SAT advice and discusion thread

[fanwuq]

Finally got back my SAT score from the March 2009 test.
Reading 730
Average
Math 790
Bad, probably one silly mistake
Writing 710
Good.

Not great, but not bad. I guess this is it? Or should I take it again in June?
Anyone else took the SAT this year?

[ThatGuy]

you're 11th right?

[jcuber]

I took it in febuary, my town has a program where 7th graders can take it pre-high school. I got scores about the same as fanwuq.

[Tyson]

Finally got back my SAT score from the March 2009 test.
Reading 730
Average
Math 790
Bad, probably one silly mistake
Writing 710
Good.

Not great, but not bad. I guess this is it? Or should I take it again in June?
Anyone else took the SAT this year?

Not great? If the SAT is out of 800 for each section, the SATs scores are going to be pretty strong. It won't matter that you missed the perfect score by 170 points. Your SAT score is already in the upper tier, and colleges will be looking at things like your transcripts and essays. So I'd focus on that... well, just presenting yourself in the application. As it's probably too late for you to add any extra-curricular activities to your routine that will change your overall picture...

Talk to a college counselor, but I think they'll pretty much be telling you the same thing. Your SAT is in the upper tier, you need to worry about presenting yourself in the applications. As you can't really change who you are at this point, the only thing is presentation.

[ThatGuy]

oh this one girl at my school would've gotten perfect but she forgot to bubble in 10 questions. lol

[luisgepeto]

hey you did really well!
i presented it last year (december) and I got
Critical Reading 650
Math 770
Writing 580
haha but in the subject tests (january) I got :
Mathematics Level 2 790
Physics 710

[DavidWoner]

If you plan to apply to a highly prestigious school you don't want a perfect anyway. A lot of schools are less likely to accept perfect scores because they don't want to give the impression that they only accept people based on test scores. And even if you are applying to a state school on scholarship, 95th percentile is almost always enough to get you the largest scholarship they offer.

But yeah like Tyson said focus on your extra-curriculars, recommendations, and ESSAYS. I can't really stress the importance of making your essays as good as possible, they are really the only thing that is going to set you apart from all the other people with perfect transcripts. Also, difficulty of your courseload is given greater weight than your GPA. Someone with a 3.7 GPA and a difficult schedule has a clear advantage over someone with a 4.0 and an easier schedule.

[fanwuq]

Finally got back my SAT score from the March 2009 test.
Reading 730
Average
Math 790
Bad, probably one silly mistake
Writing 710
Good.

Not great, but not bad. I guess this is it? Or should I take it again in June?
Anyone else took the SAT this year?

Not great? If the SAT is out of 800 for each section, the SATs scores are going to be pretty strong. It won't matter that you missed the perfect score by 170 points. Your SAT score is already in the upper tier, and colleges will be looking at things like your transcripts and essays. So I'd focus on that... well, just presenting yourself in the application. As it's probably too late for you to add any extra-curricular activities to your routine that will change your overall picture...

Talk to a college counselor, but I think they'll pretty much be telling you the same thing. Your SAT is in the upper tier, you need to worry about presenting yourself in the applications. As you can't really change who you are at this point, the only thing is presentation.

Thanks! What are some good ways to present myself? How should I describe cubing as an extra-curricular activity? I've got some other extra-curricular activities, so I don't think I need anymore of that. I guess probably what I should worry about now are the AP tests and application essays.

Jcuber,
You get these kind of scores in 7th grade? That's pretty crazy. I think I tried a practice test once during middle school and got around 750- 800 for math, but only 500-600 for reading. There was no writing back then.

David,
My GPA is around 3.95 right now, mainly because I'm not doing so well in APUSH and English this year. If I don't mess up anymore, then I guess this should be fine. Took 2 AP classes last year, and 4 this year, and probably I will take 6 next year. Now, the Essay really scares me. I'm not so good at writing essays, and that is reflected in my SAT writing scores and my English class grades.

[Tyson]

I don't know you well enough to really answer this question. You probably need to talk with a college counselor who knows you better. But if you write personal essays on cubing, I'm sure we'd all like to read.

[fanwuq]

I don't know you well enough to really answer this question. You probably need to talk with a college counselor who knows you better. But if you write personal essays on cubing, I'm sure we'd all like to read.

So cubing would be a good topic for essays? Did anyone write about cubing for his/her essays? It would be interesting to read.
I don't know if I have any great stories to tell about anything. I'm a boring person.