<p>@IWillKill… So many get worked up about who colleges admit and what criteria they use but only when it doesn’t work in their favor. Two wrongs don’t make a right but race has always been an admissions factor - it was used to keep minorities mostly out of the Ivies and most other colleges. It was also used to prevent minorities with degrees from pursuing their intended careers. Gender was also used negatively against women. Legacy doesn’t mean privilege either. I know someone who is an Ivy legacy - his mother got an Ivy degree in social work and never made more than $50K in any year of her life.</p>
<p>I know a UPenn nurse who remarkably earns close to what her non-Ivy educated nurse colleagues earn and almost every private favors its legacy applicants. Why? Private colleges must raise money from alumni to continue operating.</p>
<p>Be the best you can be and won’t be so dependent on the reputation of the school to get ahead. You will do it based on merit which I think is is a worthy goal for us all to strive.</p>
<p>" I also have a bad Math II score. I took it in May when I was taking trig class(precal really preps students well for Math II but I need credit for trig). I did self study and got an 800 on CB test. But I was too nervous on the test day, and I already knew I did poorly when I walked out of the test center."</p>
<p>Schools won’t reject you for ONE bad score, (and if you’re talking about 700+ ,that’s not bad btw), especially if its a subject test, which is ONE way to demonstrate mastery in a subject. I mean, if you’re acing your normal math classes, and your teacher thinks highly of you (provided your school is decent and quite reputable), you are good at maths. The subject test was likely a fluke and adcoms, who are,<em>surprisingly</em>, still human, will understand this. They are much more interested in how you can contribute to the community and what you bring to the tables, contrary to popular belief on CC that scores alone will get in (or keep you out(unless its like a 700/2400, )). </p>
<p>Not a Penn student, but that’s basically what I heard from alumnis and regional admissions director.</p>
<p>If you think that one bad subject test will keep you out of Penn, you should be concerned about the other parts of your application. A bad subject test will not keep you out of Penn if your application is solid, your essays are great, and your other test scores meet the threshold of average Penn scores.</p>