[quote]on edge wrote:
So, could you boost your score by taking the test in an under-privileged area?[/quote]
No.
[quote]KBCThird wrote:
Congratulations. As you no doubt know, you cant get a full scholarship “anywhere” despite what many are telling you. Upper tier schools often provide no merit scholarships, only needs-based. Regardless, you had a great day and I’m sure you deserve it. It certainly wont hurt!
[/quote]
If he gets into Stanford, and his family makes less than $100K per year, he’s set: Stanford drops tuition for some students
[quote]on edge wrote:
Professor X wrote:
A-Dog wrote:
Nice one lad.
I’ve seen enough american movies to know what SAT is - a form of tertiary entrance test I believe.
Just wondering how its possible to get a perfect score if you do answer questions wrong!?? Doesn’t that defy the definition of perfect?
And why such an arbitrary scale? What is wrong with percentages.
When you are testing knowledge across a wide spectrum of different cultures, learning techniques and even access (considering in the past poorer school districts were even known to use out of date books), it helps to grade on a relative curve so to speak.
So, could you boost your score by taking the test in an under-privileged area?[/quote]
No. The curve is national.
If he APPLIES for scholarships he’ll have no problem, particularly if he has some extra curriculars. The school won’t just throw him tons of money, but the government, through FAFSA, and other grant/scholarship programs will be happy to give him money provided he gets his name out there. It all comes down to taking the time to fill out the paperwork. (this is coming from a first year college student who has both taken opportunities and been rewarded as well as missed opportunities because of laziness)
Paperwork SUCKS! But you WILL be glad you did it, I guarantee you. And remember, scholarships and grants that you do not end of using for school will be checks dropped into your bank account. So this is a fantastic opportunity to basically earn a bunch of easy extra income if you seek out tuition money and apply for it.
Trust me bro, you are so far ahead of the pack it isnt funny. You WILL succeed in finding lots of money if you try. Trust me, my high school buddy got a perfect score and he literally makes extra money to go to college because of all the aid he’s racked up. You can do the same, JUST DO THE DAMN PAPERWORK>
Mr. Perfect,
What’s your GPA like? What kind of activities do you participate in, in and out of school?
[quote]KombatAthlete wrote:
Thanks for all the replies! My first choice at this point is probably Stanford, I don’t know for sure though because I am from New York and haven’t even visited Cali yet. I’m still not a shoe-in at any rate, I’m sure Stanford turns down people with perfect scores. I don’t know what I want to study, I love a few subjects in school (English, physics, a few social sciences) and it will be hard for me to narrow it down. I still almost feel like I’m lying when I say it because it seems unreal to me. I think I’ve spent half-an-hour today just staring at my scores.[/quote]
Do me a favor and pick something that allows you to get a job when you graduate. Not psychology, sociology, history, ect…
[quote]joburnet wrote:
KombatAthlete wrote:
Do me a favor and pick something that allows you to get a job when you graduate. Not psychology, sociology, history, ect…[/quote]
That’s such bullshit. Seriously. Study something that fascinates you, that you love (or MIGHT love). Your success in life beyond college is not going to be hindered by your major in college – ESPECIALLY if you go to a top-tier universirty and do well there. My Dad studied Russian History at Stanford. Loved it. He’s a successful business man, not a History Teacher. I studied music. It has NOTHING to do with my current career. I’m not a musician (professionally) but I certainly don’t regret having studied it.
You’re not JUST attending college to prepare for a career – you’re attending to learn what you love, where your talents are, and to learn HOW to learn. Don’t go study Business Admin because you hear there’s money in Business.
Read this Stanford Commencement Ceremony speech given by Steve Jobs – it’s great.
The University of Chicago is a notable exception to this. They don’t even require any extra paperwork for consideration. But, it is much colder than Stanford.
I went to school in chicago so we took the ACT, but we had a guy get a perfect score, and just like everybody is saying he got letters from about 30 plus schools with applications where all they asked for is his social sucurity number and signature.
Good work, man. I’m a high school senior(going to cornell next year) and had to go through all the college shit last year as well, so I know how big of a relief it is to be done with SAT’s.
With a 2400, you’re probably close to a shoe-in at anywhere less than the very top–the Harvards, Yales, Stanfords, ect. To get into schools like Stanford, you will probably need to have done SOMETHING outside of school. I’m not saying you have to cure cancer, but just be involved in something you like. Also, put a good amount of effort into your essay–it counts for more than you’d think.
And just curious, was your 2400 after taking the SAT cold, or did you have to prep for it. I pulled a 1570 out of 1600(700 on writing), but that required some studying. And if you studied, how exactly did you?
