hello,
so I’m taking the sat subject test in November (I’m applying early) and I registered for biology, physics, and math2
the problem is I didn’t start studying physics so I was thinking that I should probably take only math and bio since a bad score would do worse than no score at all, right?
also, I took math2 because I felt that math1 is simply not rigorous enough, it’s more like the normal SAT math;however, I’d certainly have an easier time taking it, so should I stick with math2 or should I take math1?
A competitive score for Harvard is 700+, so you should take whichever tests you think you could score the highest on. BTW: Harvard (and Yale and Princeton) no longer require SAT Subject Tests scores. If you don’t submit any Subject Test scores, your application will be considered without them.
@gibby well, I do know they don’t but they recommend, which is another way of saying that I should do it any way, yes?
I got a 700 in math1 back in june but I feel that a 700 isn’t really that competitive, so I was thinking that I should take math2 and get say 750+? I can take math1 again and I’ll most certainly score higher, but isn’t it kinda stupid to take math1 since it really doesn’t differ from that of the SAT?
If you think you can do better at Math 2, go for it!
@gibby you got me wrong:) I can do much better at math1, but I feel it’s too easy for a harvard standard and analogous to the SAT math.
Not every student who applies to Harvard is a math geek, many are interested in the humanities and score 800 on Math 1. So, you’re going about this all wrong – unless you want to be a math major, it doesn’t matter whether you submit Math I or Math 2, or whether you think Math 1 is analogous to the SAT math test.
If you submit five SAT Subject Tests to Harvard, Admissions will use your top two (2) SAT Subject Test scores, regardless of whether they were in “easier” courses or the percentile. So, if a student submits five SAT scores – a 780 in Math 1 and a 740 in Math 2 – Harvard would use the 780 in Math 1 and calculate the student’s Academic Index using Math 1 and another non-math test.It’s that simple. Harvard uses your highest scores, regardless of the similarities to the SAT or ACT.
@gibby okay, that made alot of sense, thanks alot for your as always most helpful response!
I guess I’ll take math 1 then.
FWIW: I think your 700 in Math 1 is fine and there’s no need to retake. Instead, you should be concentrating on writing and re-writing your essays. That’s what’s going to help you. This from another post of mine:
@gibby I’ve devoted the greatest lot of my time to writing my essays, I mean, I’ve been writing the Harvard supplemental essay for a whole month for god’s sake. I just hope it pays off, eventually.
^^ FWIW: Both my kids spent about 4 months writing their essays, and they didn’t just write on one topic They wrote about 5 to 6 essays on different topics. It was only after writing so many fully polished essays that they were able to decide what stories they wanted to tell an Admissions Committee. Good essay writing takes time. This from another post just yesterday.
My sons wrote them essays over the course of about three months. Many revisions, much blood, sweat and tears. Ironically, my older son’s main Harvard essay came after throwing out a few initial attempts and writing the main part of the essay in about 15 minutes. The rest was just clean up.
As the editor of The New Yorker once said, an article is not finished until it goes to press. It’s the same with college essays. It’s not finished until you press the submit button. Have you given your essays to your recommendation writers and asked them for their thoughts?
@gibby I did, they told me they were great, but, I’m starting to get kinda skeptical about them now.