Hi fellow UPenn hopefuls,
I’ve read the site and seen that subject test scores are recommended but will not put you at a disadvantage if you do not submit them. However, I have found almost everyone here has submitted scores, good or bad. Now I did take a Math II, but I did not submit it because I got a 780 which was 71st percentile. How will this affect my application to Penn and will it in any way harm my chances? I am ED by the way.
Why would you not submit a 780? It is important to understand that for several subjects, the percentiles are depressed because so few colleges request Subject Tests, that the ones that do are the ultra selective ones. As a result, it is the high achieving kids taking the tests. No AO is sitting on the floor cross-referencing scores with percentiles.
Long story short I thought you had to submit all subject tests from the same dat, which would mean sending my 680 on biology. Regardless, how will no scores affect my app?
You’ve applied ED, so what’s done is done, I guess. But for applicants that are applying RD, there is a whole thread on this topic:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2027962-sat-subject-tests-are-not-truly-optional-for-middle-upper-middle-class-applicants-at-elite-colleges-p1.html
See, now that’s frustrating. If that is the truth, why don’t they just say it how it is on the website? My school college counselor even told me he didn’t think it would make much of a difference if I didn’t send them.
Well, hopefully my app is strong enough to overlook that. I assume it is too late to send my Math II for consideration?
@penn22hopeful You won’t get rejected because of subject tests. That being said, if you have access to taking the tests and did take them, why would you not send them? Unless the score is below a 650, subject tests will only help your profile.
FWIW, I’m of the opinion, as I said on the linked thread, that one should take the school at its word. Penn states: “Applicants who do not take SAT Subject Tests will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process.”
http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/whatpennlooksfor/testing
Contrast, as an example, with what Harvard says:
“While we normally require two SAT Subject Tests, you may apply without them if the cost of the tests represents a financial hardship or if you prefer to have your application considered without them.”
https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/application-process/sat-subject-tests
So I personally interpret it as “recommended” is not “required” for Penn, but it is “required” for Harvard. Others, obviously, have more jaded views.
Regardless, I am of the opinion that one should submit either zero or two (or three if there’s a valid reason). Submitting one implies to me that the applicant is trying to hide a score, since virtually nobody takes just one Subject Test.
At the end of the day though, whether a school requires/recommends/considers Subject Tests, I believe they are far less important than other parts of the package particular for those colleges that evaluate holistically.
Yea, so we’re all pretty much saying it’s not detrimental to your application. Good luck!
Each part of your application can be seen as an advocate for you. You would like to bring as many as possible, however, the school can not host that many and does not allow that. So any optional part is the school’s favor to you to bring additional advocates.
If your required advocates are strong and powerful enough, you do not need the additional advocates. However, if all other applicants bring advocates that as strong, and as powerful. Additional advocates may break the tie.
On the other hand, if some advocates are weak and not functional, you are better off leaving them at home.
Penn admissions has explicitly said that according to their research, SAT subject tests are good predictors of future performance at Penn.
https://news.upenn.edu/news/penn-announces-new-testing-requirements-applicants
“This change reflects our research that shows that, when considered in the full context of the application, the SAT Subject Tests are strong predictors of performance at Penn”
http://pennwpadmin.wpengine.com/a-note-on-penns-standardized-testing-policy/
“Meanwhile, we’ve seen the SAT Subject Tests provide useful information about student preparation. While we have no preference for the SAT vs. the ACT, the SAT Subject Tests can provide insight into specific areas of study for students. For example, the physics subject test can be useful to understand an engineering applicant’s fluency with the subject. Therefore, we’ve started recommending them for students regardless of whether they submit SAT or ACT tests.”
@skieurope Based on this I would bet that lack of Subject Tests hurts most middle/upper (middle) class applicants at least a little bit. Given that many of the admissions decisions for these types of applicants are made on such a narrow margin, everything counts. I honestly think Penn is misleading and trying to get more applications by doing this. Also they are saying it is recommended to get the kids from underprivileged backgrounds to apply. They sure couldn’t explicitly say working class students don’t need this but everyone else does.
whether one subject test is useful is relative. For example, If the admission officer has some concern about your math, a strong SAT Math II may help you. On the other hand, If your application already show your strength in Math, Math subject test will have very little effect.
We’ve been through this before on other threads, including the linked one, so I’m not going to rehash/debate (after this 
). But if Penn really means what you think, then they certainly have enough highly paid people who can figure out how to communicate the message better, or at least putting the quotes you linked on the admissions page instead of, IMO, burying them. It’s not that hard for Penn to change the wording to be in line with HYP’s @Penn95
Anyway, as I’ve said elsewhere, I do believe that one should take Subject Tests for any school that considers them and send them if the scores are strong enough. But as I also said above, for the OP, what’s done is done at this point. If s/he gets deferred, then we can advise on Plan B.