Not great SAT's but very good predicted IB scores- considering ivy league?

Hey! I'm considering applying to ivy leagues, yet I'm not sure if my SAT's are really up there. I got 1900/2400 for my SAT1, and 690 for french and 670 for maths in SATII's. The thing is we don't get any practice at school ( haha very anglo-centric) regarding SAT's and the official collegeboard SATII book only has one practice exam for each subject which obviously is not enough for someone who has not taken standardized, multiple choice tests before. I'm considering retaking the SAT1's again as my maths score was ridiculously low ( 600) considering that i do higher level maths at IB and am predicted a 7. i know i could do much better...anyway, if i would have around 39 points predicted for IB along with those SAT scores ( probably improved SAT1's only as there isnt enough time to retake the SATII's as well) would i even stand a chance of getting into any ivy leagues? thanks

Reply 1

amorgan86

I'm not sure how much SATs are taken into consideration for international students - indeed, they might be held in higher regard as a sort of measuring tool between different educational systems - but for American students at least, the importance of your SAT scores is vastly overrated. Those SAT scores are not the norm at Ivy League schools, but they're not bad, either. If you have time to take them again (the SAT reasoning test, at any rate), why don't you give it another try? When I was applying to university, I took the SAT 3 times, and my scores increased every time.

That being said, why just focus on the Ivy League schools? You're missing out on many great universities by only focusing on them, and it's dangerous to group them all together, as each Ivy has a distinct personality. Don't confine yourself to 8 schools out of over 3000 we have here! :smile:

Reply 2

Phoenixoverused

I think if you're going to be applying to Ivy Leagues, you'll definitely need to bump up your SAT score. I mean, it's only one factor out of many, but it's still an important one that colleges rely on in admissions. I don't think your IB scores will be as important in your admissions, simply because your acceptance comes out much earlier than your IB scores, and you don't give predicted scores to universities.

Reply 3

Emica

actually you do have to submit your predicted score, and in your case this will be to your advantage..I got into Columbia, NYU and Yale..From what I can see they look at your transcript, predicted marks, SATs, admissions essay, references and extra curricular activities combined. If everything else is on par then not having a great SAT score isn't going to be a problem. You definately have a chance, go for it..and look at private universities as well, If you're applying in California the UC system is DEFINATELY worth having a look at (UCLA, Berkeley etc)..Don't just keep yourself confined to the Ivy League.
Cheers

Reply 4

shady lane

My cousin had amazing grades in school and excellent recommendations but tests poorly and got below the "Ivy" range of SAT scores. She is going to Stanford and got into Penn and Johns Hopkins as well. So I think you'll be alright.

Reply 5

Jenny_Mc

I agree with what has been said thus far. First of all, don't go just by the title "Ivy League". There are some amazing schools over here that aren't considered Ivy League that are just as good as Harvard or Yale. Look around, do some research about your degree program and which schools rank at the top. That's always the best to go by.

As for your SATs, my friend got into Stanford in Biochem (I think it was biochem, but it might have been regular Chem) and her math scores were far below what the average Stanford students was. The SAT's are just one part of the application that colleges us as one of many reference points. Focus on playing up your IB prediction, any subjects you've studied more than others, your activities, and write a killer personal statement. They'll see your transcript and those marks will speak louder than some stupid standardized exam results.

Best of luck wherever you end up applying!

~Jen

Reply 6

shady lane

I agree with what you said above--but for one thing. At Stanford, you don't enter in a specific major, so your friend putting Biochem or Chem on the application form doesn't factor into admissions. As long as they think she's a good fit for the university, her math scores won't be held against what is required for Chemistry.

Reply 7

Jenny_Mc

Really? I hadn't realized that! I don't think that she did either, haha! That's really interesting though.

Reply 8

shady lane

Yeah, they really want students to be free to move around and try different majors before selecting one. I wrote IR on my application form (which I did end up majoring in), but my freshman year, my advisor wanted me to try other subjects and not just jump straight into it.

Reply 9

Phoenixoverused

Emica

actually you do have to submit your predicted score, and in your case this will be to your advantage..I got into Columbia, NYU and Yale..From what I can see they look at your transcript, predicted marks, SATs, admissions essay, references and extra curricular activities combined. If everything else is on par then not having a great SAT score isn't going to be a problem. You definitely have a chance, go for it..and look at private universities as well, If you're applying in California the UC system is definitely worth having a look at (UCLA, Berkeley etc)..Don't just keep yourself confined to the Ivy League.
Cheers

Where do you submit your predicted score? When I applied to university I didn't have an option for predicted scores anywhere.

Reply 10

captain kirk

AFAIK the SAT is almost everything to the Americans, I had a predicted 37 for IB and got only 31, so don't rely on the prediction (don't always trust the professors :P), then again I have a friend who is in Harvard with 1800 on here SAT and full scholarship but had 45 in th IB haha

You can alway consider goin to a 'weaker school' then transfering, although nowadays I believe it is more important where you earn you Graduate degreee than your Undergraduate Degree

I am starting Concord University in West Virginia this fall, but I am in a slightly different position than you are because I play tennis and my biggest concern was an athletic scholarship...

Reply 11

amorgan86

AFAIK the SAT is almost everything to the Americans,

You mean for international students applying to American universities?

SAT scores really don't play as big a role in admissions as many people think they do, but like I said, it might be a little different for international students.