Applicants feel discouraged by college admissions standards

“I just got a 1450 on my senior SAT. Should I try to take it again? I got a 1430 on my original attempt, and I was really hoping for 1520+. I could try to take it again, but there’s not a lot of time, and I’m very busy with tours already. My state average is 950 and my school average is 850. What do you guys think about this? Do those last 50 points make all the difference? Or am I good enough relatively? submitted by /u/AdventurousValuable8 [link] [comments]”

“Hi hi :) I was wondering if it's possible to submit the November 7th SAT score for consideration if most of my applications are due November 1st. I began to doubt if my 1430 (720 English, 710 Math) would be enough for UVA (my reach) at all when the October SAT registration date already passed, so I'm looking to do it again. Additionally, if the November score ends up lower than my super score, would they only consider the latter? Or the most recent... Thank you <3 submitted by &”

“I took the SAT for the first time on December 6, 2025, and scored a 1260. I recently took it again on August 22 and scored a 1270. My Dual Enrollment Counselor/Campus Director advised me to submit my SAT scores to the college I’m currently dual enrolled at, as well as to any other schools I’m planning to apply to. I only sent my scores to a few schools, but I’m wondering if I should submit my second score as well or just keep it. Both scores are below the 50th percentile for one of the schools,”

“As a student with a pretty bad gpa (3.1 unweighted), I was wondering if I should submit a 1240 SAT score or just not submit it at all. I would like to go to umass amherst the most. My wieghted GPA would probably boost up to around a 3.4-3.5. submitted by /u/Front-Load80 [link] [comments]”

“I am a senior right now planning to apply to uga early action on October 15. But I have a very strong feeling that I will get deferred so I’m wondering if I should retake the sat on November or December and I currently have a 1400 right now. submitted by /u/Forsaken_Till_6185 [link] [comments]”

“I’m trying to decide whether I should apply Yale REA or use my early application somewhere else. I currently have a 1480 SAT (710 R&W, 770 Math) and am taking the October SAT as my last attempt before early deadlines. I’m hoping to improve, especially Math since I got a 770 without studying much and think I could potentially get it to 800. For context, I’m from a low-income, single-parent household, will have taken 20 APs by graduation (4s/5s on exams), and I think my ECs are one of the stro”

“Hi everyone! I’m an international student from Brazil applying to U.S. colleges for Fall 2027, and I’d really appreciate some advice on how to approach my applications after what happened with my SAT. My current profile: International student from Brazil Average around 80/100 Public/state high school Planning to major in some type of engineering (possibly biomedical, mechanical, aerospace, etc.) I need very substantial financial aid/full-ride-level aid to attend My extracurriculars include: ~9 y”

“I have a scholarship due next Thursday that gives me the catch to ”match” and attend USC. I took the June SAT and got a 1370, and hoped to get a 1400 in Sept. but work and family stuff got in the way of studying and I ended up with a 1350. my gpa is a 4.11, so it’s already a long shot. is it even worth it to apply with that SAT score of a 1370? Should I go test optional? submitted by /u/Intelligent_Bread841 [link] [comments]”

“I took the SAT for the first time on December 6, 2025, and scored a 1260. I recently took it again on August 22 and scored a 1270. My Dual Enrollment Counselor/Campus Director advised me to submit my SAT scores to the college I’m currently dual enrolled at, as well as to any other schools I’m planning to apply to. I only sent my scores to a few schools, but I’m wondering if I should submit my second score as well or just keep it. Both scores are below the 50th percentile for one of the schools,”

“I don’t think I did well on this last SAT. My grandparents are willing to pay for tutoring if I put in my part by studying on my own as well. I got an 1180 without really studying on the August SAT. I did like 3 practice tests. submitted by /u/HandyandQuirky [link] [comments]”

“Hello. My SAT score is below the 50th percentile for most of the schools I’m applying for (ivies, t20s, etc) and probably about the 25th percentile for most of the schools. However, my school’s average is a 900 which I scored almost 600 points higher than. I also got the highest SAT score in my school…yet, it isn’t comparable to other applicants across the nation (especially those who go to competitive charters and private schools). I know my friend who goes to another school in my district got”

