MEIJUN Cai’s story is proof that one does not have to have a huge score in the scholastic aptitude test (SAT) in order to land a scholarship to study at a quality institution in the United States.

For while much importance is attached to an impressive SAT score, depending on the institution, it may be just as important for a student to show his or her all-round abilities, interests and experiences in order to confirm a place.

This may have been the case for the 19-year-old former student of Wolmer’s Boys School whose SAT score of under 1,600 may be considered just above average.

According to collegeapps.about.com, the SAT exam consists of three parts — critical reading, mathematics and writing. The scores from each section can range from 200 to 800, so the best possible total score is 2,400. The average score for each section is roughly 500, making the average total score about 1,500.

But for Cai, a smart applications strategy emphasising his ability in the visual arts, leadership and sports saw him applying to six art colleges in New York and California and receiving offers from five.

He settled on PrattMWP, a renowned arts institute in Utica, New York where he received half of his annual tuition of US$24,000.

“Pratt is a good school for me. It is closer to Jamaica than California and has classes with a ratio of about nine (students) to one (professor),” Cai told Career & Education.

There he will pursue studies in communications design, which is a combination of advertising and graphic design.

Although his SATs was not in the 2,000 range like many of his fellow students of Versan Educational Services, Cai has a number of attributes which made him stand out. One was his ability in the sport of table tennis; he represented Jamaica at the junior level from 2009 in the Caribbean championships, and reached the semi-finals of the under-18 competition. In fact, he is still in training for the senior men’s team for the upcoming Caribbean tournament set for August.

Also, Cai carefully developed his portfolio of artwork from fifth form by taking pictures of all his works for e-mailing to prospective colleges.

Added to this, his leadership qualities — he was deputy head boy and valedictorian at Wolmer’s — and excellent recommendations fro his vice-principal, art teacher and coach, Cai placed himself in the position to receive several scholarships.

Relocation to another country is not new for the upbeat Cai, who migrated to Jamaica from China at age six.

“Teachers have said I adapt to changes easily. Going to America is going to be quite interesting,” he said.