Hello everyone,
I am taking two subject tests in June because some other schools require them regardless of if you took the sat or act. I was wondering (just in case I botch both) if I can just not send Penn any subject test scores at all. I am sending them my act score. Thanks!!
From the [url=http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/application-tips]Penn[/url] website:
When I asked the admissions office for clarification, as the website does not specifically mention Subject Tests, they told me that all scores needed to be sent.
So any and all tests that I take need to be sent?
Yes
Ok, thank you!
@skieurope is this really true though? I have heard that if you mail in your score results, you have the ability to pick which subject test scores to send. This process is different than that of the “official SAT scores” that are referred to on the Penn website. I have seen kids do this for Cornell and get admitted.
@yesyesyes1 I’m only telling you what the policy is. Penn, and Cornell, for that matter, require all scores. Whether the applicant chooses to adhere to that policy is a different question entirely.
[url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2009/01/16/no-choice-on-scores/]Here[/url] is what former Yale Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeff Brenzel had to say:
Personally, I’m not sure what an applicant hopes to gain by playing loose with the rules.
@skieurope You’re not sure what they’d hope to gain? Obviously if you got a 600 on a subject test the first time and then an 800 the second time, you would only want the college to see the 800. That’s what they’d hope to gain.
Also, if you look at a universities common data set, specifically Penn and Cornell in this case, you’ll see that they refer to “official SAT scores” and “official SAT Subject Test scores” as two different things, which leads me to believe that their policy is actually only in regards to the SAT Reasoning Test.
So I wonder if you were actually told by an official member of Penn admissions that “all SAT Subject Test scores must be sent in”? The verbatim matters here.
Penn received over 31K applications TY. The AO’s are not micromanaging the applications and thinking, “Oh, Susie got a 600 on this subject test, and even though she later improved to an 800, I really need to think if she’s right for Penn.” Nobody has that kind of time. 2 SAT Subject Tests? Check. Moving on.
Yes, but feel free to call them yourself.
@skieurope Are you really trying to make the argument that when a particular institution accepts less than 10% of kids that it is not in your best interest to present the best application possible? I want schools to see my true intellect, so if a 600 is going to raise a red flag (as it would at just a moments notice), of course I don’t want that on my application.
And believe me that I know a 600 vs 800 wont get me into a school, but a 600 tainting my testing history could easily be a reason to pick a student that got a 750 their first try. At an Ivy League school, we both know that’s the case.
@yesyesyes1 You asked for my opinion; I gave my opinion. At the end of the day, though, the discussion is moot - Penn requires your entire testing history.
@yesyesyes1 Don’t you think that Penn realizes that some kids choose to play by their own rules? The risk these kids run is that if a penn admissions officer happens to call their guidance counselor for clarification about something on the app, they can and do sometimes ask about testing history. They take the issue of honesty and integrity pretty seriously from what I’ve seen.
@skieurope is correct. They require your entire testing history, not whatever you think is “in your best possible interest” to show them.
@TheWaffleMan149 @skieurope I attended an admissions session at Penn on Thursday, and Amy Smith, one of the admissions officers, said that Penn was changing it Subject Test requirement policy.
It now RECOMMENDS that students submit 2 Subject Tests, but no longer requires it. However, she said that although score choice will still not be allowed, since they only recommend it now she doesn’t know what her department is going to do yet.
She said information on the testing page of the Penn website will be updated soon to state the new Subject Test policy
So I don’t have to submit all of my tests? I thought that Penn requires your entire testing history
Well, if she doesn’t know, one should assume no change until such time as they update their policies 
You should send all your scores, a 600 to 800 shouldn’t raise a red flag rather show your dedication to your academics; and represent the hard work you’ve put in. It’s commendable that you got a low score but didn’t give up and worked it up to an 800, hard work may count more than intelligence in some cases. It requires A LOT of work to get a 600 to a 800. You should send them all.
As for recommended vs required, don’t you think that since majority will be submitting SAT Subject scores to improve their chances, you’d have a shot if you didn’t? The applicant pool is SO competitive, if it says recommended, 90% applicants will be submitting the score anyway, so the 10% that don’t are automatically at a disadvantage. Also, unless it’s stated on their official website, the policy has not changed.