I am going to sign up for the SAT I the next two times this year

[xnfs93hy]

I'll see how I do in May, then bump it up a bit in June. I'm gonna forget about the ACT as I can only take it one more time this year. Senior year I will be too busy.

My goal is to get a 1550-1600. The way I see it is, more likely than not I am going to have to go to a community college for a year but I figure that if I can get a decent SAT score and obtain a 2.5 by the end of this year and get into a few AP classes I may actually be able to get into some good colleges out of high school.

This question is pretty simple. Will I be accepted to:

University of Louisville and/or University of Kentucky. I have researched both schools and have relatives attending both. They said that their pre professional programs are strong for state schools and they know many people who went to high ranked Grad schools for engineering and good med schools if they were pre med. Both seem to offer what I like/need.

I know I will have a better chance as a sophomore transfer, which isn't really that big of a deal. I just want to be able to get into SOME good colleges out of high school.

So here is my actual question:

Is it worth it taking the SAT if the best I can do is a 1590 or 1600?

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[mathlegend]

It's better than no SAT score

 

[xnfs93hy]

It's better than no SAT score

Thanks for the help. Yeah, hellloooo CC.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Can anyone chance me?

 

[CScull]

I use Cappex.com... it has a "my chances" thing on there... I don't know much about the colleges you're interested in though...

 

[TheMagicCookie]

Jeff, you might want to consider taking the ACT. You may end up doing better on it than on the SAT. It doesn't hurt having the two scores and being able to have options when sending results to schools. I know that UK likes to see at least a 20 on the ACT for OOS applicants, obviously the higher you can get, the better. Why not take the last available ACT this year and then look up the testing dates for next year? I'm sure you could find the time to fit it into your senior year if you start planning now. Personally, I was more successful on the ACT than the SAT...it's a little like Algebra and Geometry, if a person has trouble in Algebra they are usually good in Geometry, and vice versa.

 

[Salvorix]

Is it worth it taking the SAT if the best I can do is a 1590 or 1600?

Yes, it's still worth taking, especially if it's your first time! Since you're a junior you can probably take the SAT up to 4 times from now until when you have to submit scores to Colleges next fall (once in May, June, September, and December if I'm correct). If you think that you have the potential to improve I'd say take it up to 3-4 times, the more the better. I don't know what your plans are this summer but you can always take it in May and June, and then buy a review book to prepare you for the September testing so you can get a higher score .

I found this here: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegeprofiles/p/u-kentucky.htm
Average accepted UK stats for 2006

• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 80.5%
• Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile
  • SAT Critical Reading: 490 / 610
  • SAT Math: 500 / 630
  • SAT Writing: 450 / 590

And then for the University of Louisville from the same website:

• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 70.8%
• Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile
  • SAT Critical Reading: 500 / 630
  • SAT Math: 500 / 640
  • SAT Writing: - / -
  • ACT Composite: 21 / 27
  • ACT English: 20 / 27
  • ACT Math: 21 / 28

So yes, a 1600 could get you into either or these Universities, of course doing better would help you more. Also seriously consider the ACT because many of my friends did much better on that plus it's cheaper!

 

[tennisball80]

I'll see how I do in May, then bump it up a bit in June. I'm gonna forget about the ACT as I can only take it one more time this year. Senior year I will be too busy.

My goal is to get a 1550-1600. The way I see it is, more likely than not I am going to have to go to a community college for a year but I figure that if I can get a decent SAT score and obtain a 2.5 by the end of this year and get into a few AP classes I may actually be able to get into some good colleges out of high school.

This question is pretty simple. Will I be accepted to:

University of Louisville and/or University of Kentucky. I have researched both schools and have relatives attending both. They said that their pre professional programs are strong for state schools and they know many people who went to high ranked Grad schools for engineering and good med schools if they were pre med. Both seem to offer what I like/need.

I know I will have a better chance as a sophomore transfer, which isn't really that big of a deal. I just want to be able to get into SOME good colleges out of high school.

So here is my actual question:

Is it worth it taking the SAT if the best I can do is a 1590 or 1600?

Why bother going out of state ? Do you have the $$$ ?

 

[Gallix23]

Is it worth it taking the SAT if the best I can do is a 1590 or 1600?

