The SATs have consumed my life.

Test Preparation
1

<p>I have a 3.9 unweighted GPA.
I have taken all my schools AP classes, and have consistantly been a year ahead in math class since the 3rd grade.
I am a section editor of my school newspaper, and I have played lacrosse for two years.
I play guitar and piano, and perform at my school’s open mic every month with my own, original songs. I also record my own songs and put them online.
in my spare time i write short stories and am working on a novel.
I do yard work in the summer, and plan to do volunteer work this summer.
Oh, and i also have to juggle a girlfriend between all this.</p>

<p>Now, i got my SATs back thursday and was utterly crushed. I got a 600 CR, 620 Math, and 670 writing. It was the first time i took them, i was nervous, and i studied for only about two weeks beforehand. I will retake them, but my question is, can I get into schools like Amherst, Vassar, Swarthmore, or Pomona with scores like this? is it impossible? do my life and academic record account for nothing?</p>

<p>Oh, and the ivy league can suck my balls.</p>

2

<p>Another writer/guitarist? Heh, I’m working on a short novel right now…but right now, schoolwork is consuming my life.</p>

<p>Anyway, I would recommend retaking them if money is no object. Don’t be discouraged by those scores; my tutor tells me that no matter how much you prep beforehand, all bets are off when you actually take the test because of the reality and the pressure of it. On the January test, I got a 550 math as opposed to my usual 650/660 on practice tests.</p>

<p>I know how you feel, though. I’ve got a 4.0 GPA UW, all AP/honors courses, numerous writing awards, I’m going to be the editor of my weekly, award-winning school newspaper next year, I’ve been playing guitar for 9 years and I record my own songs, and I write in my spare time. When I first started preparing for the SAT, I was getting low scores and I was shocked since I do very well in school. I guess some people are better test-takers than others.</p>

<p>Your life and academic record count more than the SAT. The whole process is incredibly frustrating, but try to put it all into perspective. There are probably a ton of colleges out there that would love to have a student like you at their school. :-)</p>

3

<p>gamayshark, think positively and retake the SAT if you have time. Then, if SAT is not exactly your thing, focus on the other parts of your application The schools you mentioned are top-notch and, given the lot of high-scoring students who apply, they have no apparent reason to tolerate low-scorers; however, they are primarily looking for special, well-rounded people, and considering your record I think you have a pretty decent chance at any of those places.</p>

4

<p>Also, along with those good suggestions that the above posters gave, I’d like to add that you should try taking a practice ACT exam. You might have a much better time on that than on the SAT. Give it a shot.</p>

<p>It’s not like your chances of getting into those schools have been crushed. And it’s not like your scores won’t improve with practice. </p>

<p>Here’s what I would do if I were you:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Get, either from a bookstore, the library, or a guidance counselor, an ACT exam. There’s a booklet that has a practice exam and there’s a book with many exams. The booklet, which you can get from the guidance counselor probably, is free.</p></li>
<li><p>Take the ACT exam, just like you would the SAT. </p></li>
<li><p>See how you do. Did you do better on the SAT or the ACT? I still recommend that you take the SAT, but think about taking the ACT as well.</p></li>
<li><p>If you can, try to see what you did wrong and right on the SAT you took. If you don’t have a copy of the SAT you took, get The Official SAT Study Guide and take a practice exam. Then see how you do. What are you doing right and what are you doing wrong?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Your scores don’t suggest you’re dumb or anything. Neither do your extracurricular activities. If you’ve taken a bunch of AP classes, you know that you can handle college-level work. If you do well in AP Calculus, for example, but don’t do so well on SAT Math, colleges will know that you can do math. </p>

<p>Colleges want to know that you have basic math, writing, and reading skills. One way to show this is through the SAT and ACT. But another way is through AP Classes and stuff. You’re clearly a bright student and an interesting person. And colleges will see that. </p>

<p>I think the main problem was a lack of preparation. Maybe you were having a bad day. To perform your best psychologically, make sure you’ve tuned your air guitar, so to speak. It’s okay to have butterflies in your stomach, as long as they’re released when you take the test.</p>

<p>Good luck, and happy trails.</p>

5

<p>Take the ACT.</p>