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I keep hearing about super high SAT scores. When I was in school in the late 90s a food score was over 1200 and anything over 1400 was very high. Now it seems like 1200 is typical. I had a 3.2 unweighted GPA (40th percentile of class), no APs, and a 1240 SAT score and I got easily into every school I applied and offered merit scholarships at some of them. I only applied where I thought I’d get in. The programs were equal to VA Tech, where I was accepted for Mechanical Engineering but went to another school.
My daughter is a sophomore and has a 4.7 weighted GPA (4.0 unweighted), no APs, hasn’t taken the SAT yet. I feel like she’s far better positioned than I was, but realize it’s harder right now to get into many programs. What score would she need to get into UMCP or VA Tech for engineering? |
| They have renormed scores. My student had a 1490, which include a near perfect verbal score. That was 98th percentile and not even in the ballpark for top 10 schools. |
Test optional |
But percentiles are percentiles regardless of norming. Top 2% used to be high enough for top schools, but a lot more kids are applying to a lot more schools and scores aren't as important as they used to be. |
| A clip of Beverly Hills 90210 popped up on Facebook for me earlier today and Brenda was incredibly excited to get an 1190. |
She's not getting into either of those schools for engineering with no APs. |
She’s a sophomore. With a 4.7 weighted, surely she’s on track for APs. |
She is pretty significantly learning disabled. APs are unsupported classes so she opts to not take them. Her GPA is higher than most kids who are in them. She works very hard. Lots of extracurricular activities. |
Engineering is likely not a good fit as a major, and especially not at a large state flagship. |
I have a degree in computer science and have worked with engineers as my user base and coworkers for most of my career. She’s very well suited to it. She’s also going to be taking a 2 year part-time engineering program through MCPS her junior and senior year and took Engineering already in high school and was regularly asked by her teacher to help other students. I know what is good for her. I am not asking if that’s a good choice of career. I am only asking about SAT scores. You should know that many many engineers are learning disabled. |
Those schools want to see, if your school offers them, at least AP Calc BC (preferably post AP math), AP Physics C & AP Chem by 12th grade at minimum for direct admit to engineering. Most kids getting into engineering for freshman year at VT or UMCP nowadays have 1500+ SAt, those courses at absolute minimum and “most rigorous courseload” designation from their high school counselor. |
Yes, but they’re taking AP math & science classes and on-level or honors humanities/social science classes. |
How is that possible? How many kids are getting over 1500 on their SAT? |
She isn’t getting into top engineering schools without AP classes. |
| Other than at MIT, scores don’t matter anymore, OP. |