I have a 30 ACT Composite: 31 English, 32 Reading, 31 Math, 27 Science, 24 Writing
I have scores of 670, 640, and 630 in SAT II US History, Biology, and Math Level 2.
I wrote about my interest in cancer research in my essay and want to major in biology. However, my Science score is lowest on my ACT and my SAT II scores are nowhere near any Ivy League standards.
Do I have an incredibly small chance of acceptance?
You don’t have no chance, but you have a very very very small chance.
Agree with jarrett211. Biology is a very large major, so there is likely to be a lot of competition.
You didn’t mention your GPA, but no subject tests above 700 is worrisome.
What other schools are you looking at? Also, do you have any science or research experience extracurriculars like a summer internship?
4.0 unweighted GPA, good extracurriculars, 3 leadership positions.
I wrote a science paper over the summer on a cancer patient.
I registered for a Math Level 2 and Biology retake but the test is in 2 days and I have not studied at all and won’t have the time to study because of homework and a community service event I signed up for, for the night before the SAT.
Was the science paper published in a peer-reviewed journal? Did you have a mentor or other guidance?
Any music or sports? Good ECs are not enough, they should be excellent ECs for Ivies, especially to get over low test scores.
As for “not having time to study”, that’s another indication that perhaps an Ivy is not for you. You have to study, study, study, and study more, and if HS is trouble for you, an Ivy League college’s courses will be much worse.
I can’t for the life of me understand a 4.0 UW GPA student, assuming college prep and AP Calculus in 11th or 12th grade, getting a 630 on the Math II subject test. To put it bluntly, that score for such a capable student seems like there is a math learning disability. Sorry if that sounds harsh.
Ouch, I took all 3 subject tests last year, and I only had Algebra 2 Math. I am in Pre-Calculus this year. A crazy thing about my scores is that my ELA scores are higher than STEM…
The paper is currently under publication by a journal but it will take many more months to be published. I worked with a group of doctors in a hospital.
@AsianHope Congrats on the publication, that’s a great accomplishment. Your 4.0 is also very impressive, but your subject test scores and ACT score might make colleges consider the GPA inflated. Being Asian will make it much more difficult. There’s always a chance, but it seems like you don’t have anything that would stand out on a resume besides the paper you wrote. There’s always a chance, but yours is rather faint. Consider some lower-tiered schools, I promise there’s plenty of great ones even if they don’t have a great ring like “Ivy League”. Good luck.
It sounds like your coursework may not be rigorous enough for a science major either if you are in Pre-Calc as a senior. If you haven’t applied yet it may be worth reconsidering and putting that effort and app fees towards a school that is a better fit.