So D17 finished up her UVA EA application and hit submit last night. Now we are wondering if we wasted that application fee and she really has no chance. She is OOS but feels that her stats are really good (34 ACT and 4.6+GPA). She worked hard on her essays and IMHO they are pretty good - possibly excellent. Her only weak area is that she did not take any subject tests. For a few schools she was applying they said SAT and SAT subject tests OR ACT — other schools did not require subject tests.
On the UVA website it lists subject tests as “optional” – and to us optional means they will look at them if you submit but if you don’t you are not at a disadvantage. She asked her GC and she confirmed that optional means that they can help you but w/o them it won’t hurt. Today at lunch in school she was searching around the computer and came across a blog from “Notes from Peabody” from 2014 with the following quote:
" Advice for Those Worried about the SAT Subject Tests:
- We strongly recommend, but don’t require Subject Test scores for several reasons. If a school you love strong recommends that you do something, try to do it. Try to get the Subjects Tests into your schedule."
This would indicate that UVA “strongly recommends” the subject test – this is the only place that we have seen this wording and to us “optional” is different than recommends – and certainly different from “strongly recommends” If she had known this wording she would have taken the tests (UVA is high on her list) or she would not have applied.
She texted me worried that she wasted that application $ (took a lot of babysitting to earn that money) and time on a school where she has no chance of getting in. Not sure if she is worrying for nothing or not.
Does anyone know if UVA changed their requirement and the subject tests are less important than that blog would indicate?
