ISS Sophomore Earns Perfect Score on SAT

Indian Springs School sophomore Joon Soo Sea ’17 has earned a perfect score on the SAT college entrance exam.

The odds of achieving a perfect score are low. Of the 1.6 million college-bound seniors who took the SAT in 2014, fewer than 600—under .04 percent—achieved a perfect 2,400, according to data available from the College Board.

“It is extremely difficult to earn a perfect score on this nationwide test,” says ISS Director Gareth Vaughan. “Joon’s accomplishment is a testament to his dedication and diligence, qualities that we believe enable our students to achieve in all aspects of their lives.”

This is the second perfect score by an Indian Springs School student on a college entrance exam this school year. In the fall, ISS senior Tristan Trechsel ’15 earned a perfect score on the ACT.

The ACT includes tests in English, math, reading, and science and measures what students have learned in high school. The SAT features tests in reading, writing, and math and is designed to assess academic readiness for college.

Sea, a boarding student from Daegu, South Korea, first took the SAT as a 7th grader for a summer camp opportunity. He did well but felt he could do better, so he began studying vocabulary words and paying close attention to “little things” that teachers mentioned in class. As a 9th grader, he started working through his college-age sisters’ notes and a variety of SAT prep books.

“You could probably fill an Olympic-size pool with all the books,” he says. “I think we have every single edition in print.”

Sea was with his family in Daegu when he learned his score on the December 2014 test. “Everyone was hugging me,” he says. “The people who live under us were like, ‘Man!’—but they were happy too.”

Sea believes that working hard and listening carefully to ISS teachers paved the way for his perfect score. His SAT essay, for instance, included information that he has learned this year in his AP European History and Music History classes. “A lot of what teachers tell you really helps,” he says. “Even the little stuff that they mention in class—grammar and small details—all of it helps in writing, reading, and math.”

Though only a sophomore, Sea has begun looking at colleges with strong programs in business and economics. “I want to make an impact on something in whatever I do,” he says.
Back
190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, Alabama 35124
Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.