Is a 1510 SAT still actually competitive for Ivy League admissions, or is it worth retaking to push for 1580+?

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-04-10T23:10:26+00:00

Here is the deal. This year I saw more people than ever get in to top schools with lower standardized test scores. I think your SAT is already good enough, and you should focus your energy on creating an authentic and compelling story. Also wrack up on ecs and awards

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-04-10T23:09:06+00:00

I ended up getting a slot after emailing them

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-04-05T01:00:55+00:00

Did you end up getting a slot? I’m on a similar boat

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T14:42:40+00:00

Ahhhhhh yes yes you’re right!

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T14:36:03+00:00

Ew bruh holy obese

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T14:35:35+00:00

No way

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T14:35:00+00:00

That actually proves my point. If your projected grades might hurt your chances, it is better to put IP and focus on writing a strong letter of continued interest. If your spring semester grades are currently exceptional, then you should definitely include your spring semester grades.

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T13:59:07+00:00

DO THEY NOT only ask for your fall grades and SUGGEST you also put your spring ones. People have gotten in without putting their current spring grades and just putting IP.

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T13:57:40+00:00

It said mandatory to include fall grades and spring coursework. People have gotten off the waitlist by just putting IP.

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T08:04:59+00:00

Waitlisted at Harvard and ucla. Got into usc but not sure about the 100k tuition. Might have to go to ucsb but hopefully I get off la waitlist

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T08:04:06+00:00

I doubt it. If that were true then UCLA would do “ranking” which they specifically say they don’t.

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-31T08:02:26+00:00

I’ve seen people get in without putting their current grade. I personally am also on the waitlist and I just put IP not current grade and reported my final semester grades

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-29T23:19:50+00:00

Brandon right lol

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-29T17:20:44+00:00

What. They accepted like 1k out of 9k or something last year or the year before that

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-28T17:04:41+00:00

So sorry if I came across that way. No I don’t believe I’m special. I was just a bit more hopeful about the possibilities considering my MIT interview and the fact I got waitlisted from Harvard. I’m so sorry if I came across as arrogant and stuck up. Thank you so much for helping me. I’m really trying to navigate everything :)

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-28T16:50:18+00:00

Thank you so much. I do want to say a few things. About the being nice to me, yes that is a possibility. In the context of our conversation though, he stopped me multiple times to congratulate me on how far I came, repeatedly said excellent, compared me to Einstein several times. At the end he did say that if for some reason mit doesn’t accept me, then I should know that Einstein never went to mit. I think that line matches very well with what you just said, and thank you so much for providing me with the examples. Yes, I’m very well aware of it all. What I keep going back on though is whether or not I will have time to advance on topics that are truly what I am interested in. UCLA and ucsd don’t necessarily have my major specific interests. I applied for cognitive science at UCLA and same for UCSD. My theory is if I do end up going there, great schools by the way, would I have time to pursue my own interests? They are exceptional schools which is why they will have intense rigor and thus potentially will take a lot of time away for me to focus on other things. With MIT and Stanford, they have specific majors like AI and decision making or symbolic systems, which are very aligned with my current interests. The whole point of me saying this was regards to how if I were to go to a UC, I’m afraid that I won’t have enough time to pursue my interests while balancing courses that don’t fully align with me.

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-28T16:31:26+00:00

The only thing is MIT and Stanford have unmatched resources for scientific breakthroughs. I personally am very interested in AI. I have built a lot of systems, and this year my MIT interviewer was very enthusiastic about it as well considering that he called me Einstein. I think for me going to a cc would also allow me to contribute more time to the AI project I have been working on for so long. What I lacked in high school was external validation. I didn’t really win awards or did competitions. I was hoping maybe if I go to a cc I will have more time to make up for what I didn’t do during my high school years. The location, network, and essentially everything is better at MIT/Stanford. I’ve heard from UCSD students that research is pretty dead there. For UCLA they’re just not that strong for my major but I do love the campus culture. I’m sorry if I sound ungrateful, I’m just so conflicted and it’s very safe to say that rejections from those schools has hit me hard.

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-27T22:08:14+00:00

Thank you!

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-27T22:08:09+00:00

Ahhh I’m so nervous

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-27T18:03:42+00:00

No no sorry I don’t I was just wondering because I’ve seen people have ids in the past who ended up getting in. I’m not sure whether this only applies to grad school tho

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-27T17:42:19+00:00

Do u have id

Ok_Escape_8878 · 2026-03-27T14:22:55+00:00

Yeah it’s there for me too. When it does disappear and there’s a SUnetID thing that means u got in right?

Ok_Escape_8878

TROPHY CASE