Yes. My friends got into some very good schools with scores in that range. They did have GPAs in the 3's, but if you can pull off a 1600 with a GPA of 2.5, that's what the SAT is all about. It shows that your GPA may not reflect your actual intelligence, because colleges never know how rigorous a high school's courses actually are. A person with a 2.5 GPA normally gets in the 1300s or lower, so pulling off a 1600 would definitely help you balance some things out and you'll have a very good shot at state school.

After taking the SATs, my best overall combined score was an 1800. Then I took the ACT, and my composite score was like a 26 or a 25 (which is basically exactly the same when scaled to SAT ranges). The ACT was definitely structured a lot easier than the SAT, and it seemed easier, but a lot of things played into my test taking that morning (like the fact that my idiot friend forgot his ID "in his car" which was at my house when we got into the parking lot, so we flew back to my house to discover he left it at his house, and it ended up with us carving through side streets in my car and then sprinting down the halls of the test center and JUST getting there when the test was being handed out..) I guess the moral of my story is get everything prepared the night before and have a relaxing morning when you are going to take the test! =)

 

[yanorglu]

if you can pull off a 1600 with a GPA of 2.5, that's what the SAT is all about. It shows that your GPA may not reflect your actual intelligence, because colleges never know how rigorous a high school's courses actually are. A person with a 2.5 GPA normally gets in the 1300s or lower, so pulling off a 1600 would definitely help you balance some things out and you'll have a very good shot at state school.

...On the contrary, jef's GPA of 2.2 combined with a higher-than-expected SAT score will give the "smart-but-lazy" impression on the adcoms and they'll just trash his application right there.

Is the SAT worth taking if a 1600 is all you can do? Sure. Will it make up for an abysmal GPA in the eyes of an adcom? No, not even a 2400 would.

 

[Algophiliac]

Take it and do your absolute best, don't just lean on the idea of retaking it to improve. I'm wondering how your GPA actually came out that low--was it just a mistake freshman year that has recently seen an upward trend? In that case, a high SAT/ACT coupled with your GPA might not look too much like you're a brilliant lazy guy.

 

[Gallix23]

...On the contrary, jef's GPA of 2.2 combined with a higher-than-expected SAT score will give the "smart-but-lazy" impression on the adcoms and they'll just trash his application right there.

Is the SAT worth taking if a 1600 is all you can do? Sure. Will it make up for an abysmal GPA in the eyes of an adcom? No, not even a 2400 would.

Not necessarily. It depends on the competition of his school. As I said, a kid from easy-street high with a 3.8 GPA could get a 1300 on the SAT, signifying that his school isn't that rigorous, where another kid from impossible-high has a 2.5 GPA and scores highly on the SAT, which means that coursework must be rigorous at that school. That's the exact purpose of the SAT,to be sort of an "equalizer" and catch things like that.

Again though, it all comes down to how well his school does on the SAT as a whole, as well as how competitive his class is.

 

[yanorglu]

Well, he's never mentioned going to a particularly tough high school as one of his many excuses for his low GPA, so let's wait for his word on that.

 

[Salvorix]

...On the contrary, jef's GPA of 2.2 combined with a higher-than-expected SAT score will give the "smart-but-lazy" impression on the adcoms and they'll just trash his application right there.

Is the SAT worth taking if a 1600 is all you can do? Sure. Will it make up for an abysmal GPA in the eyes of an adcom? No, not even a 2400 would.

I disagree, even with a 2.2 GPA the SAT can still serve as a fair equalizer, but it really depends on which schools he applies to and the size of those schools. We also need to take into account whether or not there is a trend of improvement from semester-to-semester on his transcript. I don't know what Jeff's GPA was each year, but if it shows an upward trend (ex. freshman year 1.7, sophomore year 2.6, junior year 3.2, senior year 3.5) along with a good SAT score I think that adcoms could to an extent look past the first two years of high school.

