<p>For schools that are test optional...is it really an equal playing field that a student not submit scores? Do they normally have to indicate somewhere on the app that they are not submitting them? Or where its prompted for them to list them, do they just leave them blank? My son is applying ED to a school that is test optional and though he has a strong GPA has decided against submitting his scores.</p>
<p>Also for a kid who is totally unmotivated about writing his essay which seems to be more and more important..any tips? Help!</p>
<p>If they went test optional I’d take them at their word. Some will spell it out for you:</p>
<p>"Connecticut College does not require that students submit standardized tests. If your standardized test scores do not reflect your full potential, we do not recommend that you choose to submit them to us. "</p>
<p>Just tell him he needs to be very happy with his safety school if he isn’t going to put any effort into his essays.</p>
<p>Wake Forest is test score optional, although their application MORE than made up for it with eight very challenging short answer essays. At their info session, the admissions rep was very clear about why they decided to go test score optional (they are looking for the holistic student) and said something along the lines of “if you think that your test scores accurately represent your abilities as student, by all means, send them. If you feel that they do not, or that there is any chance they may HURT your application, do not worry about sending them. All applications are considered equally, with test scores being one of a large number of things used during the application evaluation process.” They also “highly recommend” that students interview with them, which my daughter did. They didn’t ask if she would be submitting her test scores during the interview. She said it was more of a half hour get-to-know-you conversation. I suspect optional standardized test scores will become more and more popular in the coming years.</p>
<p>I’m from maine and we have several quality liberal arts schools that are test-optional. Bates, Colby, Bowdoin I believe are some quality schools, (I’m not a liberal arts guy though :P). You could check those out if you’re interested, they’re pretty prestigious too. </p>
<p>Colby is test flexible, which means that you can substitute 3 SAT subject tests for the SAT1 or ACT.
Bates and Bowdoin allow you to omit standardized testing altogether if you feel your scores are not representative of your academic ability.</p>
<p>To follow up on my OP, my daughter WAS accepted to Wake Forest yesterday without submitting test scores, and having a barely-in-their-range GPA (4.24). She did take 7 AP classes, had some unusual and amazing ECs and leadership opportunities, an interview with an admissions rep over the summer, and I suspect her teacher letters of recommendations were good, as were her essays. I honestly didn’t think she would be accepted, and it was definitely a reach school, but we both love feeling that they really took the time to evaluate her as a person, or “holistically” as they all claim to do these days. I really hope that test-optional becomes more popular. I’m pretty confident her ACT score of 27 and her SAT score of 1780 would have eliminated her immediately had they seen them.</p>