<p>I am an international student and as the on person in my school applying to US colleges, I am finding very difficult to organise my test dates. Here's what I have so far:</p>
<p>November 2014- Take SATs I Test</p>
<p>May 2015- Re-Take SATs I Test + Write My Essays (will I have to submit these with my application and if so, how early will the essay topics be available because as you can see I might be applying the following year depending on how you guys answer my final question? Also, will I be able to find the essay topics on the common application? What will I do for the essay for MIT because that has its own application system) </p>
<p>December 2015- Take Subject Tests (Maths II & Physics) </p>
<p>I will be applying for economics at Cornell, Duke, MIT, Columbia, Stanford, Northwestern and Chicago and I am unsure how the deadlines work. I have read that everywhere has a deadline around November but then how am I going to put my Subject Test results in if I am still yet to do them? Is there a later deadline? Can someone please explain to me the 'rolling' system because it looks like that may be the likely solution. </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>PS what kind of SATs + SATs II scores should I be aiming for realistically to be considered for any of the colleges that I have listen?)</p>
<p>What is a good test score? Well if you go to the individual fora of those colleges, you’ll see results threads, including international applicants. Basically, you need to score EXTREMELY high.</p>
<p>In addition to the good info you have there from T26E4, I’ll mention that rolling admission is not an option at most of the schools you are considering. Rolling admissions is offered at some public and a few private schools, but most highly selective schools only offer specific application deadlines for early and regular decision options. ‘Rolling’ is a system where applications (and supporting materials) can be submitted at any time during the application season and admission decisions are made by the school in small periodic batches rather than all at once. With rolling admissions, there is sometimes a significant advantage to applying early in the season because financial aid and spaces in the class are more limited as the year progresses. You can learn about the different admissions timelines on individual school websites.</p>
<p>So it’s says that the last acceptable SAT date is December for the regular decision (does this mean that I will be at a disadvantage from the early applicants?) so in theory, I would still apply before the November deadline and just fill in my Subject Test score when I get it (at the end of December). Where will I input my Subject Test score after I have already applied? </p>
<p>Will this work with all the colleges that I am applying to: apply in November and fill in my Subject Test score when I get it in December? </p>
<p>Sorry for being a bit naive about the whole process it’s just I don’t know anyone else applying so I have to rely on CC.</p>
<p>I’m not going to check each school’s website for you to figure out when and how you can apply. That’s your job.</p>
<p>If you submit an application and at the time you submit you know you will be sending additional test results after you submit, you will note that on your application (including which tests from which dates). Then you’ll just have the official scores sent to the schools. You will not need to update your actual application to show the official scores that come in later.</p>
<p>None of those you mention have rolling admissions. I am assuming you will be applying in Fall 2015 for entry in Fall 2016 and the following assumes that those colleges will not make any drastic changes between now and 2015 in the usual application and admission decision schedules they have been following for many years. For early action or early decision they will all have early November 2015 application deadlines and issue decisions mid-December 2015. For regular admission, they will all have January 2016 application deadlines and issue decisions in March or early April 2016. For early action or early decision, Stanford will want all testing completed by October 2015; the others will accept through the November 2015 SAT test for EA or ED. For regular admission, Stanford will accept through the December 2015 tests and the others you list will accept through the Jan 2016 test. As you can see, the application deadlines are not necessarily the test date deadlines.</p>
<p>You will need to get your application in by the particular college’s application deadline and that includes any essays, and you also need to have transcripts and recommendations sent by the application deadlines. The common app with its essay topics for Fall 2016 entry will come out in August 2015. You must check each college that uses the common app for any supplemental app that you have to submit, which could include more essays. MIT currently does not use the common app and its application is usually out by September for entry into the next year.</p>
