College Tip of the Week #5: Is a perfect score necessary?

Do you need a 1600 on the SAT or 36 on the ACT to get into Stanford? The short answer in NO. Many students who dream of going to an Ivy League school or highly prestigious university believe that they have to obtain a perfect SAT or ACT score to be admitted. However, many colleges perform a holistic review of their applicants, meaning that they look at not only standardized test scores and academic performance, but also extracurricular activities, jobs, recommendation letters, and college essays. Therefore, it is more important to receive a score within the range of accepted applicants if possible, and spend more of your time improving other aspects of yourself (which will in turn strengthen your application).