I know Northwestern says they recommend two SAT II’s, but does it really hurt your chances if you don’t submit any?
I was recently on a tour and what they said was that “If you are taking them for a school that does require them, then we’ll be glad to look at them. But if no other schools that you are applying to require them, then it won’t hurt your NU application at all” or something along those lines.
Basically what I’m asking is- is this really true? I will likely take a few in June anyways just because there’s really no penalty, though none of the schools I am likely applying to require them.
If I do good on them, I’ll obviously send them. But if I don’t do so good, does it hurt my chances if I do not send any SAT II’s (I assume they wouldn’t know if I ever ended up taking them or not so they can’t think I took them and just didn’t send).
Also, since I would be applying to Medill for Journalism, what subject tests should I take? I would think Literature could be one- is that one hard? Similar to ACT English/Reading? What other subject tests would be good for Medill?
Sorry for so many questions in one post but just feel free to answer any that you can
@Ekolin - I posted this back in June on another thread:
My son applied to Northwestern Engineering, where SAT 2s are “recommended not required”, but he called the Admissions Dept about them (he didn’t want to take any more tests!) and was told that the SAT 2s are for students that would like to show strength in an area that is not reflected in their grades and/or AP Tests. Since he had a 4.0 GPA and scored all 5s on his APs - he did not take any SAT 2s and was admitted ED.
@nugraddad I’m not in AP as I go to an all-IB school, so they won’t be able to see any of my IB scores as the tests are taken May of Senior year. However, my GPA is good (3.99), so does this mean I probably would not need to send SAT II’s? I guess none of this matters since I’ll take them anyway (no harm in at least taking them) but I just do not know how worried I should be about them
@nugraddad Basically my question is this- Is a good GPA enough to reflect knowledge across various subjects, or does it hurt me that they won’t see IB scores?
I am not in Admissions, so I have no real answer for you - BUT - as you indicated, yes, take the tests - better to err on the side of caution.
IMHO - You should be ZERO worried - because worry will not help! You should however, always have a backup plan consisting of safety schools. Unless a close relative has donated a building - there are NO guarantees. Good Luck!
@nugraddad yep thanks for the help. I’ll study a bit for them, take them, see how they go. I just wished I was done worrying (though as you said, I should never worry) about standardized tests.
Anyways, do you know anything about the literature SAT II? Is it similar to ACT English or Reading?
No, sorry. There were no SAT IIs when I was a kid - and none of my kids needed to take them. I am sure that there is a ton of information out there for you, and your GC should be able to answer some of your questions. Good Luck!
You should however, always have a backup plan consisting of safety schools. Unless a close relative has donated a building - there are NO guarantees. Good Luck!