I looked at a chart of average Bryn Mawr SAT scores, and I’m above average in Reading (at 780) and Writing (at 730… don’t remember the exact numbers for this one, but somewhere in the mid-700s), but have an obviously below average score in the Math section at 590. Bryn Mawr is a test-optional school, so when I first submitted my application I didn’t send my scores, due to disliking the toxic test-culture around education. I also expressed interest in literature / fine arts on my application, and no interest in majoring in math. I’m not bad at math, I just have had typically awful math teachers since high school. Applied math, such as Physics, is fun. Just not arbitrary teacher-assigned problem-solving.
Ahhhh… I can smell the entitlement in those last three sentences
I would send them an email, letting them know your continued interest in attending BMC and share an ‘unofficial’ reporting of your SAT scores, briefly explaining your aversion to the ‘arms race’ as the reason you didn’t submit them the first time.
Since they are a test-optional school, these are issues that they’ve thought carefully about as well.
Ask them if they think an official version would strengthen your admissibility, and then be prepared to submit the scores if needed.
Initiate a dialogue. Communicating with them regarding your scores is a way for you to express your continued interest, but be sure to leave out any references to awful teachers.
Thanks for the reply! That sounds like a good strategy.
Haha, I’ll make sure not to mention math teachers. I’ll have to wait until I’ve gotten into a college to figure out how to initiate change within the (especially high-school) education system. I’m pretty new here, but I’m guessing college confidential isn’t the best place to throw around mentions of how we should get rid of grades, grade levels and separate subjects, and have students vote for their teachers and all that. Oops.
Strawberry, did you apply to schools that have those philosophies already baked-in?
Schools such as Colorado College, Bennington, Hampshire or even Kalamazoo are utilizing strategies such as block plan, evaluations instead of grades and open curriculum as part of their draw.
I’ve looked at Colorado College and Hampshire, but not the others you named. The block plan sounds really cool, but after looking at so many colleges my brain melted into a puddle of exasperation, and thinking about things so much that I forgot my reasoning behind half the things I concretely decided, I ruled those two out.
I’ll take a look at Bennington and Kalamazoo. Thanks for the recommendations!
I’ll find out today whether Smith accepts me, and just for the sake of not having to college search for another thousand years, I really hope I get in. (Well, obviously not just because of that, but still.)
hmmm … you didn’t submit your scores before “due to disliking the toxic test-culture around education”. And now you’re wanting to submit the scores. If you talked about this at all in your application at all it could backfire since it’s an inconsistency.
Also, this is not a new score right? If it was available to you at the time you applied, submitting it now won’t do anything to help your application, and at worst it could raise a red-flag that you had doubts about your application to begin with. At this point you want to emphasize your confidence in your application and how much you would enhance the student body at Bryn Mawr.
There are other ways to let them know of your continued interest while on the WL - just google it - they probably even have a blog post on the topic. (Bryn Mawr might not give any guidance but I know other schools do. Look at Tulane’s admissions blog for suggestions on getting off the WL - but keep in mind they’re not test optional). Best approach is to focus on informing them of things that have happened since you applied, like any awards you’ve received.
These guys in admissions have been around the block, and they’ll know that if you’re ‘asking’ whether you should send your scores in that there is some reason behind your not having sent them to begin with. Even though they’re test optional they still care about their score averages (after all, that’s why they went test optional … to increase their averages).
Enjoy your time in college, OP. You are in for a big surprise when you graduate.
There’s nothing wrong with your scores. Write to BM letting them know you are interested in staying on the waitlist. State your reasons why you would like to attend the college, express how you would be an asset to their community. Include your scores and tell them you’d be happy to send an official score report if they wish to see it. Leave out any explanations, excuses, etc. Focus on being positive and creating a connection and fit between you and the school.
You have nothing to lose by sending the scores. Avoid the snarky comments you’ve received here. I sure hope they aren’t indicative of those considering Bryn Mawr because they sure aren’t in keeping with Quaker values.
@StrawberrySauce College Confidential may not be the place to “throw around mentions of how we should get rid of grades, grade levels and separate subjects, and have students vote for their teachers and all that” but Bryn Mawr sure is. (Current student here) Write you admissions counselor a letter of continued interest (PM me if you’d like some more personal advice) and take K-Cass’s educational psychology class if everything comes through and you get here!
Thanks for the advice, everyone. There’s one aspect I guess I wasn’t clear about earlier, though: is 1330 closer to average or above-average at Bryn Mawr? If it’s a high score that could give me an edge, it would be more worthwhile to submit it than if it’s average/below-average and wouldn’t affect their previous assessment of me. I realize you can google the average SAT scores for any given college, but I also thought asking actual people would be more accurate than numbers on a random website.
I didn’t get my SAT results until February, after Bryn Mawr’s admissions deadline. Now that I’ve written this, I remember that my thinking behind submitting an SAT score after being waitlisted is that it might show my continued interest in the college, in that I’m willing to go through the process of submitting official SAT scores for the sake of getting accepted. Not sure if that’s correct reasoning, but there you go.
The letter of continued interest that Plastic mentions is the best thing. You can comment on having received your scores and ask them if they’d like to receive them. That way you’ve reached out. But if there is anything else that enhances your application that happened since, then definitely bring those things up in your letter.
As for BMC’s 25-75% range of the scores and where your score stacks up (i assume it’s using the new SAT score range) - go to the concordance and see what your score translates on the old scale (because published historical averages will use the old scale), and see if you’re in the top half the range. if not it may not be beneficial. Remember that test optional schools usually have averages that are a tad higher since lower scoring students typically don’t submit theirs.