Why are Cal SAT scores low?

jimmihendrix
Sat, 30 Mar 2013 16:05:50 +0000

All these people saying how GPA is the better indicator of academic success have no idea what they are talking about.

GPA is a very variable factor- getting a 4.6 from a low-ranked crappy public school is extremely different from a 4.6 at a top-notch public or private school.

I had a 3.75 Weighted UC GPA and I got admitted to Cal. I had a 2310 on my SAT, a 800 on my SAT II Math, and a 780 on my SAT II US History. I received 5s on all the AP Tests I took. I had a lower high school GPA because

1.) I focused a lot on extracurriculars (basketball), and wrote about that on my app

2.) My high school was very tough. It was ranked the second highest public school in CA when I attended (look it up- it’s called Troy High). In fact, some courses were more difficult than those I’ve taken at Berkeley.

I majored in Political Science and graduated with a 3.85 GPA at UC Berkeley. Keep in mind the median Pol Sci GPA is around a 3.3. I scored a 171 on the LSAT, and I’m attending NYU law school.

Most of my friends who had high school GPAs but SAT scores in the 2000s-2100s performed worse than I did at Cal, just saying.

The SAT isn’t perfect by all means. But it does offer a degree of standardization that GPA does not. I think AP scores are the best indicators personally, followed by SAT II scores, and followed by the SAT I/ACT.

Honestly, it is not really that difficult to get at least a 2200 on the SAT I. Hard work, smart work, and due diligence is all that is needed.

In many low-ranked public high schools, it is very possible to get straight As with minimal academic effort. When that same level of effort is applied to the SAT I, the score isn’t that high.

In my opinion, you will do fine. You will definitely NOT be the smartest person at Cal by a long shot (we have an 11 year old kid majoring in Bio!!!), I would say you would be much stronger than the average Cal student.

Cal is a great graduate school. Cal has amazing professors. The GSIs, while they might not be the best at teaching, generally know their stuff. The undergraduates, however, are largely mediocre.

Just my 2 cents