<p>Now that Harvard has made the SAT subject tests optional, is anyone applying to Harvard not submitting or taking the SAT 2 subject tests? Is it a bad idea not to submit/take them? </p>
<p>If you have taken any SAT Subject Tests and done well on them – meaning your score is between 700 and 800 – then why not submit them? IMHO, it’s never “bad” to submit more data-points that indicate you are a top test taker.</p>
<p>Is it a bad idea not to take them? In most cases, yes, it is a bad idea, for the simple reason that in the majority of cases your admission to Harvard is statistically unlikely, and not taking Subject Tests will eliminate you from consideration at many other schools.</p>
<p>When my older son was in the process a few years back, I remember going to an open house for a particular university, where they stated that they liked to see three SAT subject tests, but that it would be okay if the applicant submitted only two, and wouldn’t detract from the application of those who submitted only two. Several folks (including myself) asked, well, if you’d like to see three subject tests, doesn’t that put at an advantage those students who submit three tests? The answer was, yes, it helped applicants to submit three tests. Well, then, if sending three gives an advantage, then sending only two detracts from the applicant’s chances, right? The answer was, no, it doesn’t.</p>
<p>My own view is that admissions committees sometimes engage in “noble lies,” saying things that can’t possibly be true, such as, if you send three tests, that gives you a boost, but that if you only send two, you’re not losing anything relative to those who send three.</p>
<p>I suspect something similar is happening here. Subject tests are optional. Sort of. Unless you actually want to be admitted to the school. Or unless the rest of your application is so stellar that they won’t miss 'em.</p>
<p>I’m with @gibby. If you have great results (700 or better), it isn’t going to hurt to send 'em in, and it may hurt a little if you don’t.</p>
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BINGO!</p>
<p>There are lots of these “noble lies”. “Being a URM helps you, but being white or Asian doesn’t hurt you.” Or a favorite of mine from Duke regarding their “Why Duke” essays: “…yes, they are truly optional!” Implicit in that is that writing a good essay will help you, but not writing one won’t hurt you. OK. Got it.</p>
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Exactly. I suspect that absent ST scores will raise eyebrows if you’re from a demographic where they’re the norm, but might be overlooked if you’re from a place they’re virtually unheard of.</p>
<p>I agree with all of the above. In addition, if you are applying to Harvard, the odds are that you are planning to apply to other universities which still require subject tests. Since you will have taken them for those applications, it makes sense to include for Harvard as well.</p>