<p>I've been looking at schools on the list at The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest and some of the schools my son is interested in are on this list. He took the SAT and ACT twice and did not do very well on either test.</p>
<p>I'm interested in hearing from those of you who have experience with not submitting standardized test scores at all. Do you feel you need a high GPA to offset the lack of test scores? How bad do the scores have to be to not submit them? My son got a 22 composite on the ACT, twice. Superscoring will not help him. The SAT is so low I don't even want to say what he got. Don't have his GPA yet but I think it will be 3.0.</p>
<p>Here are some of his target schools which don't require scores: Hobart, George Mason, Fairfield, Loyola, Furman, Sewanee, Rollins. Does anyone have experience with applying to these schools and not submitting test scores at all? How did it turn out?</p>
<p>He is a great kid who gets along with everyone, has tons of friends, is a varsity athlete, and some good ECs. In life, he'll be fine. He just has to get through the college thing.</p>
<p>No experience with those specific schools, but my D applied to Susquehanna with no test scores (they asked for graded essays) and received some generous merit aid. She chose not to attend but was very impressed with how they handled the test optional situation.</p>
<p>It’s definitely a school-by-school situation, though. She interviewed at another school on the test optional list and declined to share her scores with the interviewer…who then severely chastised her for not being open with him. That would have taken the school off her list even if she had liked it better during her visit!</p>
<p>I know a kid who applied to American without tests (her scores were much lower than her GPA would indicate.) She showed lots of interest (attended a summer program for HS students, did optional interview, visited several times, etc.) and was well packaged - had good ecs, student exchange trip, another international trip, had started her own business selling cupcakes (to pay for the trips), part-time job, etc. She got in ED (which also showed her interest).</p>
<p>Hobart asked for standardized test scores to be considered for certain merit/scholarship monies (Trustee scholarship if i remember) so be sure to ask THAT question if you need merit based aid. S2’s scores were within range and he did end up sending them and was accepted but chose a different college.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone who has posted so far – this is very good information.</p>
<p>stradmom – sorry your D got caught in that catch 22 with the other school! That seems unfair.</p>
<p>kiddie – that’s the kind of swing factor I’m looking for – if you show interest etc. maybe they can see past the scores. Thank you.</p>
<p>momof3boys – that’s interesting about Hobart – I can see why they’d want the scores to hand out merit aid. I don’t think my S will qualify, but if they handed out money for best all around kid, he would qualify. I’m not biased, am I? :)</p>
<p>I might repost my question in the Learning Differences forum because my next question is: if your child has a documented learning disability (with a 504 plan) do you disclose it in college apps or not? I always thought you had to disclose it. Then a mom with a similar child said you don’t, because the whole idea of the 504 plan is to give them a level playing field (via the extra time, preferential seating, etc.) so that his grades and scores approach the results of a kid without an LD.</p>
<p>I concur with stradmom, Susquehanna, as well as Moravian, gave very generous merit to the well-rounded students I know. Ursinus also gave money, but not as generous.</p>
<p>My third had an LD. He had a huge spread between his math standardized test scores and the English (his LD is dyslexia and he graduated with an IEP that he had for all 12 years) and that spread dragged his composite score down into a mediocre range although his math score was very good. He did disclose in the personal statement section of the applications. It’s possible his GC did disclose. My personal opinion was that a couple colleges rejected him and a couple accepted him so for him it was a crap shoot. If he didn’t disclose he’d probably be rejected and if he did disclose he might be rejected so he rolled the dice.</p>
<p>^Thanks – that’s my take on “disclosure” too – some schools might rule you out because of it; some might understand and it explains the low (or no) test scores. Which means maybe he needs to apply to a few more schools than originally planned.</p>
<p>My son had had a 504 plan in middle school, but chose to drop it in high school. I asked the GC to mention it in her letter as some of the bumps in his GPA were probably caused in part by the lack of accommodations. I don’t know if she actually did. My impression is that it’s probably better not to address it, but do your homework as to what the particular colleges are actually willing to do in the way of accommodations. Some are much better than others when it actually comes to dealing with enrolled students. What they say on paper is not enough to go on.</p>
<p>A 22 ACT seems like a pretty reasonable score for a solid B student. I wouldn’t overthink it.</p>
<p>Hi - my son applied to several schools including Bates, Clark and Union (all test optional) and was accepted at all three with very generous financial aid packages from them. He too was on a 504 plan in HS (he has profound hearing loss) and did choose to write about it in his essay. He’s going to Bates in the fall and once accepted, was asked to submit his test scores I’m guessing for stats information?</p>
