I promise I'm a good student but mediocre subject tests say otherwise

Hi everyone, I’d like to thank you in advance for responding to this.

Subject test scores have come out, and this is the third time I’ve taken physics. I scored my personal best- a 730.

I have research experience in physics (but it’s completely different environment) and enjoy the class, but on these tests I always screw up.

My other scores are a 790 Math 2 and a 720 Literature which are all below what my parents wanted.

How much would an admissions officer judge me/these scores hurt me (the 720 and 730) if I sent them? Some of my schools require a science.

Additional info: 3.95 UW and 4.71 W GPA, 35 ACT

OP here, sorry if this is so stream of consciousness, it’s just really weighing heavily on my mind

I pray you will look back and realize how disingenuous this sounds.

The 790 in particar is excellent. What scores did your parents score on their Subject Tests. =))

Your overall stats are excellent. If you get rejected,you likely would not have been accepted with higher Subject Test scores. Good luck.

You aren’t going to win friends on CC by calling 790/800, 730/800 and 720/800 “mediocre”.

I’m sorry that your parents are disappointed in your scores, and for the implied disappointment in you. Imo, those scores won’t be why you aren’t accepted to any particular school- but I wouldn’t apply to any school that requires all of your scores (eg, Georgetown, Duke) as 3 goes at a subject test would likely raise eyebrows (mostly about why a student would do that).

Putting together the pieces from this thread & your others, here is some unsolicited advice: re-consider your college decision process. You mention shotgunning all the fanciest names, and toss around applying to programs as different as engineering and business as if the main thing is the name of the university* and not what you will actually be doing for 4 years/your career. Your post suggests that you have a lot of parental pressure, and of course, all of us want our parents to be proud of us.

But:

You need to remember that you will be at this school for 4 years, and spending a lot of time studying whatever course you choose. There is no reason not to focus on schools and subject areas that are genuinely interesting to you. The point to your parents is that you will be better off targeting those schools where you are a better fit than a scattershot approach.

Start with what you want to study: I gather it was Engineering, and now it is Engineering with some sort of business focus? Take a hard look at that, and at the engineering programs at the various schools. Whose programs (besides UPenn) look like ones that would suit you?

Then look at the schools themselves, and the overall experience: which ones are likely to be ones where you will shine? I’m having trouble seeing CalTech or MIT, just based on your chance me thread. Besides having the label “Ivy” is there anything about Dartmouth that would make you- or your parents- excited about going there?

I don’t know what your state university is, but if it isn’t one of the top ones, then you have a huge jump between your reaches (probably all of the ones on your list; depending on major in a couple cases) and your in-state safety: are there no other schools in between that would be acceptable to you/your family? For example, NW, Rice, GaTech, UMi and UIll-UC have super engineering programs, and are all ranked higher than Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown or UPenn for Engineering. Most of those programs are matches for you, and you (and your parents can point out that you chose it b/c of it’s highly ranked Engineering program.

*yes, I know that some people do both - but from your post it didn’t sound as if you had an actual equal interest in both.

@collegemom3717 Thank you for this insight. Your comment really helped me, thank you so much for taking the time to respond. You’re absolutely right, Dartmouth, Brown, Harvard, Yale, etc are absolutely not suited towards me. That chance me thread is a little old haha. I had GA tech on my list, but I will definitely look at UIUC! thanks again