I am a Professor, so I have a lot of experience being a student. My only advice would be to go to the school that puts you in the least debt. The difference between the top 30 schools isnt that drastic, so pick 10 you like and see what they will offer you.
Just a side note, a place like Cal Tech is great, but the girls are a mess.
[quote]elliot007 wrote:
Just a side note, a place like Cal Tech is great, but the girls are a mess. [/quote]
Crosses CalTech off the list of vacation hot spots to visit
Thanks for all the replies. For the first time in my life I feel like I did something truly head-turning. To put it into prespective, a 2400 is the 99.98th percentile, 300 out of the 1.5 million tests given a year. It feels eery to put myself into that category.
Standardized testing and whatever it may in fact measure aside, I consider myself a pretty normal guy. I wrestle at 215 and was All-Conference and do a bunch of extracurricular clubs and what not. All of them are charades for college admission, besides a literary magazine I have edited since freshmen year because I truly enjoy writing and Speech and Debate because I love both the people and simply tossing around ideas, which is the heart of the club. My GPA is about a 3.9. Outside of school I do drink on weekends pretty consistently and smoke occasionally. Most of my friends are pretty big stoners because, to tell you the truth, I’ve given up finding smart and fun people in the small (800 kid high school) of the New York City suburb I have lived in my whole life and figured I would just go for the fun people and tone things down a bit.
I did not stumble into the SAT and get my 2400. I have been studying on and off since last June/July and estimate that I have taken around 20 practice tests and learned countless vocab words in between then and now. I took it once before in December and scored almost 200 points lower than I did most recently. I credit the improvement to
calmer nerves first and foremost and secondly to a review book known as Rocket Review, which basically told me strategies to make sure I didn’t make any careless mistakes. I also purposely did not take any practice test not published by the College Board itself and cite that as a major factor in my success. If any aspiring high schooler wants further study details, PM me. Know that if anyone tells you that you can’t study the SAT past a certain point, they are full of it. The law of diminishing returns does set in and progress becomes slow, but you can study your way up from a shaky 750 to a consistent 800 unless that 750 (the number is arbitrary) is your ceiling score and your abilities do not permit you to ascend any more. There is a limit to it.
Again, thanks for the positive feedback!!! If I learned one thing from this, it’s that you shouldn’t listen to anybody but yourself. So many people told me I couldn’t improve from where I was, etc. and their mouths are agape now.
Dude, you are a BAD, BAD man. Congratz.
In my eyes, getting a 2400 is some serious business. Extraordinary intelligence is extremely powerful. Good luck to you.
pics or it didn’t happen
nah I’m jk nice job now just apply your intelligence unlike most of the ridiculously smart people I know.
“Fotune favors the prepared.”
Nice story of your test prep.
Pick someplace to go to school where the food is good and plentiful the weather wonderful and the girls like to be girls.
[quote]KombatAthlete wrote:
calmer nerves first and foremost and secondly to a review book known as Rocket Review, which basically told me strategies to make sure I didn’t make any careless mistakes. I also purposely did not take any practice test not published by the College Board itself and cite that as a major factor in my success. If any aspiring high schooler wants further study details, PM me. Know that if anyone tells you that you can’t study the SAT past a certain point, they are full of it. The law of diminishing returns does set in and progress becomes slow, but you can study your way up from a shaky 750 to a consistent 800 unless that 750 (the number is arbitrary) is your ceiling score and your abilities do not permit you to ascend any more. There is a limit to it.
Again, thanks for the positive feedback!!! If I learned one thing from this, it’s that you shouldn’t listen to anybody but yourself. So many people told me I couldn’t improve from where I was, etc. and their mouths are agape now.[/quote]
I so understand what you mean, my economics HS teacher used to always put me down and I ended up in one of the top economics departments in the UK.
Believing in yourself is really a v.important issue that took me too long to realise.
Congrats!
You bastard, your prep story makes me really regret not prepping.
I scored a 28 on the ACT and got in the high 1200s on the SAT (w/o writing) and did absolutely zero prep work. I think if I’d put in the effort (and yes mom and dad told me too…) I could have done MUCH better.
Maybe not…hindsight is 20/20
But, I’ve only moved out of my house 6 months ago and I already regret not listening to my parents on alot of stuff…like SAT prep.
Listen to your parents kid, you’ll be glad you did. And seek guidance from your school counselors and other influential people…you have alotta big decisions to make in the next few months but if you do enough research and make the right ones…you’ll be setting yourself up for an awesome future.
I scored a paltry 2070 going in cold…I wasn’t thinking about studying up for the retake until now. Thanks for the inspiration.