Question…my SAT score is 1470 (720v, 750m)…I have taken it 3 times and I’m not going to take it again. This score is between the 25th and 50th percentiles for my “reach” schools, most of which appear to have about 30-40% apply test optional. These schools are Top 20-40 (e.g., Michigan, Emory, Wash U)…
Should I submit scores?
For more context, my grades are very good (very close to a 4.0 uw) and and high rigor; I go to a large, socioeconomically diverse urban public school. My ECs are good but nothing outstanding. No hooks. I am full pay and will likely apply to one of these reach schools ED.
I don’t think it will particularly hurt or help to submit your score. So either way fine. Some people say don’t submit below 50th percentile but I don’t really agree. I would probably submit it just because it’s a really good score and so they wouldn’t assume it was lower. But really I don’t think it will have much impact either way.
For Class of 2027 enrolled students EBRW 25%ile range dropped to 710, math stayed the same. I would probably submit.
Make sure to use the most recent data you can find when making your decision. Class of 2028 data may be out by the time you have to submit apps, so make sure to check websites and student newspapers for the data (CDSs won’t be out yet.)
Have a talk with your HS counselor to see what they recommend, they have a better understanding of your application and high school than CC posters do. Good luck.
For an OOS student, the decision is more complex. The CDS figures for matriculated students are 50% in state, whose stats are lower on average than OOS ones.
ETA: It’s a tough call for Michigan and I am not necessarily telling you to not submit, only that these figures that blend in state and OOS probably aren’t enough to make your decision.
Agree, but that’s all the data we have. IME the bigger risk at Michigan is an unhooked full pay student not sending scores, but I defer to OP’s HS counselor.
There is no correct answer as every school has different policies and ways of looking at things.
My own personal philosophy…submit if you are at the 50th percentile or higher. If you are in an underrepresented group or have a hook, submit at the 25th percentile or higher.
Thanks. This sort of confirms what I am thinking…that my scores will not particularly help me but not submitting might hurt me. FWIW, the score is quite high for my high school (I think the average is around 1000) though there are definitely some kids who get 1500+.
My school counselor says to submit everywhere where the score is in the 25th-75th percentile range especially since my score is really high for my school. But my friends who have private college coaches get different advice (some say only submit when you’re at the 50th percentil of the published range for the college or higher, some say only submit when you’re at the 75th percentile or higher). It sounds like there’s really no consensus so I think I’m going to submit because there’s a lot of grade inflation at my school and I worry that schools will assume my scores are a lot lower if I don’t submit them.
Any attribute of an applicant that makes him/her particularly desirable to a college and would provide an admissions edge over another similarly qualified applicant without that attribute.
Examples: being a recruited athlete, legacy, child of faculty or major donor/prominent celebrity, low income/first generation to college, coming from an underrepresented area, belonging to certain racial minority groups, etc
(Note: the Supreme Court decision from last year requires colleges to not directly consider race in admissions)
Thanks, so my white ,middle class , college educated parents, male child probably has no hooks. Sometime we just need to take a breath and say “ whatever is meant to be is meant to be”. Granted I say this after having. Him do 3 practice SATS this past week not that the school year is done