Jeff, no matter how you have done in the past, do your best in the future and I think that you'll come out all right. Study hard for the SAT, take the ACT, and try to study hard in your courses (and take AP courses if possible) and excel. I believe in you! Worst case, do a year in a CC and then transfer, which I think you are already considering. Becoming a doctor is going to be really hard, but if we all keep our eyes set on the end of the road I think we can make it

 

[xnfs93hy]

I disagree, even with a 2.2 GPA the SAT can still serve as a fair equalizer, but it really depends on which schools he applies to and the size of those schools. We also need to take into account whether or not there is a trend of improvement from semester-to-semester on his transcript. I don't know what Jeff's GPA was each year, but if it shows an upward trend (ex. freshman year 1.7, sophomore year 2.6, junior year 3.2, senior year 3.5) along with a good SAT score I think that adcoms could to an extent look past the first two years of high school.

Jeff, no matter how you have done in the past, do your best in the future and I think that you'll come out all right. Study hard for the SAT, take the ACT, and try to study hard in your courses (and take AP courses if possible) and excel. I believe in you! Worst case, do a year in a CC and then transfer, which I think you are already considering. Becoming a doctor is going to be really hard, but if we all keep our eyes set on the end of the road I think we can make it

I can only take the ACT once the year until senior year. I'm just gonna take the SAT. I don't have "many excuses" for a poor GPA either. Most of it was my own fault but I have had such a terrible academic past, crappy teachers, scummy school, scummy fellow classmates. Almost committed suicide in middle school, which I think is on my record or something. At this point I just don't know what the point of going to school is. The only reason I got a 1410 on the SAT was because I bombed the math. I got 500 on writing a 510 on critical reading (I think, these two may be flip flopped) and a 400 on the math. My friend who is a senior only got a 1700 and he is 15 or 17 in this years graduating class. He had a 3.75 GPA so his SAT didn't matter much. He got into a bunch of good schools and he is in AP Calc and 5 other AP's. I'm just not a good SAT test taker.

I want to go to Ohio State-Columbus. My cousin who goes to UK doesn't even think I have a shot.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

I can only take the ACT once the year until senior year. I'm just gonna take the SAT. I don't have "many excuses" for a poor GPA either. Most of it was my own fault but I have had such a terrible academic past, crappy teachers, scummy school, scummy fellow classmates. Almost committed suicide in middle school, which I think is on my record or something. At this point I just don't know what the point of going to school is. The only reason I got a 1410 on the SAT was because I bombed the math. I got 500 on writing a 510 on critical reading (I think, these two may be flip flopped) and a 400 on the math. My friend who is a senior only got a 1700 and he is 15 or 17 in this years graduating class. He had a 3.75 GPA so his SAT didn't matter much. He got into a bunch of good schools and he is in AP Calc and 5 other AP's. I'm just not a good SAT test taker.

I want to go to Ohio State-Columbus. My cousin who goes to UK doesn't even think I have a shot.

Where's this defeated outlook coming from, Jeff? You are normally so optimistic and eager to get started with things. One reason I suggested you take the ACT earlier is because it's not as Math intensive as the SAT. Math has never been my strong point, and I did well on the ACT. Just because you only have one shot this year doesn't mean you'll do poorly...you never know, you might blow it out of the water!

 

[xnfs93hy]

Take it and do your absolute best, don't just lean on the idea of retaking it to improve. I'm wondering how your GPA actually came out that low--was it just a mistake freshman year that has recently seen an upward trend? In that case, a high SAT/ACT coupled with your GPA might not look too much like you're a brilliant lazy guy.

No, it was because I had absolutely zero motivation in the beginning of HS. I almost literally killed myself in middle school because I was bullied/picked literally EVERY SINGLE DAY. My school Psychologist actually made it worse believe it or not. Kids started rumors about me, I got punched in the back every day by the same kids in Gym and had to see a physician about my back. I had my very own website which some kids hijacked and said I was going to kill people and bring a bomb into school. Everything on my website was basically destroyed/taken off. I got in trouble for it. No one talked to me, some black kid kept punching me everyday for no reason at all and left a scar on my arm. My school psychologist called my parents idiots (this guy was just a jerk). Oh yeah, and last year (sophomore year) I was escorted out of the building in handcuffs for suspected threats about bombing the middle school, which dated back three years ago. Yep. There's actually a lot more to the story. I don't even care if some kid from my school reads this right now, seriously, I don't. I have no friends at all. I have no friends and terrible grades.

