Hey I am currently a junior in high school thinking about applying to Penn. I know Penn doesnt do score choice and I am a bit worried. I have taken the ACT twice with scores of 31E 26M 32R 31S (30 composite) and 33E 31M 36R 35S (34 composite) I have no issue with sending the first ACT score where I scored much worse cause the 2nd one shows I have improved a lot. However, in my sophomore year, I very foolishly took 2 SAT subject tests. I got a 550 biology and a 420 Chemistry. I am planning on taking the US History and the Math 2 Subject tests and hopefully scoring a little higher. My issue is, is there a way for me to not send those 2 scores? They are truly terrible (20th percentile biology and 1st percentile Chemistry.) If I just dont include those scores on my transcript, will Penn find out? And if I need to send those scores, how much will they hurt my application.
When you send SAT Scores, if you try to un-check the boxes for SAT tests on the collegeboard, it notifies you that the Collegeboard will inform the university know that you have not reported every school.
That said, I honestly don’t remember if this applies for SAT subject test scores but I have a feeling it does. It may be ideal for you to retake those test scores.
Burderned, I am very surprised to hear what you have written about the SAT tests. The College Board has promised up and down that they do NOT provide any way any school can tell if you score choice or not. It is an option they offer and have vowed, promised that, not only don’t the reveal that information but they don’t send “score choices” on one date and full reports on a different date. They promise that they don’t send “score choice” scores on one type of form and full scores on another. So I really do doubt what you have written. I’ve talked at length with the College Board about this issue because I take issue with setting up a situation that results in students being placed in just the position this OP is placed in-where she/he must weight being honest but risking not getting in or being dishonest. Colleges have responsibility to not put students in this position. It is unethical of colleges and universities to contribute to temptations-I thing the same thing about closed book take home tests. The onus is on the school to avoid obviously tempting situations. Regardless, the College Board has promised they provide no way for colleges or universities to know whether the student score choiced or not. It may be that the Common Application warns applicants when they check something inconsistent with what a particular college is requesting but I doubt that the information is conveyed to the schools. That would mean they have been blatantly lying for the past several years and I doubt that.
@lostaccount
This is what happens when you send SAT scores:
Some schools, like Cornell, require that you send every SAT that you have taken. The College Board knows this. I’m not aware of Penn’s specific policy on SAT scores aside from that they want two subject tests.
When you send SAT scores, you check the box of the scores that you want to sent. However, if you attempt to uncheck the box of one of your scores and the College Board knows that this university requires all scores, then they inform the university that the list of SAT scores is incomplete. The College Board accordingly gives you a warning that it probably isn’t the best idea to do it.
I just took a screen-shot for reference. I used Cornell because it is the only one I can think of off of the top of my head that requires every score taken be sent.
imgur link below. Replace **** with imgur(dot)com
http://i.imgur.com/20NInLd.png
Burdened, I understand that the student may be informed and that their screen may reflect the warning but I have been told that the schools do not get told what you chose to send. it would be scandalous if that were not the case since the College Board has been definitive about that.
@THRUSSIANBADGER Penn requires applicants to send all scores and it is on your honor to do so. I recommend you retake those two subject tests.
I think they will not hurt you as much as you think they will. The Admissions people will see that you took them sophomore year. It’s not worth it to compromise your integrity.
I did something similar and scored horribly on my chem SAT2 like 500’s or low 600s bc i took it in 10th grade. I had 3 other very strong subject tests and still got into wharton so dontfret