<p>I know that Georgetown "strongly recommends" submitting scores for three SAT subject tests. I find this quite annoying because I haven't taken them and wasn't planning on taking any, because it seems like a waste of time and money (Georgetown is the only school I'm applying to that won't consider submitting scores for both the SAT I and the ACT an acceptable alternative). I'm applying to the FLL as a German major, and I spoke with the chair of the German department, who told me my AP German score would be an acceptable substitute for the German subject test, which is also "strongly recommended" for people applying to the German major. </p>
<p>What of the others? Do my chances of admission slip drastically if I don't take any, or don't do particularly well (my history, science, and math knowledge seem to have strangely deserted me during the course of the summer...).</p>
<p>A good rule of thumb is that if a college “strongly recommends” anything, you should do it. Maybe if your stats are at the very top for Georgetown, with a very high GPA, outstanding test scores and very good extracurriculars, you can afford to skip the SAT Subject Tests. But keep in mind that you’ll be compared to students who have taken the tests and done well, and they will have an edge compared to you for that reason. If you don’t send scores, they might think you don’t care enough about the school to fulfill its recommendations, or that you’re trying to hide bad scores.</p>
<p>Blah. My test scores are excellent (perfect score on the ACT, and perfect CR and writing on the SAT, though math was a bit shaky), but my GPA is a mediocre 3.8 UW/4.57 W. So I guess I should take them, especially considering Georgetown doesn’t seem to think highly of my high school. But man, it’s ridiculous to (practically) require three. Yet another drain of tie and money for the sake of the college admissions process. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>One of my friends who will be a freshman at Villanova this fall applied to Georgetown and got rejected. He didn’t take any subject tests. I didn’t see his actual rejection letter, but he told me that in the letter they said they rejected him because they didn’t consider his app “complete” as he didn’t take the subject tests. Again, I’m not sure if that’s really what they said, or if they can even reject an applicant if his application is incomplete… but he’d have no reason to lie, and that was his wording. Just to be safe, I would take them. They’re really not that bad!</p>
<p>deferred without subject tests to MSB. However, accepted regular and I had terrbile SATIIs. 570 US(took a year after taking class lol) 690 Math I, 690 Math II. Don’t stress. Honestly, I am a firm believer in the idea that you are accepted where you best fit.</p>
<p>Hmm, well then, I think I’ll probably take Math II and Literature on the October test date, and then use my AP German score as a substitute for the German test, which isn’t offered until November (the German chair said I just had to add an explanation of the substitution to the application).</p>
<p>To prove my competence in German? But the AP test is supposedly at a higher level than the SAT IIs, and I have a 5 on that, plus a few awards and most likely a letter of recommendation from my German teacher to prove that I do speak German. D=</p>
<p>CruxClaire, They would probably like to see the Subject Test even if you are fluent in German, I took AP Spanish which is at a higher level than the Spanish Subject test. Besides one extra test shouldn’t be too bad especially if your great at German, you’ll crush it and the third score will just look good, trust me you’ll want to take it.</p>
<p>But what does the subject test further prove if I’ve already demonstrated that I can perform well on a College Board German exam? That I have a lot of money and time to blow on tests?</p>
<p>Don’t take it if you really don’t want to take it. But if a school “strongly recommends” something, it’s usually best to do whatever it is they’re recommending. Just keep that in mind.</p>
<p>It just doesn’t make sense to me to take the test purely for the sake of taking the test. It’s another thing to prepare for when I already have enough to worry about at the moment. I’ve become jaded and burned out enough through the college search/application process that I’m seriously considering doing undergrad at a German uni, provided I can pass the TestDaF. The American university system is exhausting and I hate all the competition and pressure that drives people to spend their free time preparing for meaningless tests, failing to enjoy life so they can go to prestigious schools and end up working high-end office jobs, making six figures. But where’s the heart in all this? I can’t find it. Where’s the source of happiness? Is it found in being better than all the others?</p>
<p>I love the German language. Nothing makes me happier than learning German and hearing it spoken and having the opportunity to read it and speak it myself. There’s a magic to it that I could never really explain but has enchanted me from the moment I started learning. And I want to go to a school like Georgetown because I think it would grant me the opportunity to be among others who share the same passion and perhaps be taught by such people.</p>
<p>Why should this all hinge on one SAT II score? Is that what my future is worth?</p>
<p>ahhh my sat IIs are the absolute worst, the prospect of sending them worries the hell out of me. i got a 640 on bio-e (5 on AP test, same month), 690 on us history (5 on AP test, same month), and 730 on math 1. not entirely sure what happened in the week or two between my subject tests and AP exams but i must have gotten a lot smarter</p>