Education Questions and Answers
For the Ivy League schools?
Question:I don't know if I should the SAT or the ACT for these colleges. I want to do Engineering, so which one of the Ivy League schools should I consider the best in Engineering? Please tell me what average score is required for SAT I, SAT II and the ACT to get into the Ivy League schools for Engineering.
Answers:
I'd go for the SAT. The ACT is more typical in midwestern states, and all the Ivies are located on the east coast. Of course, the Ivies accept the ACT, so if for some reason you think you'd score better on it, then go for it -- but the admissions people at the Ivies tend to see more SAT scores, and most people I know find the SAT to be slightly easier to prepare for.
I just graduated from Harvard and I know our engineering department is not particularly strong (though people major in it and come out with fantastic jobs and graduate school opportunities, so it can't be that bad!), and Yale's isn't known to be so hot either. Cornell might be a bit better for engineering. Ivies are liberal arts schools generally, so none of them are really going to offer the best engineering opportunities out there -- a place like MIT or Caltech might be best if you really want to be serious about your major.
None of the Ivies have required scores for any of the standardized tests. US News and World Report publishes a list of top colleges (most of it, you have to purchase) that mentions the range of typical (25th - 75th percentile scores of students at the school) -- Princeton is 1380 - 1560 and Harvard is 1400 - 1580 (SAT score, not including writing). For numbers more specific to engineering students at these schools, you might wish to call admissions offices or the engineering departments themselves and see what statistics they're willing to offer. My guess is that the math scores on both the SAT I and SAT II for engineering students are extremely high -- lots of people probably have 800s (or close) on both.
I don't know the average scores, but I know that you should take the one that you think you will do best on (or take them both). I work at an Ivy League, and they will look at either.
As far as which schools are best in Engineering, it depends on the type of Engineering. Cornell has a lot of high-ranked programs, as does Princeton and Yale. Once you've chosen a field, you can look at rankings, but also look at experienctial classes and the jobs that graduates get.
Good luck!
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