Is there any downside to applying to a school test optional? Specifically I’m thinking about having my daughter not submit SAT or ACT scores to Sarah Lawrence, Bryn Mawr, and Ithaca College. Her GPA is a weighted 4.04, unweighted 3.71, great academic rigor, EC’s, volunteer hours, etc… Her standardized test scores are not great, still taking SAT Math 2 and ACT one more time, so you never know, but I’m worried.
What are her scores? Low across the board or lopsided?
1090 SAT, 530 reading, 560 math
24 ACT, 20 E, 26 M, 25 R, 24 S
The answer may be partly statistical. If many students actually attend a given school without having submitted scores, then the door would appear to be fairly open at this school for your daughter. If you can acquire a few comparative facts from the colleges, you may be able to draw some meaningful inferences.
Just check policies. Some schools don’t require test scores for admission, but DO require them for merit aid consideration…if that is something you are looking for. But check the schools.
All of these look like they don’t require it for admission or merit aide. Unfortunately I’m not finding any stats on number of applicants going test optional and their admission rates… Oh Duquesne is another one on her list test optional.
Yes, with those test scores, I’d go the test optional route when available.
Yeah, I’m thinking so too.
As far as rigor- 18 semesters AP/Honors, 6 college classes
EC’s- varsity dance team, national championships 10th and 11th grade, NHS, CSF, 2 additional clubs with plenty of volunteer hours
major related work experience, class rank around 100 of 770, graduating with honors.
I agree that she should do test optional for those schools and look for others that don’t require scores. D had a composite 28 ACT, 1240 SAT (similar sounding other stuff) and applied test optional where she could. Ended up happily at Mount Holyoke (didn’t apply to the three you list, but may well have.) She HATED the tests, so didn’t want to go anywhere they mattered.
That is so encouraging to hear, thank you so much! My daughter has so much test anxiety, but is such a wonderful and accomplished young woman. I would hate standardized test scores to be the reason she doesn’t get into a great college.
They don’t always say it hurts merit chances, but it can.
I can’t imagine her scores could help merit scholarship chances though? She’s taking the ACT again in October, unless she can bring it up significantly I can’t see her scores helping her chances.
I think the down side it that the rest of her application has to make up for the missing test scores. If another applicant has that 3.7 and good scores, the schools are going to be looking for what makes your daughter a fit. Is it the essay, an EC that she won an award for, a school writing contest?
I’d not send those scores either, but the school is going to assume the scores are not tops so they’ll be looking for more in the rest of the application.
In your daughter’s case it makes perfect sense to apply test optional when that choice is available. There are tons of great test optional colleges out there.
Definitely apply to test-optional schools.
Probably would help if you don’t require fin aid as well at the non-need-blind schools.
You all make great sense. I can see that the rest of her application will need to be stellar. I would hope that these schools being test optional indicates they don’t put a lot of weight on those standardized tests in the first place. For all they know my daughter could have always wanted to go to a north eastern liberal arts college and didn’t take the tests because they didn’t require it. I do know that I can have them removed from her high school transcripts so that schools only see what we choose to send them. She’s doing a ton of prep before her next act, I can only hope she’ll kill it.
^ I would not make that assumption.
Rather, I think test-optional schools are that way because they want their test score numbers to look as stellar as possible for the USNews ranking yet allow them the flexibility to take good students (especially those who are full-pay):
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-rankings-blog/articles/2016-03-30/how-us-news-accounts-for-test-optional-colleges-in-our-rankings
Hmm… that’s an interesting thought. I guess we’ll see what happens, at this point her scores will do nothing but harm if we have to submit them. I’m super hopeful she can bring them up, but there’s certainly no guarantee.
I don’t think “they don’t put a lot of weight on those standardized tests in the first place” is correct, but more of a case that they are allowing you another way to show your strengths. Some people are great test takers and want that to count for them, so the schools still accept the test scores. Maybe those students aren’t so great at leadership or even joining clubs, so their EC section might be weaker. I think more colleges have realized that tests aren’t everything, but they are something (only a few don’t accept or consider them at all).If you aren’t submitting a test score to show you have a math background, your transcript should show it. No writing scores? The essay needs to support your abilities.The schools aren’t lowering their standards, just willing to do more work to see if you are up to the rigor of the school, to look at the whole application.
Yes, I can see what you are saying. My daughter is working on essays with the extensive help of a college counselor so hopefully she’ll be good there. As far as math she has straight A’s in Honors Geometry through AP Calculus, I would hope that coursework would count for something? She did do the essay on her last ACT but we don’t have the score yet. She is taking SAT Math 2 and ACT again in October. If her Math 2 score is decent we could submit that.