SAT vs GPA: Which Is More Important?

Which is weighted more?

Overall, the SAT is weighed more than your GPA. While the amount your SAT score is considered by admissions officers is different for each college, it is generally weighed as 30-40% of your application. This is because the SAT compares you to students all over the nation, while your GPA only compares you to students in your school. Although GPAs give an understanding of all four years, it can be untrustworthy as workers at schools are the ones computing them. This makes the GPAs biased as the school may inflate them to improve their look to parents of eighth-graders and college admissions officers.

Different schools also teach the same classes at varying levels of difficulty. A biology course in one high school may not be as hard as a biology course at another. An unweighted GPA does not account for the rigorousness of college-level classes. This means that even if Sunny took more rigorous and honors classes, he may have a lower GPA than Washif, who did not take any. On the other hand, the SAT is unbiased because it is administered and graded by a third party, the College Board, and is the same test and level of difficulty for every student across the nation. Also, colleges tend to favor students with high SAT scores because it boosts their statistics, increasing their rankings in and making them look more selective. 

The 4 Scenarios 

Here we’ll talk about your chances and what your SAT and GPA show about you. We’re defining a high SAT score as a 1450 or above. 

High SAT and High GPA

This is the most favorable situation to be in. It shows colleges that you are ready for college-level courses and are hardworking. Make sure to work on the other aspects of your application, essays and extracurriculars, to ensure a higher chance of acceptance to your dream college. 

High SAT and Low GPA

If your SAT score is high, but your GPA is low, admission officers will most likely look over your GPA. They may take your GPA as a sign that you were not adequately engaged or challenged in high school, but your SAT scores prove that you are capable of college-level courses. You should still try to boost your GPA as much as you can to increase your chances of getting in. 

Low SAT and High GPA

Generally, this shows admissions officers that you are diligent and hard working. A low SAT score questions your aptitude and if you are ready for the level of difficulty of college classes. They may also be suspicious about how the school calculates the GPA and if it is inflated. If you have not sent your applications in already, take the SAT one more time. Be sure to study a better way than you had for your previous test. Here are some tips on how to improve your SAT score. If the SAT is not working out for you, try taking the ACT instead. Both are standardized tests that measure aptitude, but the material and structure of the two tests are radically different. If you decide to take the ACT, keep in mind that there are a few colleges that do not accept ACT scores. Check to see if the colleges you are applying to accept them. 

Low SAT and Low GPA

If you are in this position, you should consider taking the SAT one more time and improving your GPA as much as possible before you send your applications. Here are some tips on how to improve your SAT score. If the SAT is not your cup of tea, try taking the ACT. However, if you take the ACT, you should check to see that the colleges you are applying to accept ACT scores. You should make sure your Common Application essay and supplements are perfect. Many colleges take students with a low SAT score and GPA if their essay and supplements are extremely well-written and compelling. Here are some tips to help you with your college essay. You should ask your college counselor if your state has any programs that help students who are economically and academically disadvantaged but have potential. These programs provide students with tutoring and resources to improve their application. A number of esteemed colleges accept students from these programs. In New York, there are two of these programs, EOP and HEOP.  

Conclusion

Although the SAT is weighed more than your GPA, do not overlook that aspect of your application. A good GPA shows that you are dedicated, focused, and diligent. When combined with your transcript, your GPA shows your improvement over time. These are all qualities that admissions officers are looking for in future students. If you and another applicant have similar SAT scores, the one with the higher GPA and better application will be chosen. Remember that college applications are holistic, so put as much effort as possible into all parts of your application—SAT, GPA, essays, and extracurriculars—to ensure that you have a higher chance of getting into your top colleges. 

Specialized High Schools vs Regular Public High Schools

High school is the next big step in your academic career. Choosing where you’ll spend the next four years of your life is a hard decision. One thing that you should consider when choosing high schools is whether you want to go to a Specialized High School or a regular public high school.  You can find out more about which schools would be the best fit for you by clicking here. Specialized High Schools, unlike other public high schools,  can provide their students with a strong education through their ample funding and strong alumni network. The only admission requirement for eight of these high schools is the SHSAT test. Unlike the other specialized high schools, Laguardia High School requires an audition or portfolio for admission. Without further ado, here are the main differences between Specialized High Schools and regular public schools: 

AP Classes:

Advanced Placement Courses are introductory college-level courses you can take in high school. After taking an AP course, you can take the AP test in May. Based on this score, you may receive college credit for the course. This can help you get a headstart in college. Specialized High Schools tend to offer more AP classes than regular high schools. Most also require you to take at least one before you graduate and replace regular courses with AP courses. Many, like Stuyvesant High School, also teach their basic courses at the AP level, making you prepared to take the AP test by the end of the course. Look into what AP courses are offered at any school that you are interested in. 

