<p>When a college says that SAT II's are mandatory, will they not even look at your application if you don't have them? Say that you didn't take any until May or June of senior year, would that affect chances at colleges for just RD? I'm concerned because my school isn't the best and I wouldn't perform well if I took any this year, but I don't want to miss out on applying to good schools if they have to be turned in by January with college applications.
Could someone please answer this? It's been bothering me forever.</p>
<p>Yea I’m pretty sure that they don’t even look at your application unless you have all required forms in. You need to check with individual colleges to see when they need your scores, but it’s generally by the fall of your senior year.</p>
<p>Required = required. Period. If you have not submitted any required elements, your application will not be considered.</p>
<p>Most colleges clearly state on their websites the last date you can sit standardized tests.</p>
<p>Your application will be considered incomplete without all the mandatory tests. You can do a search here on CC to find a number of students who are still waiting for some school’s decisions because their app is incomplete.</p>
<p>Some schools that require SAT II will waive the requirement if you take the ACT with Writing instead.</p>
<p>I’d send in the application anyway - I wouldn’t not-apply because of it - on the off-chance they are flexible. But I hope it’s not a college too important to you since you are taking a big risk of rejection.</p>
<p>As others have posted, you should assume mandatory means mandatory absent evidence to the contrary.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t like saying no to applicants. Some applicants, however, make the school’s choice easy by not turning in a complete application.</p>
<p>There are 30 colleges that require subject tests. Of those, 19 will take the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT subject tests. Thus, for those 19 you have the option of taking the ACT. Those 19 are Yale, Brown, Penn, Columbia, Duke, Amherst, Barnard, Boston College, Bryn Marr, Bucknell, Haverford, McGill (in Canada), Pomona, Rice, Swarthmore, Tufts, Vassar, Wellesley, and Wesleyan.</p>
<p>The 11 colleges that require subject tests regardless of whether you submit SAT or ACT, and will not consider you unless you submit the subject tests, are: Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, Williams, Caltech, MIT, Harvey Mudd, Carnegie Melon, Franklin Olin, and Webb Institute. In other words if you are not applying to any of those, you can get by with the ACT for the other 19 and SAT or ACT everywhere else.</p>
<p>However, be aware that there are a number of colleges that recommend but do not require SAT subject tests and they recommend two (and three by Johns Hopkins and Georgetown) and thus you should still consider taking them.</p>
<p>drusba–this is a wonderful summary–thank you!</p>
<p>One question and one comment: are you certain that Bucknell requires Subject Tests? I do not recall hearing that in their info session nor can I find it on their admission page. I know that the CDS says “Considered if submitted” but I couldn’t find anything stating a requirement.</p>
<p>Cornell’s requirements vary by college, as many schools’ requirements do. For example, Engineering requires math and a science while Ag & Life Sciences does not require any subject test.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about any of the other schools you have listed other than to confirm Hopkins and Georgetown. Those recommended tests may as well be required.</p>
<p>Brain freeze; I did not mean to say Bucknell which will consider if submitted, but does not require or even recommend, subject tests and thus the list is 10 not 11. Yes, a few don’t require them for some colleges in the university, and Carnegie Mellon is another one of those which I know does not require them for performing arts. However, most applicants are applying to arts & sciences, engineering, or business, and for those they would be required to the extent the university has majors in those categories. Colleges that recommend but do not require subject tests include Stanford, Cooper Union, Davidson, Emory, George Washington, Lafayette, Lehigh, Northwestern, RPI, Delaware, USC, Rochester, Virginia, Wash & Lee, and some of the UCs for some majors. There are others. Other than Hopkins and Georgetown, the recommendation is usually two. Georgetown is one where you would definitely be wise to submit three because if you don’t you are supposed to put in your application your excuse for not doing so. Note those that require or recommend subject tests usually want a math and science if you are applying for engineering, and some want those if applying for any science major, and some want a math for some other majors such as business.</p>
<p>The inclusion of Lehigh on your new list threw me into a temporary panic! (Doesn’t take much…)</p>
<p>Lehigh’s own website buries the info, but it does say “SAT Subject Tests are recommended, but not required.” They have checked that same box on the CDS. But…while at last week’s on-campus info session, the Ad Com said “No subject tests required”. I have a note to myself there as this contradicted the CDS.</p>
<p>You are making me realize that I will need to drill down a little deeper than I had for some of these. As I said, Lehigh really buries that info, and other schools may also. Hoping to avoid any panic next fall!</p>
<p>BTW, I have Bucknell down as “Will consider if submitted” but that was only pulled from the CDS. My notes from that Info Session simply say “No SAT II”.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of the info.</p>
<p>Thanks drusba! We just saw yesterday that Carnegie Mellon requires two subject tests: Math 1 or 2 AND Chemistry or Physics. We were so surprised that they are requiring those specific subject tests instead of any two subject tests! That is very shocking. Architecture is a combination of many things such as science, Art, History, Physics, etc. </p>
<p>My daughter will have two subject tests (US History and Biology) and she refuses to take Math, Chem or Physics subject tests simply because they aren’t her strongest subjects. If she was strong in Physics she would be interested in Engineering. :)</p>
<p>I have found on the college board under CMU that they’ve accepted Archi students in the past that didn’t take those two subject tests so that is good news. Sigh!</p>