This explains exactly why I absolutely hate police. Dumbest people on the face of this Earth. This is why I am pissed off at the world every single day of my life. I leave everyone alone and do my own thing and I am so neurotic it is unhealthy, and somehow I still get picked on. People are still spreading rumors about me to this day.

You have no idea what it feels like being taken out of school (when EVERYONE IS LEAVING to get on the bus/drive home) in handcuffs by three policemen, being shoved into the back of a cop car which you cannot jump out of and being interrogated for something you didn't even do and then having your parents (who are WORKING PROFESSIONALS AND DO NOT WANT TO BE BOTHERED WITH THIS CRAP) come down and listen to some stupid person ramble on about how I am an insane person. I felt like killing myself that year. I seriously did. Sophomore year I got involved in smoking weed and other drugs which took me almost a whole year to get off of.

This is most of the reason my GPA is so low. And honestly, it is mostly my fault. I wish I had just applied myself in eighth grade and taken advantage of what was offered to me that year because I was put into very difficult classes which I BS'ed b/c I felt like crap (and I felt like I was stupid because I was treated like I was some kind of ******). But hey, the way I see it is, I might as well just try and get a 1600. If I can get into Kentucky, that will be fine.

I just wanted to put out this really long response b/c a bunch of you guys have been asking me "Why was/is your GPA so low if you are taking AP classes next year?" Here is your answer. I kicked it into high gear last year, I was put in normal/honors classes this year and will finally have what people applying to Ivies consider a "rigorous course-load". Five AP's. I was able to handle the work they gave me, passed my placement tests for all of them and regardless of whether I get in somewhere or not next year. I am up for the challenge of five AP's because I know I can do it, because I'm not a loser. I'm intelligent, and have gifts. I screwed up and there is nothing I can do about it. I need to put these things behind me and move forward.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Where's this defeated outlook coming from, Jeff? You are normally so optimistic and eager to get started with things. One reason I suggested you take the ACT earlier is because it's not as Math intensive as the SAT. Math has never been my strong point, and I did well on the ACT. Just because you only have one shot this year doesn't mean you'll do poorly...you never know, you might blow it out of the water!

Do you think I should sign up for it though? What if I don't do well? I don't know when I would be able to take it next. I hate to wait 'til October when people are starting to apply.

EDIT: Cookie, you actually go to UK. What do you think?

 

[tennisball80]

No, it was because I had absolutely zero motivation in the beginning of HS. I almost literally killed myself in middle school because I was bullied/picked literally EVERY SINGLE DAY. My school Psychologist actually made it worse believe it or not. Kids started rumors about me, I got punched in the back every day by the same kids in Gym and had to see a physician about my back. I had my very own website which some kids hijacked and said I was going to kill people and bring a bomb into school. Everything on my website was basically destroyed/taken off. I got in trouble for it. No one talked to me, some black kid kept punching me everyday for no reason at all and left a scar on my arm. My school psychologist called my parents idiots (this guy was just a jerk). Oh yeah, and last year (sophomore year) I was escorted out of the building in handcuffs for suspected threats about bombing the middle school, which dated back three years ago. Yep. There's actually a lot more to the story. I don't even care if some kid from my school reads this right now, seriously, I don't. I have no friends at all. I have no friends and terrible grades.

This explains exactly why I absolutely hate police. Dumbest people on the face of this Earth. This is why I am pissed off at the world every single day of my life. I leave everyone alone and do my own thing and I am so neurotic it is unhealthy, and somehow I still get picked on. People are still spreading rumors about me to this day.

You have no idea what it feels like being taken out of school (when EVERYONE IS LEAVING to get on the bus/drive home) in handcuffs by three policemen, being shoved into the back of a cop car which you cannot jump out of and being interrogated for something you didn't even do and then having your parents (who are WORKING PROFESSIONALS AND DO NOT WANT TO BE BOTHERED WITH THIS CRAP) come down and listen to some stupid person ramble on about how I am an insane person. I felt like killing myself that year. I seriously did. Sophomore year I got involved in smoking weed and other drugs which took me almost a whole year to get off of.

This is most of the reason my GPA is so low. And honestly, it is mostly my fault. I wish I had just applied myself in eighth grade and taken advantage of what was offered to me that year because I was put into very difficult classes which I BS'ed b/c I felt like crap (and I felt like I was stupid because I was treated like I was some kind of ******). But hey, the way I see it is, I might as well just try and get a 1600. If I can get into Kentucky, that will be fine.

