I’m an international student in the middle of applying to University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, NYU, Carnegie Mellon and Northeastern.
My SAT score is a 1490 with 790 in English, 700 in Math, and 16/24 essay score (but I’m retaking the SAT in December and I’m fairly confident I can get above 1500 this time)
TOEFL: 120/120
IB Predicted Score: 43/45
My extracurriculars and essays are pretty good. I’ve had 3 internships, one at a Fortune 500 company, and I successfully pitched a product proposal to the board of directors.
But my SAT Subject Test scores are really bad and I don’t have any more chances to re-take them.
Math Level 1: 700
Math Level 2: 690
Physics: 580
I know that a lot of the school’s I’m applying to don’t require but strongly recommend one or two subject test scores. Should I submit my bad SAT Subject Test scores or don’t submit them at all to these highly competitive schools? Which will hurt more?
To answer your question, I would not send these subject tests anywhere they aren’t required, and I don’t think they are required at any of the colleges on your list…double check the requirements at each of your colleges, including the specific school and/or major you will be applying to (where applicable).
So, for example, I would recommend you not send Math 2 to Penn/Wharton, even though it is recommended. Because your scores are low, best to let them think you didn’t take them, again IMO…reasonable people may have different opinions on this issue. (Penn does state ‘Applicants who do not take SAT Subject Tests will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process.’)
Lastly, as an international student, all of the schools on your list are likely reaches (again without knowing school/major)…even though your predicted IB score is very high. Can you afford to pay full price at all of these schools? Do you have some schools in your home country or other countries that are more likely, including at least one affordable safety?