<p>Thanks math mom – I thought the minimum acceptable score was 25. All the schools seem to say that most of their accepted kids are between 24-29. But that also means that some are below, some are above.</p>
<p>So BTMell did he apply and not submit scores initially? If so, that’s really good to hear. S likes Bates but I didn’t think he had a shot there.</p>
<p>Hi - yes, he applied and didn’t submit his test scores initially. His grades were good (he was frustrated that his test scores didn’t reflect his ability at all) and his test scores were respectable but nothing to write home about. For him, it came down to those three schools in the end. So interesting that they all are test optional. More and more schools seem to be going in that direction which I don’t think is a bad thing.</p>
<p>I’m reading this thread and hoping for good information for my DS2 who will graduate HS in 2015. He is a terrible test taker due to some reading comprehension issues. He really wants to go to George Mason, but their test optional depends on a minimum GPA (which I don’t know) and a class rank (again I don’t know what that is). We plan to do a visit this summer, so maybe I can find out. He’s on an IEP also. I’m interested in other test optional colleges. We will also look at Marshall University since they seem to have good LD support.</p>
<p>Hey VAMom – when it’s all said and done, I will gladly post how it all turned out for S’14. Here’s hoping we can all learn from each other and help our kids land in the right spot.</p>
<p>One of my kids applied to test optional schools w/out scores and there was no downside. She would not have gotten merit aid anyway. It did not affect financial aid. She did have some interesting experience in a performing art that may have helped.</p>
<p>There is no requirement or moral obligation to disclose anything when applying, but it is a good idea to disclose and register with a disabilities office as soon as a student is admitted, so that accommodations can be explored.</p>
<p>If the student wants to disclose, that is also fine, or if the guidance counselor thinks it might be helpful, in terms of “overcoming obstacles”- but only if a certain level of success was achieved despite those obstacles (my opinion). Overall, it’s fine to wait until the student knows where he is going.</p>
<p>Last year one of my friends applied ED to a test optional school but submitted her test scores. The school was very slow on their replies, I guess because of the extra time it takes to review the written material that students submit instead of scores. They actually did not notify her before their published deadline (which she considered breaking their ED agreement). In the end it worked out, she got in and is attending.</p>
<p>I think it’s very important for your son to disclose his LD because if it keeps him from being admitted to a particular school then it’s not the right school for him anyway! My daughter is LD and only applied to test optional schools although her scores were high enough I believe we did submit them. For her one of the most important things was that she not have to take a foreign language and that the school have a helpful LD office. </p>
<p>She applied to five schools - Pitzer, Bard, Beloit, Knox, Hampshire and was admitted to them all. After visiting we knocked out Bard for being a pressure cooker, Hampshire for being a little too hipster for her and not having a good enough ceramics program, Beloit because they dropped their ceramics program in favor of printmaking, which left us with Pitzer and Knox. Pitzer was not student friendly and also made it very necessary to utilize the other colleges in the consortium which was too much for my daughter (she’s shy and wanted only “one” college to attend) but Knox had a language requirement. I called the school’s LD department (can’t remember the official name), spoke to the guy in charge, and he had me fax her test results to him, he reviewed it, and called back within a few hours to say that, while he couldn’t guarantee it, it did look promising that she would be exempt from foreign language and, btw, what was her score on the SAT in math because her LD test would allow her to skip a certain aspect of math requirements. That was it, she was sold, such a student friendly, LD friendly environment. She just completed her freshman year and it was the most amazing, life changing year ever. I can’t even believe who she’s become, I am so thrilled!</p>
<p>All this is to say, there a plenty of schools out there for your son, have him tell the truth and it will help him find the right one. Good luck!</p>
<p>I know another student at a different school where they waived the language requirement for an LD student - it is definitely worth asking about.</p>
<p>Good points, all. I know S has struggled with Spanish for years at our high school. I don’t know why they make kids who have a hard enough time with their native language branch out. So they can read Doritos ads?</p>
<p>amtc – so glad to hear your daughter is so happy! I’m hearing some of the same schools several times (Pitzer, Susquehanna) which helps me in my search.</p>
<p>I’m also trying to schedule interviews at the target schools (even if they don’t require them). He interviews well, and it might be the swing factor he needs.</p>