Retake SAT-Big Math vs EBRW difference

My daughter applied to Dickinson ED1 as test optional and was accepted with 25k merit, which was later upgraded to 35k when she was awarded the presidential scholarship. She was advised by her Dickinson regional counselor not to submit scores if they were anything below 1230, so she didn’t submit them because her EBRW score was 660 and math was only 520. She really felt like she was more academically capable than what the overall score showed, plus she knew she didn’t want to major in anything related to math or stem in general. After taking the SAT 3x and even hiring a math tutor, her score actually went down instead of up. Huge waste of time and money and she still ended up getting a great scholarship and financial aid from Dickinson because of her extracurriculars and other academic credentials. For what it’s worth, I would simply go test optional because your daughter’s other stats are likely strong enough to still earn her money at the schools you have mentioned.

4 Likes

As of last year, Dickinson is test blind, not test optional. Looks like that will be a permanent policy.

2 Likes

Rowan engineering may be a little more competitive than the overall university. They have a good CS program, not part of engineering. Montclair State also has a reasonable CS program, as does TCNJ. We looked briefly at Univ. of Scranton for my older son for CS. I found it to be a decent program, although I do not have any knowledge of merit awards etc.

If all of the unis on your list are TO, I don’t see a reason to take a test either.

3 Likes

At least 2 are not test optional.

Whether or not to retake depends upon the student’s state of mind regarding a retake when most target schools are TO.

3 Likes

I couldn’t agree more about the “state of mind” issue.

I’ll also add, without any evidence whatsoever, that I think that colleges who value test scores will look at test optional candidates more skeptically this year. In our state, there hasn’t been a cancelled exam since January, when it was canceled not due to COVID but because a severe snow storm was forecasted.

5 Likes

Good point. I should have added that my DD applied in fall 2019 - pre covid. Dickinson has been test optional for many years, but maybe it is now permanently test blind given the circumstances. Worth investigating.