Low SAT Scores a Significant Detriment?

[bogie]

Hi everybody, I just had a quick question about the importance of SAT scores to application. I am mostly focused on Bryn Mawr and Temple post-bac programs, as they are very near to me and would enable me to avoid a gap year.

I didn't take high school very seriously, and this extended to my attempts on standardized tests. I only received an 1120 on the SATs, but have since began taken my academic performance more seriously. I took classes my senior year full-time at my local community college and graduated from there with a 3.82 GPA after 3 semesters. I am currently going to Temple University for a BA in sociology, and I have a 3.48 GPA, which I anticipate will be above 3.50 by the time I graduate this spring.

I am wondering if the fact that I took a fairly rigorous undergraduate education (I will have graduated in 3 years, at 20 years old) would possibly make up for my very lackluster SAT scores.

Thanks for all of your help, this forum seems to have a great wealth of information that has already been very useful to me.

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[moneduloides]

Just take some time and knock the GRE out of the park.

 

[NewmansOwn]

Hard to say. SAT scores are taken seriously by the admissions office, I think, but it's very difficult to tell to what degree. We, as current students, aren't brought in to help out with admissions until after you've already been invited for an interview. By that point, SAT scores have been reviewed and you have, for all intents and purposes, made the cut.

Admission is fairly competitive to Bryn Mawr, so any reason to not offer you an interview will be seriously considered. I'm going to say I doubt low SAT scores alone will get you rejected, but hopefully you have a bunch of other stuff to offer. That GPA at Temple is decent, but not mind-blowing, so some very impressive extracurriculars will need to be showcased.

Also, I should mention that I'm afraid graduating in 3 years (while surely impressive) is not quite the kind of thing the committee is looking for. Yes, it shows you're hard-working, but since this is a "career changer" postbac program, by classification, evidence needs to appear that you've actually tried something else. That's why admission is even more competitive for those who are applying straight from undergrad.

 

[bogie]

Thanks for all the prompt and helpful responses!

Yeah, from the outset I had viewed Bryn Mawr as an outside chance, with the greater focus directed on Temple. It seems like it would be a better fit for me personally, as well as more likely for me to gain acceptance.

I actually hadn't looked at my SAT score until a few days ago, when I realized they were fairly far below what Temple wants (1200). I saw that there was a test in January for which registration closed later that night, and I actually registered for it right then, for some reason not thinking I should just focus on the GREs.

I am now considering whether I should apply to Temple now, with the score I have, or wait until the middle of February, and apply with my new score. The deadline for the Temple program is March 1, and I wasn't able to find if there was a very limited amount of seats in the program.

Their site says that "Students are encouraged to apply early to this highly selective program," so I am wondering if I would be at a greater disadvantage if I had low SAT scores and a 3.65 GPA, or if I had a high score but applied later.

Thanks again for all of the great responses!