I am planning to apply to a few selective colleges such like Vandy, Rice, and UVA. My sat score is far below the 25th percentile of all these schools. My gpa is 3.97 (unweighted) and I have 9 APs in total and one dual credit course. I also have one ec that I have done for all my years.
Would I have anything to worry about if I did not submit my SAT to any very selective college. This is assuming that I have put more emphasis on my essays.
Agree with going test optional. Apply and give it your best shot. That is all anyone can say. Be sure you have affordable match and safety schools as well.
If your SAT score is far below the 25th percentile, then it would probably be wise to go test optional. What have been your AP scores and/or the grade in the dual credit class? That might help give some additional context about the strength of your application. Also, does your school have a history of sending students to any of those schools, or to similarly competitive ones? If your school is relatively well-known by these universities, then itâs certainly worth a shot. If your school isnât that well-known, however, the admissions officials may be a bit hesitant about taking a risk on a student from an unknown school. But if thereâs anything youâve done (perhaps with your EC) that shows how you compare to others outside of your school, that would be helpful to your application.
If you look up each schools common data set you can see what percent go TO in section C9. For Vandy only 57% submitted.
Obviously these are tough admits but itâs certainly possible to get in TO.
Iâd look at the 2019-20 cycle and the one preceding that to see where you stand. The clear implication is that if 40% of the students are not submitting, then they are below the 25th percentile. If however, your score is in range from ânormalâ cycles, I think it would be supportive of your cause.
No, donât submit it, assuming you are unhooked. It is detrimental to submit a very low score. If you submit it, they have to consider it.
You have nothing to worry about if you apply to an appropriate range of schools. You canât change what is, so there is no point worrying. You can simply ensure that you present your best applications and apply wisely.
Some of these schools are more test-optional than others. You might check the common data set for the schools youâre interested in to see what % actually submit scores. Itâs pretty low at some places. Vanderbilt publishes very high scores, but I think only a quarter of their class actually submit SATs! Kind of misleading, isnât it? Generally, if you are âunhookedâ and middle-class, the expectations for testing will be higher. The APs might go some distance in compensating, as long as you have plenty of 4âs and 5âs.
Do you have a âhookâ at any of these colleges, or a unique talent or story? Without one, the long odds of acceptance only get longer if you go test optional. Definitely use ED - I think Vandy might be an ED2 school, which would give you 2 shots. The odds for unhooked kids in the RA cycle at competitive schools are very low, regardless of test optional status. I wish you the best of luck.
Check the CDS. Vandy is 57% if you include both SAT and ACT. Perhaps a few do both but most not so likely over half submitting a score. Take out athletes and other hooksâŠand likely a lot less.