Electives:

Electives are classes focused on one field or subfield of a subject (i.e. Neurobiology or Multivariable Calculus). Taking these electives can further your knowledge in a field you are interested in, giving you a headstart. It can also differentiate you from other applicants when you are applying to college. Taking difficult courses (college-level electives) and electives in a field you may want to major in will strengthen your college application when the time comes. Because they get more funding, Specialized High Schools offer countless electives. Generally, you can find a list of electives that the school offers on their website. 

Curriculum:

You can also look into schools whose curriculum is specialized in one field. For example, the Bronx Academy for Software Engineering’s curriculum focuses on software engineering and computer science. Multiple schools, like Brooklyn Tech, has a major system. Major systems allow you to choose from a variety of different majors or paths and take courses related to that major. For example, students at Brooklyn Tech in the Architecture major may take courses related to drafting and AutoCAD. You should also consider choosing between STEM and the liberal arts. Schools like Bronx Science specialize in the STEM fields, while schools like Brooklyn Latin specialize in the humanities.

College Preparation:

The ultimate goal of high school is to get into your ideal college. You’ll want to go to a high school that prepares you well for what’s ahead. Make sure the high schools you’re going to have a designated college office that works to help you get into your choice of college. These offices will provide you with resources, like help with college applications and organizing college trips. You should also consider going to a school with a good reputation. Specialized High Schools have a good reputation among top colleges for providing good students. This makes colleges more likely to accept students from Specialized High Schools. The rigorous curriculum at Specialized High Schools makes you prepared for the difficulty of college. Students who have graduated from Specialized High Schools and moved onto college have noted that college is easier than high school.

Clubs/Teams: 

Extracurricular activities are activities you do outside of the classroom, including clubs, teams, and student governments. Participating in them will strengthen your college application. Based on your extracurriculars, colleges can have a holistic understanding of who you are as a person and your goals. Extracurriculars can also help you get involved in activities that strengthen your knowledge in your academic and career interests. Schools with more funding have more extracurriculars because they can spread money to support their clubs and teams. 

Competitiveness: 

The social environment of your school can heavily influence your grades and achievements in high school. You will want to consider what type of environment works best for you. Do you thrive in a competitive environment or do you prefer less pressure?  You may also want to consider the fact that while you may be at the top of your middle school, going to a specialized high school, like Stuyvesant will most likely mean you are no longer at the top. This is known as the small fish in a big pond effect. The opposite effect is known as the big fish in a small pond. If you go to a smaller school, you are more likely to stand out and be at the top. Factors that you should look into when determining the competitiveness of a school are the class sizes, number of students per grade, graduation rate, and the percent of students that take college-level courses. However, you should think about who you want to be surrounded with. Even if you are no longer the top student, you will be surrounded by people who are as driven as you, pushing you to work harder. 

The Best Non-Specialized Public High Schools

The best non-specialized public high schools tend to be screened. Screened schools are schools that look at your grades, attendance, and test scores from 7th grade to determine your admission. Some also require you to complete an interview or hand in a portfolio. Here’s a list of some of the best public schools in the city: 

• Bard High School Early College: Bard is a unique high school that allows you to graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associates Degree. Their curriculum allows you to finish two years of college by the time you graduate from high school. There are two campuses: Manhattan and Queens. Bard requires applicants to take an entrance exam and to complete an interview. 

• Beacon High School: Beacon’s curriculum focuses on college preparatory. It offers countless AP and Honors level courses, while also boasting hundreds of different clubs and teams. Unlike most schools, Beacon requires students to complete Performance-Based Assessments/Projects to pass the course. Beacon requires applicants to complete an interview and submit a portfolio of their work. 

