incessant angst

hello,

I'm applying to five very tough schools (all of them are reach schools; I
know how bad that is, but it's just what I want to do) and I'm really
worried about getting accepted.

My top choice is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I have already agreed to
apply under the "early decision" option. I was nominated by my school for
the Rensselaer Medal (it's an academic scholarship) as well. They were
quite clear in the congratulatory message that this does NOT mean I'm
accepted. So, the stress resumed and now everything is beginning to worry
me--especially after receiving the October 11th SAT scores...

I do absolutely horrible on standardized tests and wholeheartedly believe
that they are the quintessence of all that is evil in this world. The
entire test is a combination of basic algebra and challenging vocabulary.
In my opinion, it is not an adequate representation of a student's
intelligence. But nevertheless, it's my fault that I took this test and not
the ACT (I'm taking the ACT tomorrow, actually).

My scores on my first attempt were 630 math and 520 verbal. On my second
attempt, I had a 610 math and 640 verbal. On the SAT II, my scores were a
little worse. I got a 580 in Math (Level 1) and a 590 in Writing. I have
also taken the Music Theory AP test and scored a 4 overall. I took the
Computer Science (AB) AP test, but there was a problem when I took it and my
score is not accurate.

Fortunately, I do have some extra-curricular activities that may help
suppress the hideous nature of my standardized test scores. I took
Isshin-Ryu karate for seven years (until 10th grade) and achieved the rank
of second degree brown belt. I have over 200 hours of community service for
designing my high school's web site in perl. Additionally, I have the PADI
Advanced Open Water SCUBA diving certification. I'm also a member of the
all-county band and have taken saxophone lessons for over four years (I've
been playing for roughly 8 years). I have taken several courses at the
community college as well. They were Calculus I, Data Structures in C/C++,
Programming in Java, and Web Site Design and Development 1. I guess
mentioning the fact that I'm an avid programmer and computer enthusiast
would be beneficial, but it's just so ordinary these days in people of my
age.

Anyway, the five colleges I'm applying to are Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Case Western Reserve University,
Stevens Institute of Technology, and Rochester Institute of Technology. At
this point, I'm taking AP French 5, AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP
Statistics. I have taken AP Computer Science and AP Music Theory. My
question is whether or not these colleges will really focus on my inadequate
standardized test scores. I'm also contemplating sending more letters of
recommendation to help balance this out. I'd probably send three or four
when they only require two.

Any insight, comments, or other remarks would be greatly appreciated. I
thank you all very much for your time.

Kevin Morenski

Kevin,
Do you have a special talent in music? That will go very far in balancing
your scores (which are, by the way, above the average by almost a hundred
points). Make sure to send a tape or cd if you do. And remember that too
many people get fixated on these scores when in reality they are a very
SMALL part of the admissions game. They are a way of comparing one student
to another from different parts of the country because they are
standardized- everyone takes the same test. They make a difference if they
are extremely high or extremely low, other than that I don't think they make
or break an admission- especially when they are above average like yours
are. Your other activities and grades are much more important.
All that said....apply to two safety schools. Please.
-B


"Kevin Morenski" wrote in message

> hello,
>
> I'm applying to five very tough schools (all of them are reach schools; I
> know how bad that is, but it's just what I want to do) and I'm really
> worried about getting accepted.
>
> My top choice is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I have already agreed
to
> apply under the "early decision" option. I was nominated by my school for
> the Rensselaer Medal (it's an academic scholarship) as well. They were
> quite clear in the congratulatory message that this does NOT mean I'm
> accepted. So, the stress resumed and now everything is beginning to worry
> me--especially after receiving the October 11th SAT scores...
>
> I do absolutely horrible on standardized tests and wholeheartedly believe
> that they are the quintessence of all that is evil in this world. The
> entire test is a combination of basic algebra and challenging vocabulary.
> In my opinion, it is not an adequate representation of a student's
> intelligence. But nevertheless, it's my fault that I took this test and
not
> the ACT (I'm taking the ACT tomorrow, actually).
>
> My scores on my first attempt were 630 math and 520 verbal. On my second
> attempt, I had a 610 math and 640 verbal. On the SAT II, my scores were a
> little worse. I got a 580 in Math (Level 1) and a 590 in Writing. I have
> also taken the Music Theory AP test and scored a 4 overall. I took the
> Computer Science (AB) AP test, but there was a problem when I took it and
my
> score is not accurate.
>
> Fortunately, I do have some extra-curricular activities that may help
> suppress the hideous nature of my standardized test scores. I took
> Isshin-Ryu karate for seven years (until 10th grade) and achieved the rank
> of second degree brown belt. I have over 200 hours of community service
for
> designing my high school's web site in perl. Additionally, I have the
PADI
> Advanced Open Water SCUBA diving certification. I'm also a member of the
> all-county band and have taken saxophone lessons for over four years (I've
> been playing for roughly 8 years). I have taken several courses at the
> community college as well. They were Calculus I, Data Structures in
C/C++,
> Programming in Java, and Web Site Design and Development 1. I guess
> mentioning the fact that I'm an avid programmer and computer enthusiast
> would be beneficial, but it's just so ordinary these days in people of my
> age.
>
> Anyway, the five colleges I'm applying to are Rensselaer Polytechnic
> Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Case Western Reserve
University,
> Stevens Institute of Technology, and Rochester Institute of Technology.
At
> this point, I'm taking AP French 5, AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP
> Statistics. I have taken AP Computer Science and AP Music Theory. My
> question is whether or not these colleges will really focus on my
inadequate
> standardized test scores. I'm also contemplating sending more letters of
> recommendation to help balance this out. I'd probably send three or four
> when they only require two.
>
> Any insight, comments, or other remarks would be greatly appreciated. I
> thank you all very much for your time.
>
> Kevin Morenski
>
>