Retook the SATs... got lower

Encendi
Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:51:57 +0000

I first took the SATs for the first time in October running on 2 hours of sleep and Redbull. I didn’t even finish the essay. Then, lo and behold, I find out I received a 2340.

Unfortunately, I’ve come to expect these kind of results for tests and competitions I don’t try in. That’s the way it’s been all my life- taking classes years ahead, being in all the gifted programs, rocking all the tests, etc. etc. I grew cocky and complacent.

So, I decided to retake the SATs in November, thinking that if I finish the essay and get a good night’s sleep, I’d grab a 2400 easy as pie. I didn’t even bother to prepare one bit. In addition, I also read somewhere that colleges didn’t can’t look at scores that you don’t send them, so I was even more set on my goal.

Well, long story short, I did worse on the essay, and bombed the grammar hard-really hard- and dropped down to a 2190, or 2210 (can’t remember).

I shrugged it off and went along.

Some time later, I decided to take another look at college policy regarding SAT scores. It turns out that only some colleges accept Score Choice or utilized Superscoring (I would have a 2360 or a 1580 after superscore). Others look at everything- including the one school that I want to go to above all others: UPenn.

I’m not an outstanding student- I’m a lazy one. Sometimes I miscalculate and bomb a crucial test, dropping me to a B. My GPA has somehow survived and become a 3.8 UW (It’s decently high weighted, but my school’s weighting system is odd) , which is pretty much middle/lower end of the accepted students to Ivy’s.

I’ve also been rather lazy with ECs. I dropped out of the swim team in 8th grade, and I’ve been on the Varsity Rifle team since freshman year- I’m not exceptional, but I’m good. I’ve attended countless math competitions and other various competitions. I’ve never scored exceptionally, but I’ve always scored well. I’ve done a good amount of volunteer work over the years- nothing exceptional, but good. I’ve attended seminars, clubs, etc.- nothing particular of note, but all were respectable- and good.

Essentially, that’s what I am- good but not exceptional. I suppose if I had put effort into my school work and ECs, I could have been exceptional. I’ve proven to my teachers time and time again that I can set the curve if I put a minimal amount of effort- but I don’t. There’s no point crying over spilled milk, I suppose.

The only thing that would make me exceptional would have been my SATs. I was hoping that a 2340 coupled with an outstanding essay would push me over the line, especially since I was planning on working hard over the summer to try and find something exceptional (and business related, since I enjoy business- hence Wharton) to do. The 3.8 GPA I hoped would be brushed aside due to the rigor of the classes I’m taking (hardest senior classes in the school, and I’m a junior).

I’d really hate if my second SAT was sent out. I’m an Asian male (yup), so a lower Writing score would be expected of me (yes, I know that’s racist, but it’s true)- that’s essentially what happened to all my Asian friends; high math scores, terrible reading and writing. I want to be the exception to that rule- I’m actually a really good writer and also a complete grammar Nazi, so I feel like I deserved that 2340. I’m afraid to take it again, in case I demonstrate that the 2340 was a fluke (if the 2190 hasn’t demonstrated that already). One counselor I talked to said that colleges wouldn’t look at the 2190, but another told me that it’s going to hit me hard and I need to retake it again or take the ACTs and score a 35-36.

My question is, will the 2190/2210 matter? A 150 point drop is pretty ridiculous- so if possible, I’d rather not have colleges see it. I don’t think it’s worth convincing me that colleges won’t care- if I were an admissions officer, I’d look at the drop and see it as a red flag. A 2340 SAT and a 3.8 GPA don’t mix. A 2190/2210 and a 3.8 GPA fit together much better. I guess a better question is, will colleges see it, and could I get rid of it somehow?

Another top choice of mine is UChicago, which superscores or takes the best sit down, as I recall. However, I feel like my SATs would be given less weight there, since everyone will have phenomenal scores since they could take it multiple times without pressure. Which one should I apply ED to? Would it be worth applying to Oxford, since they weigh GPA far less and take standardized testing more seriously?

I know that many of you don’t think someone like me deserves to go to Wharton or an Ivy League school- after all, I’ve been riding on genes and luck, not effort. It would almost be like “stealing” the spot from a hard working, motivated individual.

I guess I don’t deserve that opportunity. But I still want to go. Whether I make something out of it will be up to me.

tl;dr Oh jeez, the post ended up way longer than I wanted it to be. Essentially my questions were, could I somehow keep colleges from seeing my lower score, and should I apply ED to Wharton or UChicago, and should I even apply to Oxford at all?