hi,
i’m a sophomore. really interested in pomona. i know how difficult it is to get in. i am an unhooked white female from an overrpresented middle atlantic state. cumulatively between freshman year and sophomore year have a 4.0 and 3 ap’s and i will be taking the full Ib diploma next year.
i am not a resume builder and have pursued activities i cared about throughout high school thus far, and hopefully colleges find them interesting. writing is a strength of mine. i’ll write a great essay when the time comes (i’ll work really hard).
anyway, i know my ideas about college will change in the next year or so, but i just took my first SAT subject test in USH after taking the APUSH class. i got a 730. pretty sure i got a 4 on the ap too. i’m thinking about being a political science major, but colleges don’t have to know that…still, i’m a humanities kid, so it doesn’t look too good.
i’m thinking about studying for it more over the summer and retaking it so i have no regrets. i’m REALLY not that person who is obsessed with testing, however, and i don’t want this move of mine to be interpreted as such by Pomona adcoms. so i guess my question is, for an unhooked white girl from the middle atlantic who is committed, interesting, thoughtful, a strong student, but not some national award winner or nonprofit founder, do sub-750 scores just not cut it? and if not, does retaking it look bad when i’m so close to 750, the big psychological threshold?
pomona is the only one of the colleges i’m currently interested in (obviously very subject to change) that does not allow score choice for sat subject tests, as far as i’m aware. so i’m worried i’ll look like a grade grubber (or the standardized testing equivalent) for retaking a 730. there’s, of course, also that fear that i’ll do worse. in which case i probably wouldn’t even apply to schools like Pomona. LOL
You only submit your highest test scores anyway. You can exercise Score Choice. No one will think you’re a “grade grubber”. I wouldn’t just take it again without doing some heavy prep though.
@mohammadmohd18 from what i know, pomona does not use score choice. hence this whole thread (sorry if that sounds rude)
I would not retake a 730. Think you are better off preparing for and taking a different subject test.
Hi @lightsgoout , I would not retake the test.
You are only a Sophomore, and it is great that you have already taken 3 AP courses thus far!
My daughter just finished her Freshman year at Pomona. She is a white student from California, so I get it :-).
When she finished her Sophomore year in High School, she had only taken 2 APs so far. And, as far as her Subject Test scores, she got a sub 750 on Math 2.
Pomona very much cares about the whole student and wants to build their future classes with students who have a deep interest in learning. I would focus on your SATs and your next AP class(es) and your passions outside the classroom (like writing) and let it go.
Also, as you know, Pomona wants all your test scores, so they will see you retook the test.
Sorry, I don’t know much about Pomona. I debated adding a caveat saying that they might not allow SC, but decided against it. Thanks for rectifying that.
You aren’t even a junior yet. Your 730 is fine–next year, take the Bio or Math 2 Subject Tests, preferably after taking AP Bio, and prep a lot.
Hopefully this comment is a little more useful to you. 
Sorry about the uselessness of the earlier one.
No need to stress.
Pomona now says “Applicants are welcome to use the score choice option.”
No worries about the score choice thing. I’m more worried about this subject test than I should be because I’m taking the full IB Program next year which is really not conducive to the curricula covered in the SAT subject tests. I’m also really not a STEM person. I think I’m gonna take literature, but it’s really hard to get 750+ on literature, and even if I did I’d only have one 750+ subject test…do you see my dilemma? @mohammadmohd18
Son with 12 AP classes - 4/5s, 800s on two subject tests and 750 on a third, 2320 on SAT, UW GPA 4.0, Weighted 4.5, fantastic essays (read them), good interview, amazing LoRs ( I read the one where the teacher said he was the kind of student that reminded her of why she went into teaching), medal of merit 3 years in a row in math, dual enrollment, top of his class…
Almost no ECs.
Rejected from Pomona.
Go do something you love and stop worrying about having perfect test scores. They are holistic.They look at everything, not just tests. Tests did nothing for my son. Your score is fine. Spend more time away from books.
Son now very very happy at Reed.
I have a lot of ECs. I stress myself out a lot with excessive activities but I think intrinsically I like to be busy. Most of my ECs relate to one of my 2 future potential majors, English and political science. Anyway, I have a lot of respect for the “pure intellectuals” (presumably like your son) who didn’t necessarily spend time on Activities because they were focused on the pure pursuit of learning. I know a kid going to Reed next year who I’ve known from elementary school through high school. He is awesome. So glad your son Is happy, and thanks for your advice. @LKnomad
As others have said before, your SAT subject score is perfectly fine. And, if you’re not totally satisfied with it, they have score choice so you don’t need to send it in anyway. I never sent in my (terrible) SAT IIs and I got in.
I am in complete agreement with @LKnomad. I’ve already formed a lot of friendships with other incoming class of 2021 Pomona students, and they are some of the most accomplished people I have ever met. What has made them stand out is not their 4.0 UW GPA or nearly perfect test scores, it’s the kind of work that they are doing in their communities and genuine desire to bring about change in the world they live in. I really think that a big reason why the stats for Pomona admits are so high is simply because those are the same kind of students who tend to be very motivated and driven. So, even if your scores aren’t perfect, what really matters is demonstrating throughout your application who you are as a person and how you contribute to the world around you. Not your test scores or GPA.
I’m an incoming student so if you have any other application questions please let me know!
Pomona in the past has always ALWAYS has been score choice. My S took 6 SAT subject tests between 9-11th grade (including repeating the Math 2 SAT subject test) and only submitted his best 2 (math 800 and USH 760) and did not submit the other 4 exams(including the math 2 first go around)
If you are unhooked(not diverse geographically, not recruitable athlete, and not first generation or hispanic/AA or native american) i would definitely try to have at least 2 subject tests to submit and yes 750 or above is good to be at.
agree with all said above. plenty of kids with near perfect SAT/ACT/ AP’s and still get rejected/wt listed from top LAC/top universities. Pomona like other schools want you to be “the real deal” and part of that is showing how you can add to the Pomona community inside and OUTSIDE the classroom. so yes passion in the classroom with fantastic grades/stand. testing is necessary but so is passion outside the classroom in extracurriculars.
My daughter’s SAT subject scores were 700 (sophomore year), 740, and 780. Don’t sweat it. She had 2 EC’s of consequence, and spent years at both of them. That is almost definitely what Pomona wanted - a long-term commitment to something she loved.