Are SAT II's Necessary for Harvard?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Student:

User Name: xWadee
College Class Year: 2020
Will apply for financial aid: Yes
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Cuban) - First-Gen Student

Academics:

GPA - Unweighted: 4.00
GPA - Weighted: 5.23
Class Rank: top 10%

Scores:

SAT I Math: 640
SAT I Critical Reading: 630
SAT I Writing: 620
ACT: 34

Extracurriculars:

Significant Extracurriculars: Mentor Club (11-12)
Yearbook Committee (12)
Work Experience (11-12)

Leadership positions: Key Club Secretary (11-12)
Youth Group Co-Founder/Leader (11-12)

Athletic Status - list sport and your level: Intramural Basketball (10)

Volunteer/Service Work: Church Technician/Audio Manager (9-12)
Volunteering at Local Hospital (11-12)
Honors and Awards: 5x Principal’s Honor Roll
Academic ‘B’ Letter: 3.75+ GPA, A in Conduct, 1 in Effort (School-Wide Award)

College Summer programs: Summer Institute on National Security Studies at FIU

Desired College Characteristics:

Location type: Urban, Small City
Size: Medium Small (2,500 - 5,000), Medium (5,000 - 10,000), Large (10,000 - 18,000)

Area: East Coast, Midwest
Importance of cost: Very important

2

SAT II’s are no longer necessary to apply at Harvard. But they are useful if you want to display your mastery in one area of study, admissions officers will appreciate excellent scores.

3

@Dylan197 Do you think that in my case it might hurt me if i don’t send them in?

4

Probably not, but you might want to either take the SAT again or don’t send it in, as the scores are much lower than average. However, your ACT scores are up to par.

5

Take these suggestions with a grain of salt as I am just a random from off the internet.

6

No, but you’ll be competing with most applicants who took SAT II. It all depends on your context.

7

@BeCambridge Do people who submit their app without SAT II’s stand a chance at getting in though? Has anyone been admitted without submitting SAT II’s?

8

I have not found one single person who posted his Harvard acceptance online with no SAT II. This might be helpful, being from Harvard’s website:

This is also a quote from William Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions at Harvard.

If I was you, however, I would spend maybe an hour every day until the October test date studying for SAT II.

9

@BeCambridge Alright, thank you so much for your time!

10

You can state not taking SAT IIs for financial reasons if you come from a low income family.

Since no one other school expressly states this in terms of a waiver due to finanical stress, you will still be at a disadvantage applying to those that expect them.

11

I took the SAT IIs late, did poorly on them, and didn’t send them in. I had an interview with my admissions officer, and the tests never came up. I got in.

12

I didn’t take any SAT IIs and got in.

13

Take them if you can. You are viewed in context of your opportunities.