If you took the SAT earlier this month, then your scores will be available online this Thursday, Oct. 29. For many of the students I tutor, the days leading up to the release of SAT scores can be nerve-wracking and stress-filled. So now seems like a good time to review what the SAT score means—and doesn’t mean—to your college plans.
Studying for the SAT can be an all consuming affair, and it's easy to think that your entire future hinges on this one test score. I tutored a student who aced his SAT and asked me if I thought he should apply to Harvard. As delicately as I could, I reminded him that his grade point average was 2.8 and his extracurricular activities for the most part took place in front of his Xbox.
“Of course you can apply,” I said, “but make sure you apply to some back up schools, too.”
Another of my students maintained a 4.0 GPA while being a track star and president of several student organizations. When I asked about her scores, she told me that she’d be lucky if she got into a community college.
“You’re overstating that a bit, don’t you think?” I asked.
But she wasn’t trying to be dramatic. She really thought that her SAT score trumped all of her other impressive accomplishments. I assured her this wasn’t the case. A sub-par SAT score doesn't mean that you won't get into the college of your choice. Yes, it's an important part of the package, but so are your high school transcripts, GPA, list of extracurricular activities, admissions essays, and recommendation letters.
You can and should use SAT scores as a guide when examining the schools you hope to get into. When looking up a school's profile on the College Board's web site, you can see how your score stacks up against its first year student body. Let's say your top school is UCLA. You would find that the middle 50 percent of first year students were in the following SAT ranges:
Note that these are the ranges of the middle 50 percent, meaning that 25 percent of the students UCLA admitted were brainiacs who scored above the top of this range; however, the school also admitted 25 percent of its freshman class from students who scored below this range. Put another way, the bottom of this range does not represent a cutoff point for admissions.
If you fall a little below the middle range but have a 4.0 GPA and an impressive list of extracurriculars, then you can rest assured that your SAT scores will do little to dampen your chances of getting in.
However, if you’re below the middle range and your GPA and other admissions factors aren't so hot, then you might consider retaking the SAT, as well as applying to a few schools whose first year students have GPAs and SAT scores more in line with your own.
While an outstanding SAT score can enhance your chance of admission, it's important to put your score in perspective with all of the other factors that schools will look at.
How are you feeling about your SAT score? Let us know in the comments and send your questions to testpreptutor@sparknotes.com.
Related Post: How to Stay Sane While Waiting for Your SAT Scores
By: Maggie Flynn
Become a fan on Facebook »
Follow us on Twitter »
»