• Townsend Harris High School: Townsend Harris’ curriculum focuses on the liberal arts. However, they still have a strong STEM program. All courses at Townsend Harris are Honors level. They also offer a Senior Bridge Year at Queens College, allowing students to complete 12 college credits. Townsend Harris requires that all applicants must have a 90% average or higher. 

• New Explorations Into Science, Technology + Math: Since their opening in 2001, NEST+m has had 100% of their graduates move on to college. Their curriculum is STEM-based and students are required to complete 60 hours of community service by the time they graduate. NEST+m also has a partnership with the College Now program at Hunter College, allowing their students to take college courses while in high school. 

Deciding where you’ll go to high school is a difficult task. Make sure to take every factor into account when making your list. If you still need some help deciding where to go, you can find more information that can help you here or come in for consulting at Synergy Prep. At the end of the day, remember that even if you don’t get into your top choice, it’s not about what high school you go to, but rather how well you perform at your schools and how well you use the resources that have been provided to you. 

What is the Hunter College High School (HCHS)?

Outside of the Specialized High Schools, there are a number of other prestigious public high schools in New York City. One of the most selective examples is Hunter College High School (HCHS). Located on the Upper East Side and run by the City University of New York, HCHS is known for its student body’s high acceptance rates to Ivy League universities and other extremely selective colleges. Students must take a competitive entrance exam in the sixth grade to gain admission to this highly sought-after school.

Academics

Aside from its elite reputation, what makes HCHS unique is its rigorous liberal arts curriculum spanning grades 7 through 12, providing an early foundation for college-level coursework. Because the school is exempt from New York State Regents examinations, it has more liberty in forming its special curriculum, compared to schools that require NYS standardized testing. As a result, classes generally involve more writing and discussion than what may be typical for a New York City high school. All students take honors math, with an option for taking “extended honors” at an accelerated pace; the curriculum goes beyond and is more challenging than the Regents curriculum in mathematics.

Eligibility and Admissions

Admission to HCHS is a two-step process. First, public school students must score at or above the 90th percentile on the fifth grade Common Core exams in Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). (Students at private or independent schools need to score at or above the 90th percentile on the reading and math exams given by their schools.) Meeting this benchmark makes you eligible to then take the HCHS Entrance Exam in the sixth grade. The test is extremely competitive – while exact cutoff scores vary from year to year, generally fewer than 10% of students who take the exam are offered admission.

The HCHS Entrance Exam

The HCHS Entrance Exam is a three-hour exam given once a year. It consists of three sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and a Writing Assignment. The Critical Reading section contains fifty multiple-choice questions based on a given series of reading passages. The Mathematics section contains thirty multiple-choice questions assessing problem-solving ability on a variety of math topics, such as geometry, probability, and computation with fractions and decimals. In the Writing Assignment section, students must produce an appropriate, original, and detailed response to the given topic(s).

Preparing for HCHS Admissions

Because eligibility to sit for the HCHS Entrance Exam is based on fifth grade Common Core test scores, it’s important for students who are interested in HCHS to prepare adequately for those Common Core tests. Studying and prepping diligently for both the ELA and Math tests is crucial.

Afterwards, doing well on the Entrance Exam is a must!

HCHS is a great school that offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular opportunities for motivated, high-achieving students. Students who want to attend HCHS should be well aware of the competitive admissions requirements, and start planning early on to improve their chances of acceptance!

---

What colleges look at: The importance of having extracurricular activities

In high school, it’s certainly important to focus on your academics and achieve good grades. But academics are just one component of the high school experience. What’s another aspect of high school that’s worth your time and energy? Getting involved in extracurricular activities.

Dedicating yourself to extracurricular activities that are in line with your passions and goals is not only essential for college admissions, but also for making the most of your learning experience.

Why do colleges care about extracurricular activities?

During the college admissions process, colleges evaluate a whole range of factors to decide whether you’re a good fit for their institution. While your academic transcript and standardized test scores are the most critical factors, extracurricular activities play a major role in that decision too.

Colleges are looking to see that when you’re not attending classes or studying, you are an active member of your campus and/or community. Demonstrating strong commitments to your activities of choice makes you a more favorable candidate, particularly if you hold any leadership positions (e.g. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer).

It should be noted that colleges look not only at how many activities you were involved in, but for how long, and at what level of involvement. So, while it may be tempting to spread yourself thin by joining as many clubs, teams, and organizations as possible to earn participation points, remember: quality over quantity. You’re better off devoting yourself to a few activities you care about and attaining high leadership positions within them than having shallow involvement in a large number of organizations.

