<p>I'm interested in pursuing BME at Princeton. But yesterday I found out, way too late, that prospective engineering students are strongly recommended take SAT Math I or II and SAT Chem/Physics. I took the SAT Math 2 and SAT Bio and did very well on them. I've never taken AP Physics or AP Chem though I did take an honors Physics class freshman year and honors Chem class sophomore year. Should I not put engineering down when applying to Princeton and try switching to engineering later, assuming I'm admitted? However I heard that female engineers are desired so that may give me a boost if I put BME down on my application...in that case it may be in my best interest to fulfill the SAT II requirement for engineering. do you think it's possible to self-study for SAT Chem and take the test in December?</p>
<p>I have the same question!</p>
<p>I will not attempt to advise on your self studying for the SAT chem. That could work out well for some students and poorly for others.</p>
<p>Princeton is interested in attracting female STEM students; last years freshman engineering class was 45% female. However, it is most important that your application is consistent with your demonstrated interests and abilities. It is very easy to transfer from AB to BSE or BSE to AB by selecting the appropriate courses. You could apply as a biology major and switch freshman or sophomore year to BME.</p>
<p>Since you did well on the bio SAT consider making an effort to be outstanding in your senior subjects and ECs. I have never seen anything that suggests female engineers have lower SATs that female science majors. Good Luck!</p>
<p>DestinyPenrose, I can’t really say whether not having taken SAT II Physics or Chem will really hurt you, but I can definitely tell you that it’s very possible to self-study for the SAT II Chem test and subsequently get into Princeton as an engineer :). I took this test after junior year when I had only had honors chemistry (I took AP the following year). I hadn’t learned a lot of the material on the test, but I just bought a test book for this test and went through the new material in the weeks leading up to the test. This test has a sort of weird format, so it would be good to acquaint yourself with it even if you had taken AP Chem. I ended up getting a 750, which I considered good enough given the circumstances. But it sounds like you haven’t taken chemistry in a while. So if your decision boils down to spending a bunch of time relearning chemistry versus focusing on something more important to you, I’d guess that you could get by without a chemistry subject test.</p>
<p>When I applied to Princeton last year, I indicated my interested in chemical engineering, which is paired with biomedical engineering at Princeton in the CBE major. Given that I was interested in pure chemical engineering, the chem subject test was more important. However, given that the biological side is your intended focus, if you’re a strong applicant for reasons besides for testing, I bet Princeton will be happy enough with your Bio SAT II score.</p>
<p>Also, I’d always recommend putting down the major you’re truly interested in on your application. Especially since you’ll have to write an essay explaining the motivations for your academic interest (assuming Princeton hasn’t changed its supplemental app), you’ll be best served putting down a major you’re passionate about. Hopefully that passion will shine through–a factor that is probably more important than SAT II scores.</p>
<p>My son self studied for the SAT II Chem test and did quite well on it, even without an AP Chem course. He was admitted BSE class of 2016. If you choose to try it and don’t do as well as you’d like, you can always choose not to send the score.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that all BSE students need to take a first year chemistry class. I think any work you do to prepare for the SAT subject test can only help prepare you for the rigorous courses you’ll encounter at Princeton.</p>