<p>I want to go to northwestern (ED), NYU, UCB, UChicago,etc. </p>
<p>GPA is 3.9uw (currently a junior)
ECs are decent</p>
<p>What should I aim for 2300+?</p>
<p>I’d say if you are like 2200+ it certainly won’t be the reason you were rejected. However if your score was more like a 2030 or something they might be like his stats just don’t seem enough. Those high 2300s/2400 will help make you stand out. Good luck.</p>
<p>You do not need a 2300+ to get into those schools, but it would help.</p>
<p>I would say aim for a 2350+, though a 2400 ideal. Colleges understand how easy of a test the SAT is; they want you to score as close to a perfect score as possible. Colleges aren’t completely inhuman; they’ll be “understanding” if you miss a question or two on the SAT, but it will be more difficult to get in.</p>
<p>um, don’t listen to llortami; while a 2400 will help you a lot, it’s far from necessary. obviously the higher a score you get, the more it’ll help you, but the idea that missing a few questions and getting something like a 2370 on the SAT will hurt you is completely ridiculous. a 2200+ will make you competitive but if you feel like you can get 2300+, then definitely go for it. good luck!! :)</p>
<p>IMO, 2200 or above is good. Depending on the caliber of the schools you’re applying to, a 2300+ would be competitive and of course, a 2400 would be ideal (though that is debatable, since you may suffer from Tufts Syndrome). For schools that are not at ALL competitive, a 1800+ would suffice. </p>
<p>“Benchmarks”:
-1,500 (national average. This is definitely not the CC average)
-1,800 (good for non-competitive schools)
-2,000 (yay, you’re in the 2000 range)
-2,200 (this is what most CCers consider to be good)
-2,400 (a perfect score)</p>
<p>Just my opinion (:</p>
<p>People with scores ranging from 1900-2000 and decent ECs get into HPYSM. I don’t believe you need too high of a score to get into your colleges, provided your ECs are actually decent. If not, anything above a 2200 puts you in the top 99% of the US. I believe 1930 is the 90% quartile.</p>
<p>People with 1900-2000 with either URM status + either legacy or 1st gen, athletic recruit, or national/international competitor in something get into HYPSM. Also, 90% is a decile not a quartile. I would shoot for 750+ in each section, though a 2200 certainly wouldn’t keep you out.</p>
<p>Here are the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen for those schools in 2010 (These are approximate because most schools only list a range of average Math, Reading, and Writing scores i.e. 700-740):</p>
<p>Northwestern - 2160
NYU - 2020
UCB - 2020
UChicago - 2160</p>
<p>I hope this gives you a good idea!</p>