I just wanted to put out this really long response b/c a bunch of you guys have been asking me "Why was/is your GPA so low if you are taking AP classes next year?" Here is your answer. I kicked it into high gear last year, I was put in normal/honors classes this year and will finally have what people applying to Ivies consider a "rigorous course-load". Five AP's. I was able to handle the work they gave me, passed my placement tests for all of them and regardless of whether I get in somewhere or not next year. I am up for the challenge of five AP's because I know I can do it, because I'm not a loser. I'm intelligent, and have gifts. I screwed up and there is nothing I can do about it. I need to put these things behind me and move forward.

H.SDN saddest experince

 

[glowworm]

take it. just don't send score reports to any schools till you see your score. then you just pay $9 to send reports to whichever colleges, but only if you want them to see your score. if you do badly, just don't send any reports, and your colleges will never know. of course, doing it this way takes a few more weeks, but you have time.

 

[glowworm]

H.SDN saddest experince

yeah. really. i'm sorry about your tough times, and i hope college is better for you.

 

[CScull]

No, it was because I had absolutely zero motivation in the beginning of HS. I almost literally killed myself in middle school because I was bullied/picked literally EVERY SINGLE DAY. My school Psychologist actually made it worse believe it or not. Kids started rumors about me, I got punched in the back every day by the same kids in Gym and had to see a physician about my back. I had my very own website which some kids hijacked and said I was going to kill people and bring a bomb into school. Everything on my website was basically destroyed/taken off. I got in trouble for it. No one talked to me, some black kid kept punching me everyday for no reason at all and left a scar on my arm. My school psychologist called my parents idiots (this guy was just a jerk). Oh yeah, and last year (sophomore year) I was escorted out of the building in handcuffs for suspected threats about bombing the middle school, which dated back three years ago. Yep. There's actually a lot more to the story. I don't even care if some kid from my school reads this right now, seriously, I don't. I have no friends at all. I have no friends and terrible grades.

This explains exactly why I absolutely hate police. Dumbest people on the face of this Earth. This is why I am pissed off at the world every single day of my life. I leave everyone alone and do my own thing and I am so neurotic it is unhealthy, and somehow I still get picked on. People are still spreading rumors about me to this day.

You have no idea what it feels like being taken out of school (when EVERYONE IS LEAVING to get on the bus/drive home) in handcuffs by three policemen, being shoved into the back of a cop car which you cannot jump out of and being interrogated for something you didn't even do and then having your parents (who are WORKING PROFESSIONALS AND DO NOT WANT TO BE BOTHERED WITH THIS CRAP) come down and listen to some stupid person ramble on about how I am an insane person. I felt like killing myself that year. I seriously did. Sophomore year I got involved in smoking weed and other drugs which took me almost a whole year to get off of.

This is most of the reason my GPA is so low. And honestly, it is mostly my fault. I wish I had just applied myself in eighth grade and taken advantage of what was offered to me that year because I was put into very difficult classes which I BS'ed b/c I felt like crap (and I felt like I was stupid because I was treated like I was some kind of ******). But hey, the way I see it is, I might as well just try and get a 1600. If I can get into Kentucky, that will be fine.

I just wanted to put out this really long response b/c a bunch of you guys have been asking me "Why was/is your GPA so low if you are taking AP classes next year?" Here is your answer. I kicked it into high gear last year, I was put in normal/honors classes this year and will finally have what people applying to Ivies consider a "rigorous course-load". Five AP's. I was able to handle the work they gave me, passed my placement tests for all of them and regardless of whether I get in somewhere or not next year. I am up for the challenge of five AP's because I know I can do it, because I'm not a loser. I'm intelligent, and have gifts. I screwed up and there is nothing I can do about it. I need to put these things behind me and move forward.

Maybe we don't have your exact situation Jef but we all have troubles. Tennis has only been learning English for a few years now, I've had an extremely crappy past also. Equally crappy to yours, possibly more so but I don't really want to get into the whole "My life's crappier!" "No! My life's crappier!" fight right now.

