<p>So, yeah, the topic subject is a little provocative, but I have some huge concerns for next year's application cycle (specifically for JHU).</p>
<p>I've been hearing recently that standardized test scores aren't as important as they are perceived to be. This concerns me because my standardized tests (35 ACT) happen to be my strongest quality. </p>
<p>Could somebody shed some light on just how important standardized test scores are to adcoms and wat they tell adcoms about an applicant?</p>
<p>SAT/ACT scores are somewhat at the bottom in terms of importance to the adcoms here. The list usually goes:</p>
<p>1) rigor of courseload
2) weighted GPA
3) unweighted GPA
4) letters of rec
5) ECs
6) SAT/ACT
7) talents/hooks</p>
<p>How much more important is course rigor than GPA? I’ve heard that Hopkins adores APs</p>
<p>It’s all subjective. You can’t quantify how much more “important” it is. They want to know that you can do well while taking a rigorous courseload (lots of APs).</p>
<p>I think its inaccurate to say that “Hopkins adores AP’s.” What the admissions office is looking for is evidence that the applicant truly challenged himself/herself. This can vary a lot depending upon the high school’s curriculum. At some schools, that might mean AP’s. But at others, honor classes may in fact be more challeging than AP’s. AP’s are designed to present college level work (which is why advanced placement may be granted) but, frequently, their level of difficulty is not comparable to the course offered at Hopkins. Honors classes, while they might not cover sufficient material to qualify one for advanced placement, are frequently more challenging from an intellectual point of view at top high schools.</p>
<p>I definitely don’t think JHU thinks standardized tests are unimportant. My test scores (2340, 35) were certainly much better than my somewhat mediocre GPA(3.48), but I managed to get accepted. Of course, I also think that the qualitative aspects (essays, recommendations, and general character) are far more important than anyone gives them credit for.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Whether you get in or not, it won’t be as a direct result of your test scores, your GPA, or your course load individually; it will be because they judged you holistically as a student and person and either decided you would be an asset or not. There’s really no sense worrying about it instead of just continuing to work hard and do things you enjoy!</p>
<p>No one who has responded to this discussion has been completely accurate with their response as none of them actually reviewing applications for Johns Hopkins University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. I do, and I have written numerous entries on how we reviewing applications:</p>
<p>[Hopkins</a> Insider Our Approach to Application Review ? Part One](<a href=“http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2011/11/our-approach-to-application-review-–-part-one/]Hopkins”>http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2011/11/our-approach-to-application-review-–-part-one/)
[Hopkins</a> Insider Our Approach to Application Review ? Part Two](<a href=“http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2011/12/our-approach-to-application-review-–-part-two/]Hopkins”>http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2011/12/our-approach-to-application-review-–-part-two/)
[Hopkins</a> Insider Three Months of Transcripts, Recommendations, and Strained Vision](<a href=“http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2006/01/three-months-of-transcripts-recommendations-and-strained-vision/]Hopkins”>http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2006/01/three-months-of-transcripts-recommendations-and-strained-vision/)</p>
<p>If you also review the various discussions on the Ask Admissions section of the Hopkins Forums ([Ask</a> Admissions](<a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/ask-admissions/]Ask”>http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/ask-admissions/)) you will learn that standardized tests do matter but they are not more important than the review of a student’s transcript (grades and rigor), their activities, and their essays.</p>
<p>Thanks AdmissionsDaniel!</p>