Which of the top 15 schools do i have the best chance of getting into with my SAT score of 2160?

Question

I made a 2160 on the new SAT I. My scores were 720 verbal, 800 math, and 640 writing. According to my research, I meet the requirements for almost every American university. Am i right?

Answer 1

Hello,

I will try my best to keep this short and not sound like I am preaching. :-)

First, congratulations on scoring well on the SAT. Yes, your score will meet the "stated" admissions requirements for almost every university in the United States. However, given the competitive nature of colleges and universities in the top 15, you need to think about the entire admission application.

The top 15 colleges and universities in the US will have a number of applications from students with a similar score or higher (yes, lower scores as well). However, your score is only one indicator used to evaluate your application. If I were you I would suggest that you begin to focus on the following:

1) Your letters of recommendation. These are letters from your guidance counselor and usually, two teachers. Some colleges or universities in the top 15 will require a letter from a peer. In any event, here is some advice regarding the recommendations:
a. Usually you cannot choose which guidance/college counselor writes your recommendation. However, you can help that person by following the advice provided in "C". See below.

b. For your other recommendations (teachers or peers), you first have to think about who you would like to ask with following three things in mind:
- 1. How well does this person know me?
- 2. Does the person like me?
- 3. Will they make the time to write me an awesome letter of recommendation?

If the answer to all three of these questions is "yes", move to the next step. If any of these answers are "no", think about asking someone else.

c. You have now selected the people who will write your recommendations (Please note that this may or may not apply to your guidance/college counselor). Schedule a meeting with each recommender. Your goal is to speak with him or her about your list of colleges and universities and remind them of the work you have done with them or in their class. Remember to share with them things about you that they might not know for example, activities are you involved with in school or outside of school. Finally, you will ask them if he or she would be willing to write a recommendation for you. If they say "yes" provide them with copies of the recommendation forms and a "summary sheet" of the questions asked by all the colleges and universities. This is something you will need to prepare prior to your meeting. Trust me, this will save them a lot of time and give them a sense that you are serious. Also, do not forget to give them a copy of your resume. If you do not have a resume, prepare one! Finally, provide each recommender with either:

- An envelop addressed to the colleges and universities you are applying to and include a stamp.

- If the recommendation can be completed online, make sure you provide them with easy to follow directions on how to complete the online recommendation form. (One additional piece of advice, if you sense the recommender is a "techno-phobe", make sure they can send in a letter of recommendation the old fashion way; by US postal service.) :-)

d. Remind your recommenders of the deadline at least two weeks prior to due date (preferably three weeks prior).

e. You are almost done! Once each of your recommenders have completed you letters and mailed them in, write them a handwritten "thank you" note. It will only take five minutes! Why are you doing this? First, it is just good follow through. Second, if a college or university admissions officer calls your recommender, it will go along way toward making sure that call goes well. :-)

2) Your list of extracurricular activities will be next. You should pull this together making sure you list every activity you have been involved with since 9th grade. I mean . . . everything! As long as the activity is:
a. Legal
b. Something that your parents, parent, or guardians know about.

Once you have the list and all of the dates, go to the application and begin entering in this information starting with the activities that were most important to you or the ones where you have been able to demonstrate your leadership abilities or a special talent.

3) The last item (or items) that remain is your essays. Three things to remember here:
a. Answer the question asked!
b. Spell check and grammar check your work (you can even have someone else review it for these types of errors but make sure they do not change the content or your voice).
c. Write about something that is truly meaningful to you (yes, this might be personal as well).

With these things in mind begin writing your essays. These are the only things that will truly make you stand out in the applications process at the top 15 colleges and universities. I would encourage you to write from the heart and share with an admissions office "who" you really are. Do not waste your time looking for good example of essay on the internet or taking advice from friends. Most of those people have not made decisions on applications. With that said , I was an admissions officer for 10 years and have read over 10,000 applications for schools in the top 15. :-) Trust me; I know what I am talking about. I have one last piece of advice regarding the college essay. It is easy to write a descriptive essay. It is another to show that you are intellectually curious. Make sure you focus on the latter.

Finally, here is a quick recap of the admissions application:

1) Your academic profile - This is a summary of how well you have done in school and on standardized test. Some schools in the top 15 will require Achievement Test (or SAT II). Make sure you know what each school requires. As noted above, this also included your grades (which appear on your transcript). Schools in the top 15 will want to see that you have taken advantage of the toughest courses offered by your school (AP, IB, and honors if available). They also want to see that you have done well in those courses (A+, A, A-, B+, B). If you did not do well earlier in your high school career, schools will look for "positive" trends in your grades. That means you grades are improving each year (or each semester). Finally, if you did poorly in a class, they the admissions office why you believe you did not do as well as you could have. DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES (that will kill you application), but describe any circumstances you think impacted the quality of your work.

2) Your recommendations. - Usually, one will come from your guidance counselor and the other from teachers (some schools ask for a letter from a peer).

3) Your extracurricular activities. - This is anything you do outside of the classroom. By the way, work and "home responsibilities" should be included here as well. If you are taking care of a disabled brother, make sure you include that information. If you are working at McDonald's after school, tell the admissions committee about that.

4) Your essays. - Again, this is where you get to share your personal story and show who you are!

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

- Al R.

Answer 2

That depends on your GPA. Nearly every school looks at at least your GPA and SAT/ACT scores. Some also require extra cirriculars, essays, reccomendations, etc. Every college is different. However, with that score it would seem that your GPA would be high too, and you should be able to get into most colleges, and you will probably qualify for a good scholarship at most colleges.

Answer 3

well it will help but whats your gpa, extracurriculars, essay topics, merits, almost all schools do not look @ SAT scores only...but they do use it to weed out some people, so for that section you have no worries....

Answer 4

Congrats. You are a brainiac. Go to Harvard you idiot!

lol