<p>what is the impact of very bad sat subject test scores on an application (especially for internationals)? </p>
<p>does it matter a lot, even if the rest (sat reasoning, grades, EC's, recommendations) are okay?</p>
<p>I got a 750 on physics and I'm pretty unhappy about it. Anyone else know?</p>
<p>750 on physics, for me, doesn't sound that bad. it's well enough.</p>
<p>Most of the top colleges say explicitly that they look only at your best scores. </p>
<p>You report everything, to send in a complete application, and then the admission staff gives you the benefit of your best scores. Don't worry about it too much. </p>
<p>After edit: but everything else besides tests scores matters too. </p>
<p>hey you 700+ people. i don't mean that "bad". i meant extremely low... <em>cries</em></p>
<p>hey boptothetop,</p>
<p>where are you planning to apply?</p>
<p>don't feel bad!</p>
<p>to be honest, i haven't got a clue. i already made a shortlist but when i asked in the chances thread, people just basically told me that i have zero (or somewhere near that value) chance. and i'm guessing i'm in trouble since it is already november. oh no.</p>
<p>Well, hmmmmmm.</p>
<p>Low SAT IIs are not going to help you. I think, for instance, that having SAT IIs in the 500s across the board would dampen your chances at most Ivies. The more competitive the school, the more likely they are to look at your SAT IIs alongside your SAT Is.</p>
<p>It's very possible, though, that other aspects of your transcript will impress them enough that you will get in anyway. But you should think of yourself as needing to compensate for those scores; you should not hope that top-tier schools will ignore those scores. </p>
<p>It sounds like your school list so far has consisted mostly of really selective schools. I'd go back to the drawing board and expand the list.</p>
<p>You also may want to look at studying for one or two of the SAT IIs and retaking in December. Is there any possibility that you can get into the high 600s or low 700s in a couple of subjects? That might help you out.</p>
<p>You still have a lot of great things going for you and I would suggest that you apply everywhere you might want to go. At this point, though, your SAT IIs are a wildcard, so you should make sure to explore all your options.</p>
<p>Also, if you are an international student, just to confirm: none of your SAT IIs is in a native language other than English, right?</p>
<p>nope, just physics and math 2. </p>
<p>my other problem is that i will be needing a lot of aid. so its kinda hard looking for schools that give a lot to internationals. </p>
<p>so far my list of schools consist of Middlebury (just though i'd throw this in), Connecticut College, Franklin and Marshall, Wesleyan U, Oberlin, Pepperdine, Lehigh. This list is already edited by the way. Any other suggestions? (aside from not applying to ivies. :)</p>
<p>Thank you very much lotf629! So far, you have been the most helpful and encouraging person here.</p>
<p>I'm glad I've helped you out! I think you have every reason to be hopeful this year, especially now that you are broadening your search a little.</p>
<p>Peterson offers a scholarship search engine for international students that I would <em>definitely</em> check out if I were you. It's at </p>
<p><a href="http://www.petersons.com/educationusa/%5B/url%5D">http://www.petersons.com/educationusa/</a></p>
<p>Because you are an international student, much of the aid you can get will be either a) loans or b) merit-based. At the same time, your numbers are not astronomical. So you may want to consider applying for all the scholarships you can think of in order to play the odds a little bit. </p>
<p>You also need to be thinking about how much you would be willing to borrow in order to go to school in the U.S. </p>
<p>Also check out</p>
<p><a href="http://www.edupass.org/finaid/%5B/url%5D">http://www.edupass.org/finaid/</a></p>
<p>and especially </p>
<p>if you haven't yet.</p>
<p>The second link gives a list of U.S. schools with a history of making fin aid awards to international students. </p>
<p>Take a look at Grinnell. Here's what their own website says about them:</p>
<p>"Grinnell College has had a long history of providing financial assistance to international students (students not holding a U.S. passport or U.S. permanent residency card). In recent years the College has reconfirmed its commitment to providing affordable education to students around the world by offering additional scholarship opportunities to new international students."</p>
<p>Grinnell is a pretty strong liberal arts school (I applied there in my day :) ) but they are not super-selective; not like Wesleyan anyway. They may be a match for you even with your aid requirements.</p>
<p>Take a look at Clark--a safety for you, but one with a history of giving aid to internationals:</p>
<p>Then go to the second site I listed</p>
<p>and research each of those schools. Use the CollegeBoard college QuickFinder at </p>
<p><a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/splash/%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/splash/</a></p>
<p>to see how selective the schools are.</p>
<p>Frankly, you are looking at a limited number of schools right now. You have some excellent options: you just don't have a huge number of options. You should apply, apply, apply for scholarships, and be open to the possibility of coming to a less selective school with good aid options and then transferring once you prove yourself.</p>
<p>Good luck for you: it looks like Grinnell does not require SAT IIs. </p>
<p>I would definitely consider it. </p>
<p>Also, as I'm sure you've noticed, Macalester does not require SAT IIs either.</p>