<p>Hey guys!</p>
<p>This is my first post on the Columbia board. </p>
<p>Columbia was the first university that I really got attached to and I knew that I wanted to apply. I'm currently a sophomore, by the way. Then, I found out that submitting two SAT Subjects are required. That made me think twice about Columbia, even though I love it. </p>
<p>People from my area take the ACT. One person from my school has taken the SAT. Literally. That person happens to be my friend and Columbia was her second choice, but she found out recently that Subject Tests are required. She's not sure if taking the Subject Tests are worth it. </p>
<p>if anyone has comments/advice/suggestions, that would be great!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>In general the subject tests are not a big deal - that is, they are easy to take.</p>
<p>You can go on the collegeboard website and see the list of exams they offer. Each one is an hour, and you can take up to three on an exam date. It’s probably a good idea to try to take at least one math/science and and least one English/humanities, but you should just pick your best subjects. And, if you take them in early June then you can pick subjects you just finished a class in (which is especially helpful for science!).</p>
<p>DO NOT let 2 hours keep you from applying to Columbia!</p>
<p>If your heart is set on Columbia or virtually any school of that caliber, you are going to have to take a few subject tests no matter what. This is definitely not an impossible ordeal, it just requires a little bit of time invested in studying. I would not discourage you from applying to Columbia merely because of their subject test requirement. Would you rather take a few weeks to study for a couple of tests and possibly enjoy four years at one of the best universities in the world or forgo those weeks of studying and attend another university?</p>
<p>Got2BGreen: I was thinking of taking Literature and U.S. History. I’m taking an AP US history class next year, so I should be set. Thanks for advice!</p>
<p>Ok, that’s PERFECT! You can take the test right around the same time as the AP test so you can study for both at once.</p>
<p>WedgeDawg: Brown is actually my first choice, but I love the Core Curriculum at Columbia (and the fact that it’s in NYC). </p>
<p>I would definitely spend 2 hours taking tests that could possibly help me get accepted. I’ll probably take them the summer before my senior year. </p>
<p>How much will it hurt me if I don’t do well on them? Just in case I don’t…</p>
<p>Brown and Columbia have identical requirements in terms of subject tests, so you’d have to take at least two regardless of which you apply to. Subject tests are not offered during summer - unless you count early June as summer. You can only take them on dates that the SAT is offered (January, March, May, June, October, November, December). I would recommend taking them June of your Junior year since you would have just finished the corresponding AP class and information will be fresh, but you’re not worrying about taking any AP exams on top of the subject tests. </p>
<p>I do not know detrimental scoring poorly on subject tests is, but it would only hurt your application, so I recommend doing whatever you can to score highly on them.</p>
<p>I heard SAT subject tests are as important as SAT I’s (ACT’s), so definitely don’t just blow them off</p>
<p>US history is a good call, but be advised that the literature exam is pretty difficult. i took it myself and did well on it, but most people i know do not. just saying have a backup test in mind in case you dont do as well as you hope on it.</p>
<p>WedgeDawg: Are you sure Brown requires Subject Tests? I didn’t think they did.</p>
<p>joso2015: Do you have any suggestions of other tests that would be good to take? </p>
<p>I would take Spanish with listening, but I don’t know if two years of Spanish would be enough to do well (or even pass it).</p>
<p>collegeftw: I’ll have to talk to my guidance counselor. My school is the type where everyone ends up either at a community college or a state university.</p>
<p>I don’t really know who to talk to, except for you guys, of course. :)</p>
<p>[Brown</a> Admission: About the Application](<a href=“Undergraduate Admission | Brown University”>Undergraduate Admission | Brown University)</p>
<p>Hm, the wording is somewhat ambiguous, but I guess Brown does not require subject tests if the ACT is taken. However, that should not prohibit you from applying to Columbia as well. I would urge you to take the Subject Tests since they will only help your application as long as you do well on them.</p>
<p>subject tests aren’t that hard… just take them.</p>
<p>I took AP Lang & Comp and AP US History my junior year, and then I took the Literature and US History Subject Tests May 1st, the same week as my AP exams in those subjects. I’d really recommend taking the subject tests in May so you can kill two birds with one stone by studying at the same time. You don’t want to take them in June because you’ll probably be so worn out from all the studying for the AP exams that you won’t want to retain the information until June. As for the Language tests, I’ve heard they’re really hard so you might not want to take the Spanish one if you’ve only had two years of Spanish.</p>
<p>WedgeDawg: Thanks! I hope I do…</p>
<p>jcdancer9: Okay, thanks! English and history are my strongest subjects…</p>
<p>Does anyone prefer the SAT over the ACT?</p>
<p>I prefer ACT because I personally think its a lot easier (and everyone at my hs scored “higher” on ACT than SAT), but for colleges I don’t think they care. Both test some type of aptitude ability.</p>
<p>If your good at math or native at a language, take the math ii/language SAT ii’s. But like joso and other ppl said, I think the US history one is relatively easy and straightforward - buy a test prep book beforehand and go over it (assuming that you’ve taken the actual class, of course) and it wouldn’t take much effort to score over a 750. Good luck!</p>
<p>collegeftw: Thanks!</p>
<p>Math is my worst subject, so I guess I’ll stick with the ACT. </p>
<p>I don’t know about taking Math II, but I’m looking forward to taking the US history subject test. </p>
<p>I’m definitely going to get a prep book. I’m planning on taking the ACT for the first time in June to see what it’s like. I’m hoping to get a 31, but I don’t know if that’ll happen.</p>