<p>Please help me relieve my son’s anxiety over his SAT scores. (I’m actually shocked that he’s the one who’s concerned, not me!) He’s a junior and wanted to get the SAT over with. First round: 650 CR, 640 M, 750 W (11 essay–yes!). Second round: 730 CR, 610 M, 650 W (8 essay). That means his best total is 2120, and his best sitting is 2040. He is concerned about the big increase/decrease in CR and W (see my theory below) and the 610 M. I say that 2120 and 2040 are great totals. He bases his concern on the fact that colleges see all the scores. He thinks they’ll zero in on the “low” math and the variation in scores. I think he’s overreacting.</p>
<p>My theory: He was very nervous about the writing, but his question on the first round was absolutely perfect for him. So he did great, but he was wiped out. I was very surprised by his CR score the first time because it did not reflect his PSATs (which he has taken since 9th grade) or his abilities. The second-round CR score is right on target, I think. As for the math, I think he expected higher, but 640 is quite good.</p>
<p>He’s a junior who will be applying to schools for journalism/media studies/communications: UNC-Chapel Hill, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio U, Wisconsin, Boston U, Syracuse, maybe Northeastern, maybe Michigan, maybe others. His scores are fine for most of these places (in combination with other factors). However, I know what he’s really stressing about is UNC and the out-of-state gamble.</p>
<p>So I guess I have three questions: (1) Do schools really look at the best total, or the best sitting? (2) Will they care about the variation in CR and W scores? (3) Though many of his schools say they don’t consider the writing, what does that really mean? They can’t avoid seeing it, right?</p>
<p>Oh, and the only kid he compared scores with in his very small school yesterday was the valedictorian-in-waiting :)</p>
<p>Wow - great scores! At our high school’s recent parents’ college night, the associate dean of admissions at Colgate, a very selective school, said they look ONLY at the individual highest scores. Schools always say this, but I don’t think they’re shining us on because it’s actually in their best interest to use the highest scores - makes them look better in the rankings. I blush to admit that I don’t remember what she said about the Writing section, since my d won’t be applying to Colgate. </p>
<p>Your son’s scores should put him in comfortable contention at SU Newhouse, which is a wonderful communications school. I know several kids who attend, and your son’s combined scores are appreciably higher than theirs. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Slightly off-topic, but I have to say it: After I posted I was embarrassed that I even brought this up. I mostly lurk on this board, and I see a lot of anxious, obsessed kids and parents. But obsessing over test scores makes me nuts, and now I’m acting nuts myself! I just saw that look on his face yesterday and needed to ask. My goal over the next year is to stay removed from the craziness, help him go for his passion, and have fun looking at colleges. Thanks frazzled for confirming that it’s all okay!</p>
<p>Yes, I’ve turned slightly obsessive and have the same ??s. D took SATs for the first time in March- only some math prep, as that is not her strength. 800CR, 640 M (she could probably do better, but we’re fine), 660 W. The W was a shocker! This kid can write. I’m encouraging her to retake in the fall just to increase that score and not worry about the math again. What if the other 2 go down, tho? How bad will that look?
Potential schools: Barnard, McGill, Penn (legacy), Pitt. French/Psych majors.</p>
<p>It’s my understanding that a lot of schools have someone who transcribes the highest score from each section onto a data sheet for the applicant’s file. So the admissions officer will not actually be seeing all of the scores and evaluating the highs and lows and wondering why there are discrepancies – they actually ONLY see the high scores. Does this make you feel better?</p>
<p>State universities are more likely than superselective private colleges to consider single-sitting scores rather than best-by-section scores. I don’t know the typical score profile of enrolled students at the colleges you mention, but in any event the college calculates that figure the same way for all the students it considers for admission. You can ask the college if you think the methodology will make a difference.</p>
<p>Your son might know this already, probably does, but in 2006 a 2040 was in the 95th percentile, and 2120 was in the 97th, both putting him well above the national average.</p>
<p>Mathmom is right, but the UC system has a rather low bar when it comes to SAT scores, so it doesn’t matter how they calculate them. </p>
<p>My advice would be for your son to either take the ACT with writing to see how his scores compare, or go ahead and plan his college list with maybe an October retake of the SAT just to see how he’ll do, but otherwise not to stress over it. As you noted, his scores are fine for the colleges he is looking at.</p>
<p>By the way, my d. had some similar, mixed-bag fluctuations on the ACT, where students can choose which scores to submit, and she ended up submitting both, focusing on the bottom line. That is, she had a higher composite on the first test, but some of the subscores on the second were stronger than the weakest ones on the first … and after a lot of consideration and emails to various admission reps, she finally decided it was better to submit both. Her rationale at the time was – the strongest score is an indication of what the student is capable of, even if actual performance is inconsistent. My thought was that it just shows how stupid the tests are. ;)</p>