What really matters is that you keep on, you forget about the crappiness and learn from your mistakes. There's nothing you can do about it anymore but make sure to try your best, take everything as many times as you can and get your scores up. Make straight As. Have fun and don't get too stressed over things you can't fix or change anymore.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

Just remember that you're on the right track now and you have your goals set high. Sometimes I think it's better to have gone through a bad event in life, because it makes a person that much more focused when it comes to bettering themselves. There are people that crawl into a ball and never recover, and there are those that face the difficulties and become a stronger person. You seem to be choosing the latter, Jeff and I commend you for that. There's plenty of people on SDN to provide support if you ever need to vent...feel free to PM whenever you need to, it's like free therapy lol

I say take the ACT if you feel comfortable with it. Nobody is going to excommunicate you if it doesn't turn out being stellar...you'll still have the SAT scores.

 

[Silverman780]

If that is a combined score of Reading Math and Writing then its ok if its just Reading and Math that is excellent.
I would take one sat at the end of this year and another in September November, that's what I did and after spending a summer looking through a SAT prep book, I then on my second test bumped my score up 150+ points

 

[Maygyver]

Hey, first, sorry about your past. However, just so you know, taking 5 APs doesn't really warrant getting into an Ivy League school. I didn't even bother applying to Ivy leagues and I did 6 APs, had a 4.3 GPA, and was 9/700 people.

Anyway, as far as the SAT. Dont go in thinking, oh, i am signed up for this again and just blow it off. You would be better knowing you can just take it once and putting your all into it. I would suggest taking the ACT personally, it can't hurt.

Also, do you see a psychiatrist now? That might be helpful as far as dealing with stress etc. Good luck though.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Thanks everybody. Yeah, you don't have to feel sorry for me I just wanted to put it out there. Like I said, if I don't get in where I want, I could just go to a CC for a year, keep the GPA up and just transfer as a sophomore. No big deal.

What I am worried about though is most of the colleges I'm applying to do not look at the writing. Most don't I think, most look at it out of 1600. But still, I would think that a score of 500 would still be the MINIMUM they would want to see. My math scores are so pathetic. My critical reading has gotten better though.

 

[Salvorix]

I'm sorry about all of that crap that has happened in the past Jeff. You have the right attitude now about moving on and trying to be the best you can be. Keep taking the SAT, and like I said earlier if you have time over the summer strongly consider buying a SAT review book w/ practice SAT's so that you can continue to improve your score. Just go on Amazon.com and search for "SAT prep/practice" or something and see if any of it interests you.

How are you doing currently in your 5 AP courses? I don't know about your school, but at mine AP's get weighted heavily in your GPA, so excelling in them could really boost your weighted GPA ! If you work hard/do well this year and next year, I think think that colleges will like your upward trend. Also, have you started brainstorming yet for your college essay? That's another good thing to start doing as your junior year comes to an end. I wrote my college essay in my English course in junior year and liked it so much that I just used it when applying to colleges.

 

[Gallix23]

strongly consider buying a SAT review book w/ practice SAT's so that you can continue to improve your score. Just

Speaking of which:

Go out and grab " 'Up Your Score': The Underground Guide to the SAT 2008-2009 Edition"

It's an AWESOME book, and it's the only thing I used on the SAT. It's written by kids who aced the test, so it's fun to read and there are some awesome techniques and things in there. I strongly recommend you get this book.

I'd say buy this first, then go out and get a Kaplan one. The Underground Guide teaches you how to take the test, as well as a little about the material. Read that first, use that knowledge to familiarize yourself with the Kaplan practice test, and then go tear up the real thing.

What I am worried about though is most of the colleges I'm applying to do not look at the writing. Most don't I think, most look at it out of 1600. But still, I would think that a score of 500 would still be the MINIMUM they would want to see. My math scores are so pathetic. My critical reading has gotten better though.

A 500 really isn't a bad score. My best friend is a pretty smart kid, but he royally eff'd up freshman and sophomore year and had a pretty low GPA because of it. However, he stepped up his game junior and senior year, got in the 500 range in every SAT subject, and still got into some really good schools. Don't stress over this too much, you aren't out of the game. Plus, you could somehow turn your experiences you described on her earlier to write a really good college essay, instead of the generic ones everyone always writes.