<p>Of the colleges you list, Cornell, Duke, Columbia and MIT require two SAT subject tests and Northwestern and Stanford recommend two. UChicago neither requires nor recommends subject tests but will give them some consideration if submitted. For any of your tests you should aim for the highest scores you can get. As to what is needed you should go to each college’s site and see what its middle 50% ranges (SAT scores/class rank) to get some idea of what is needed and internationals should assume they are competing with other internationals with high scores and thus may need to be in the higher part of test score ranges. For subject tests, you should assume you need at least in the 700s for the ones that require or recommend them and preferably in the higher 700s, and for MIT definitely higher (over 750)</p>
<p>You must order the testing agency (College Board) to send the scores to each college. After you set up an on-line account with CB when you apply to take the tests, you will be able to use that same account to send scores to colleges, and the CB site explains how you can do it.</p>
<p>Thank you drusba for your detailed response, </p>
<p>My revised plan is: </p>
<p>June 2014: Purchase SAT I Revision Guides + Past Papers </p>
<p>2 November 2014: Sit My First SAT I Test </p>
<p>Easter 2015: Email My Teachers Regarding Letter of Recommendation.*</p>
<p>3 May 2015: Sit My Second SAT I Test</p>
<p>Summer 2015: COMPLETE ALL MY SUPPLEMENT ESSAYS</p>
<p>15 September 2015: COMPLETE MY COMMON APPLICATION/ MIT APPLICATION ONLINE INCLUDE ESSAYS AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION<em>(note that my SAT II scores will be sent after the deadline on application)</em></p>
<p>1 November 2015: APPLICATION DEADLINE*</p>
<p>7 December 2015: Sit SAT II Exams and Send Official Scores To Colleges I Am Applying To</p>
<p>Would you say that a month is sufficient time to study for my SAT I exam? &<br>
what books would you recommend for both my SAT I AND SAT II exams keeping in mind that everything will be more or less self taught?</p>
<p>I would take the SAT II exams in October at the latest if you are applying to any schools with an early November deadline, unless you are sure that schools will accept results from the November test, in which case that is an option. But December is likely too late.</p>
<p>I feel that as I can only take the Subject Tests once (I am at boarding school in the UK so I have to travel to the Test Centres by myself and on top of that my parents are reluctant to let me sit the tests anyway so it’s a miracle that they are prepared to finance my one sitting), I need to take it as late as possible in order to be as prepared as I can be. </p>
<p>Plus nobody has mentioned that I would be at a disadvantage if I have to send the colleges my scores after the deadline so why go through the extra trouble? That being said, I will still take you point into consideration especially if it will weaken my application if I send it later!</p>
<p>The December SAT II scores will likely not be available until just before Christmas. If you are applying ED or EA to a competitive school with a November 1 application deadline, they will typically make their decisions and notify applicants of results in mid-December. This is why taking the December tests will not work for you.</p>
<p>@middkid86 I’m sorry but can you simplify your point a bit? AE and AD don’t make any sense to me as I am not familiar with the US application terms. If you can kindly explain your point to me and tell me when you think I should take my SATs II tests, I would greatly appreciate it!</p>
<p>Generally, when competitive schools like you have mentioned in your first post have an application deadline of November 1 or thereabouts, that is for their Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) programs. “Early” means that they review the application and provide an admissions decision earlier than their regular admissions programs (RD), which generally have an application deadline of sometime in January and provide a decision several months later.</p>
<p>Taking SAT tests in December would be OK for a RD application, because you would likely have the test scores in time for the application deadline. As I pointed out above, December tests are usually too late for the scores to be considered for ED or EA applications that have a deadline of November 1.</p>
<p>One factor to consider is that applicants in the early rounds are often at somewhat of an advantage. Admit rates tend to be higher in early rounds (it improves schools’ yield rates - the ratio of accepted applicants to enrolled students). That’s partly because applicant categories like legacies and recruited athletes are more likely to apply and be accepted early, but they don’t account for the full advantage. Early decision is generally binding meaning that if you are accepted, you must withdraw all other applications and attend. You would only want to apply ED if you have a clear first choice school. Even then, if you are applying for financial aid, you have to weigh applying ED especially carefully.</p>
<p>That’s a good point and reinforces my decision of applying in the regular rounds because I will be applying to UK universities as well and my parents want me to finish my A Levels.</p>