Should I retake SAT?

NorCalDad
Wed, 05 Jul 2006 22:38:42 +0000

Julyinoh,

Your perfect 4.0uw GPA is outstanding, and you present an excellent academic record of accomplishment, especially given your rigorous course load. The adcom will evaluate you against all other applicants from your high school. If you compare well (and you should), you will have an excellent chance at Stanford. Apply SCEA if you feel as committed as you do… it may give you a smidgen of an advantage… 20% SCEA vs. 12% RD admit rate.

At my daughter’s excellent high school (in Northern California, obviously), the recent graduating class of 348 had 7 students accepted at Stanford. Half of these were SCEA, and half through RD. Three of these students had perfect 4.0uw GPA’s; while the others were all 3.8 and above. Only one student had a 2400 on the SAT, and he did NOT have a 4.0 GPA. Two of the 4.0 students had SAT scores comparable to yours (above average, probably in the 60-75 percentile range). Each had something special to bring to Stanford. Incidentally, your SAT and ACT scores put you right around the 75th percentile for the enrolled freshmen at Stanford.

BTW, for you… because I sense that retaking the test would NOT sTReSs you out, do retake it if you promise to be relaxed about it. I wouldn’t recommend it for most people, but I believe you when you say that you feel you can do better. It’s a coin flip decision, AND if you feel you have something better to do on a Saturday morning in October, then do that instead. (It’s a “no harm, no foul” situation for you.)

Better yet, do some serious homework about yourself. Ask yourself why Stanford is the school for you and what you are bringing to the Stanford community. Introspect, while looking outside of yourself. Picture yourself as an integral component of the planet, and project why you will count. What contribution will you make now and in the future? Prepare for your essays and think seriously about who you will want to write Recommendations.

Here are the essential “Very Important” factors in Stanford’s admission criteria:


Rigor of Secondary School Record
Class Rank
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Character/Personal Qualities


Stanfords’s Common Data Set: http://www.stanford.edu/home/statistics/

Stanford Class Profile for Fall 2005: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/extras/1_2a6_profile.html

Good luck to you!