<p>I'm really strong in biology and math, and am pretty strong in Spanish. I even had a Spanish and a biology teacher write me letters of recommendation. Though my Spanish involvement ends there, I am president of my school's biology club and have been working 10-15 hours a week (a lot more during the summer) on a research project in molecular biology. I have been involved in a few math contests and have done very well in my math courses (and have taken the highest level available in all three of these subjects offered at my school). My school is ranked within the top 20 in the US according to Newsweek and one of the top schools in CA. </p>
<p>However, my SAT Subject test scores are terrible. (550 Spanish, 650 ML2, 680 Biology M). I'll admit that I never really studied for them nor did I ever take them too seriously. [Honestly, I don't work well when my attitude is negative towards a standardized test and I let my mind wander during the tests, even though there are time limits]. </p>
<p>I have a 31 ACT. 31 on the math, I think, and 29 on science.</p>
<p>Will this hurt me a lot - implying that my school isn't difficult and my knowledge on these subjects is slim to none - or will the other factors make up for these scores? I know it's a bit late to ask (even though I did sign up for the Jan 26 SAT, so I guess I can cram for 4 days and give it a try), but I'd like to know your opinion on their impact.</p>
<p>Schools I Applied To:
UCs (Tend to accept a lot of kids from my school with lower than normal SAT scores. UCLA accepting 600s on subject tests isn't uncommon. I think our school has great relations with UCs)
Stanford
Yale
UChicago
St. John's
Northwestern
Rochester
a few others</p>
<p>yes it will, because according to the website below (official college board website), your Spanish SAT II is in the 24th percentile (24% scored lower than you), your 650 on M2 is 51st percentile and your Bio M is 62nd percentile. your act is ok, better than your subject tests, probably in the low to mid 90 percentile. I have read articles that say SAT IIs predict undergraduate success more than SAT, but I'm sure you dont want to hear that. Personally, I think you dont get into Stanford, Yale, Chicago, or Northwestern, unless your academic stats are great, because although the SATs are just tests, they are a part of the admissions process. But if you have great grades and ECs, you have a relatively decent shot at Chicago and Northwestern, but Stanford and Yale are out of reach with your SAT IIs.</p>
<p>It's always been my personal philosophy that subject tests are more indicative of how much you know than grades, since SAT scores are administered by an impersonal, national organization and not a teacher whom you have sucked up to all semester. I'm not saying you did this, but if I were an admissions officer, I would first check the grade to see that the student works hard and then corroborate a high grade in a subject with a 700+ subject test score to ensure that the grade is truly a legitimate representation of what you know. I hate to tell this to you because I know this is not what you want to hear, but I feel that it's difficult to compensate for a low score on something as objective as the SAT unless you've got a lot of other pluses (e.g. hooks and/or extracurriculars) on your app that somehow convince admissions officers that you are highly intelligent but somehow unable to prove it on standardized tests.</p>
<p>"I'll admit that I never really studied for them nor did I ever take them too seriously. Honestly, I don't work well when my attitude is negative towards a standardized test and I let my mind wander during the tests, even though there are time limits"</p>
<p>Though I bet those scores will hurt you, I think both of the posters above me have greatly exaggerated their importance in admissions. Your scores on the SAT Reasoning test and ACT are much more important than your Subject test scores. That said, I think Stanford and Yale will still be reaches.</p>
<p>Also, the Spanish subject test is extraordinarily difficult. Do not let your percentile throw you off, as many native speakers take the test and get perfect scores to ruin the curve.</p>
<p>looks like grade inflation to me (albeit possibly unlikely seeing that it's at a top 20 school). having a negative attitude toward standardised tests/not focusing on them during the allotted time would seem to be sketchy excuses (what does it say about you when you can't concentrate on a test that's supposed to test your knowledge objectively?). anyway, i'm assuming you got A's in the aforementioned subjects, but the SAT IIs no doubt shed some skepticism. Perhaps you AP scores say different?</p>
<p>I can only speak to UChicago, which I know doesn't really care what your SAT IIs are. I had similarly icky scores in classes in which I did well (680 in US Hist and 630 in Bio), but got 4s on both those AP tests. Having good AP scores, I'd imagine, would help offset a bad subject test score.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Having good AP scores, I'd imagine, would help offset a bad subject test score.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'd think it'd be the other way around. It's harder to score well on an SAT subject test than an AP test.
ie. ~60% + on the AP chem test yields a 5; it's much harder to, say, get above a 750 on the SAT II chem.</p>
<p>Oh. My school literally only offers about 5 AP courses. I'm in AP Spanish now, AP Bio isn't offered, and AP Calc and AP Stats are the only math ones offered. Our school allows us to take lots of college classes - at the local U and community college- and I have about 30 credits or so, but not in Spanish or Bio, just math, physics, and psychology.</p>
<p>Mistake...Offers 6 AP courses. I got an A this semester in one of the most difficult, if not most difficult, science courses - Honors Anat Phys, if that helps.</p>