“Can you report your SAT score after you submit your application? I just took the September SAT, but I don't think I did very well. I am planning to take the October SAT; however, the scores come out after my application for Early Action is due. Would i be able to send them after? If not, should i wait till Regular Decision? I want the best chances of getting into Georgia Tech. I am In state. submitted by /u/Tricky_Meal9045 [link] [comments]”

“So, I got a 1530 on the august SAT with a 730 in english and 800 in math. I;m a junior just for context. My dream schools would be MIT or other top CS schools like Stanford or CMU. I know the 800 in math is perfect but the 730 is below the 25th percentile in MIT. Should I retake the SAT one more time to superscore to a better english score? My thought process was I have the PSAT on October 21st anyways so I can study for that and then sign up for the November SAT so that it's still fresh on”

“Hey dear friends, I ask that question because I have an exam on September, but I got my scores of August. First I thought that my score will be much lower, but thanks god I finally got my 15. But I think that entering September can be a waste of money, and if I will get lower score will it someway affect my application? submitted by /u/d4clovetra1n [link] [comments]”

“I am a high school senior, and I took the SAT for the first time in December of my junior year. Since then, I've taken it two more times and have gotten the same score every time (1310), with the same breakdowns. My practice tests have gone from the 1270s to the 1400s, so I'm constantly improving, but my score hasn't changed. I go to tutoring twice a week. Over the summer, I did a practice test at least once a week and did math-specific ones twice a week too. I don't know what mo”

“Hi I apologize for being that person who's like "I got 1500+, should I do it again" in advance. Ive taken SAT thrice, 1st time was junior year September, got 1430 (710/720) then in March of junior year, 1480 (750/730). August just came out, I got 1520 (760/760) I feel that it is good but not as good as my classmates, who are all averaging around 1540s (I go to a private school with very high academic caliber). I'm also an international applicant who is considering financial aid”

“How early is too early to submit a college application? Or, if you’re genuinely finished with it…is it ok to just hit “submit?” It’s just a regular decision application, but is there any benefit of submitting it earlier this fall versus before the deadlines and early January? Are there any merit scholarships that may be available if I submit earlier? submitted by /u/ApprehensiveSignal55 [link] [comments]”

“I just recently got my GED, idk how college applications work, i'm taking the september sat, i want to know if i have to wait until the scores come out to submit my applications and attach some sort of file on it? or i have the college board email it to them? sorry if i sound like a moron, could someone help me out submitted by /u/teapoopfart [link] [comments]”

“Some questions I have about the admissions process: do top colleges treat the SAT as a threshold? Like once your score is above a certain score, do additional points/higher scores make any difference in admissions (eg. 1540 vs 1550 vs 1570+)? will doing something like taking AP stat instead of Differential equations & discrete math for senior year be bad for prestige or trend of rigor, esp. if you are applying for a STEM major? I'm assuming it doesn't matter all that much (?) If you”

“hi guys i’m an international student applying to the US. i have seen many early action deadlines but they are mostly in November. If I submit my application now, in August, would it increase my chances of getting scholarships/acceptances? do colleges review applications before deadlines? or do they start only after the deadlines? submitted by /u/MathSubstantial6480 [link] [comments]”

“i did buns and i think there are deadlines in october and january. i was thinking december but idk. i need like a month at least to study bro i only got like 1170 😭 submitted by /u/Mahcheefam [link] [comments]”

“I know that the SAT deadline for the august SAT still has a week, but all of my city's testing centers were full. I just now registered for the September SAT, which is my first SAT (I was busy with APs in Junior year). Will this have a big impact on my college apps or the SAT score itself? I feel so cooked rn TT submitted by /u/Stunning_List_7764 [link] [comments]”

“Hello everyone, I hope you guys are having a great day. I was going to submit my application on August 1st, but then I started to wonder if I should finish my final SAT before I submit my application. I am taking the SAT on August 22nd. On my previous SAT, I got a 1240. That was a few months ago, and I am confident I can get a 1450+ on the SAT if I took it again. Should I wait till after the SAT or turn it in on August 1st? I want to major in biomedical engineering if that matters at all. I'”