Hello. I was wondering if a student who didnt take any SAT II Subject Tests could get into an Ivy or any Ivy Equivalents. My school doesn’t usually send students to Ivys and for that reason I had no idea that I had to take the Subject Tests. My counselor never told me (despite the fact that he knew where I was applying in advance, so I don’t think he knew either) and I never heard about it since I’m not surrounded by people who aim for Ivys. All I have heard was, “Take the SAT or ACT or both and send it to your schools early.” I only recently discovered this while I was talking to a friend who goes to a private school that is known for sending students to Ivys. Do you think this would significantly affect my chances or is there any possible way to remedy this? Here are some of my basic testing stats in case it will help:
SAT- 1500
GPA- 4.0/4.5
Rank- 1/250+
AP- Three 4’s (School doesn’t offer a lot of AP courses, max number of courses students have taken over their entire high school career is 5)
There are not many schools, even top ones, that require but recommend SAT 2. However, most applicants to those school would submit that. You should look into that if you want to be more competitive at those schools particularly when you are submitting SAT instaed of ACT score. There was an article from some years ago that around 95% of students admitted by Stanford did submit subject test scores even it is just recommended.
Forgot to mention that I am a senior in high school. I’ve already submitted my application and all of my supplements. The admission results are coming in <38 days, so I do not believe that I can scramble to take any subject tests at this point in time.
The reality is you are a student from the USA with no reason not to have accessed SAT2s, recommend not required might help a kid in sub Saharan Africa, but not Illinois, You quite obviously ave the internet. Successful students are not whinging about how their counselor didn’t spoon feed them. My kids GC has over 400 students. I would no more rely on her for college help than I would any other random stranger.
As you know, you have very little chance of admission to tippy top schools, period. The numbers just work against you and this is why incremental efforts are required. Make sure you have your affordable school offer all ready to go.
You are first in your class and a very competitive applicant, despite @Sybylla’s misspelled post. My kid and several of her classmates were accepted to top schools without SAT2 subject tests. STEM-focused colleges are more inclined to require SAT2s (think MIT, etc.) but they are the minority. You will be fine.
Did you take ACT? Many schools do not require SAT 2s if you are submitting ACT. Cornell still requires SAT 2s if you are submitting ACT. Are you a senior or junior. If you are a junior then you still have time to take SAT 2s. When you were applying to those schools you didn’t go on the school’s websites to read their requirements?
I did not take the ACT because I felt as if the SAT was easier for me. I am also a senior, so I do not expect to have an opportunity to take the subject tests. Unfortunately, I assumed that all of the colleges I applied to had the same basic requirements (Common Application, SAT scores, FAFSA, & CSS Profile which was only bc I heard about it during a NW informational session). It was my mistake and if my initial post seemed as if I was trying to blame my counselor, that was not my intention. I was trying to explain the reasoning behind/the extent of my ignorance.
You don’t have much to lose at this time…If I were you, I would write to the adcoms about why you didn’t take SAT IIs. Apologize for the fact you didn’t read their requirements until it was too late. Let them know that your school doesn’t usually sends students to schools you are applying to and that’s why you were not advised about SAT IIs. I think based on your AP, SAT test scores and class standing, adcoms may overlook your lack of SAT IIs.
Only take @oldfort’s advice if SAT 2s are required, not recommended. I spoke to an admissions officer at an Ivy League school that “recommends” SAT2s and was assured that there is absolutely no penalty for not submitting. “We will not notice if they are not there, we will notice if they are low.”
It’s unlikelyy a top school, with top candidates applying, will look kindly on an ”oops I didn’t read your website and read the application requirements” excuse. As others have said, few require the SAT subject tests now, but if a school does, and you didnt submit them, your application is likely incomplete. Sorry. Did you do the essay section of the SAT?
Without knowing the colleges in question, I think the statement is a bit harsh. If the college says they are “recommended,” then they are “recommended.” If the applicant did not submit, the application is still complete.
Now we can get into a whole discussion (and have on several threads) about what “recommended” really means, but that is not the OP’s question.
But, if the OP applied to, for example, MIT, where they are required, then an application without them is incomplete, and apologizing after the fact will still make the application incomplete. Blaming the GC or SES does not absolve an applicant (certainly a US applicant) from being able to find out about application requirements. Not understanding the nuances is a different story, IMO.
Regardless, the OP needs to file it under “It is what it is;” the application is done, so no sense worrying about what s/he coulda/shoulda done.
There is a big difference between a recommendation and a requirement. Few schools still require them, but if they do and they are not submitted, the application is incomplete. The quote you quoted speaks to requirements, not to recommendations. As you said, schools like MIT (and IIRC, and this could have changed, and may be only for certain majors) schools like Cooper Union, Harvey Mudd?? REQUIRE SAT subject tests, so your paragraph 3 says exactly what my quote you quoted says. Nothing harsh about it. It is what it is. If student A doesn’t read and follow the application requirements and student B does, well… guess who is more likely to be considered. If a school “considers” SAT 2s, or “recommends” them, that is one thing. If they REQUIRE them, that is another.
