, excellent ‘passion’ for cello and tap, and has shown leadership and compassion with lots of volunteering. But, those top schools simply don’t take kids who score 500-something unless there’s a compelling reason. After all, the schools want to be sure she can cut it in college. Even sports recruits have to be somewhat higher. So why strive for the absurd, like HYP, etc. and the top LACs are equally difficult to get into.</p>
<p>I think her best shots are at Smith, BC, and Bates. Remember, it doesn’t increase your chances to apply to 20 top schools (vs 15) if you’re not likely to get in in the first place.</p>
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<p>Ooo, so <em>now</em> you understand sarcasm! I knew what you meant, just wanted to joke around.</p>
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<p>I don’t disagree.</p>
<p>I agree with a lot of the people who posted in that her test scores just kill her and take her out of competition for the Ivies. However don’t let people on this forum discourage your girlfriend from applying if that’s what she wants to do. Who knows, she might get lucky. But just know she’s competing with people who have equally good grades and have good test scores, essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities and everything else to boot.</p>