How do extracurricular activities enhance my learning?

Extracurricular activities are also a great way to further immerse yourself in your academic and career interests. Getting involved expands your learning beyond the classroom. Here are some ideas of activities you might join, based on your potential career interests:

• Engineering: STEM clubs (e.g. robotics)

• Pre-med: STEM or pre-health clubs

• Pre-law: mock trial, speech and debate, student government

• Finance/business: Entrepreneurial/marketing or math clubs

• Arts/humanities: student newspaper, creative writing, theater

That said, extracurricular activities that aren’t directly related to your academic plans for college can be incredibly valuable too. For instance, joining a varsity sports team expresses to colleges that you are disciplined and teamwork-oriented, in addition to being a source of enjoyment and an opportunity to explore a non-academic pursuit.

Of course, if you can’t find an activity that appeals to you, or you have a particular interest that hasn’t been addressed by any existing club or organization at your school, you always have the option of starting your own. While starting your own club requires more dedication than simply being a member of an existing one, it also demonstrates that you are a self-starter who is capable of taking initiative!

Lastly, keep in mind that your extracurricular activities should never hinder your academics. If you find that your devotion to outside commitments comes at the expense of your grades, it’s a good idea to scale back a bit and take some time to re-prioritize. Otherwise, use high school as an opportunity to gain as many learning experiences as possible, both inside and outside the classroom.

---

What to consider when applying to high schools (Part 2)

This post is a follow up to our last post on the different types of NYC high schools.

With hundreds of options at your disposal, it’s safe to say that applying to high school in NYC can be an overwhelming process. There are endless characteristics that can set one school apart from another. Here are some of the major factors to look at when choosing the best school for you:

Class Selection

If you have particular academic interests you would like to pursue, you can narrow your search to schools that cater specifically to those interests. Let’s say you want to dive into software development – you may look into schools that have strong computer science programs, and a large variety of math and technology classes available to you.

Advanced Placement Classes

One question you should ask yourself when choosing a school is: Does this school offer Advanced Placement (AP) classes, and if so, which ones? AP classes cover introductory college-level material in their particular subjects, and so they are good preparation for college courses. After taking an AP class, you can take the AP exam for that subject and earn college credit if you achieve an adequate score. Schools that offer a lot of AP classes can provide more opportunities for you to immerse yourself in college-level learning.

Click here to see a list of all the available AP courses.

Languages

At many schools, you will typically be required to take 2-3 years of a foreign language. The range of languages offered varies from school to school. If there is a particular language you’re keen to learn, check whether it is offered at your schools of interest.

Extracurricular Activities

In high school, it’s incredibly valuable to get involved in activities outside of academics. Take a look at the types of extracurricular activities available at different schools. For example, if you have a strong interest in acting, it might be a priority for you to attend a school that has a prominent theater club or society that puts on frequent performances throughout the year. From arts to sports to sciences, high schools provide diverse opportunities for all sorts of students to get involved.

In addition to your academics, having extracurricular activities is very important. For example, during the college-admission process, an extracurricular activity in your Common Application can be the deciding factor of getting into a school of your dreams. If you want your application to stand out from the rest, choose an extracurricular activity that you’ll enjoy and try to stick to it.

Statistics

For every school you’re interested in, make sure to check out graduation rates, as well as average scores on the SAT, Regents, and AP exams. This will give you a sense of the level of academic achievement of the average student at the school, and how well you might expect to do academically there. Greatschools.org and Insideschools.org are excellent resources where you can view these numbers.

School Size

Last but not least, consider the size of the student body. Large schools and small schools each have their unique advantages and disadvantages. Large schools tend to benefit from having more of everything – more classes, more extracurricular activities, more faculty and resources. The downside is that you won’t get as much individual attention, and it may take more work on your part to find a sense of community. Small schools often have a more tightknit community, and smaller student-to-teacher ratios mean you receive more individualized attention. On the other hand, you may discover a more limited range of academic and extracurricular activities and resources available to you.

All of these factors in combination can paint a picture of what your high school experience at a given school might look like, and help you choose the school that is the perfect fit for you.

If you ever need help choosing the right school for you, you can discuss it with us for FREE.

---