when a school says you MUST take a certain SAT 2...must you, really?

<p>I'm just curious: would a school really reject someone who hadn't taken the required science sat 2, or the math 2 sat 2, or the 3 required sat 2 tests? Do they not even look at anything else? Is it really that important for them to compare applicants based on one subject test? Thanks!</p>

<p>If you can't tell us the school, how can we even guess?</p>

<p>It's not actually a particular school--I've just run across it a lot, and I'm curious to know how schools would actually react to an applicant who didn't meet those requirements. Let's say, an upper tier northern school with a lot of diversity, just to narrow the field a bit.</p>

<p>Yeah, they like it when you satisfy their admissions requirements.</p>

<p>are you talking about harvard, princeton for 3 sat 2's? if you are you def. should</p>

<p>if you're also considering schools like mit, caltech, I believe it's required that you take at least one sat ii math and one sat ii in either physics, chem, or biology. I would check in with the schools just to make sure. But either way, you are safe with three sat ii tests, preferably one math one science and one history/english</p>

<p>
[quote]
would a school really reject someone who hadn't taken the required science sat 2, or the math 2 sat 2, or the 3 required sat 2 tests?

[/quote]
Selective schools are deluged with applications. They have the heavy task of saying "no" to lots of qualified applicants. One of the ways you can make their job easier is to not follow the admission requirements; filtering out those who can't/won't follow instructions for supplying what they want in order to evaluate applicants is always a first step.</p>

<p>If the school says the tests are required, then they are REQUIRED. Otherwise, it would say the tests are "recommended." </p>

<p>Oh, look, this applicant can't seem to follow simple directions.........</p>

<p>even when they say "recommended" it's generally good to follow</p>

<p>it's just a nicer way to say "well, we don't like to sound like nazis, but these are REQUIRED."</p>

<p>Usually, when a school requires IIs, it will be only the engineering (or science) college that requires a math and a science. If the college requires certain IIs, what will happen is that your application file will be deemed incomplete, and therefore not reviewed for admission, until the required test scores are submitted, and, if you do not submit, you will eventually be rejected because of an incomplete file without your file ever being reviewed by someone who actually determines whether you should be admitted.</p>

<p>I'm a college student, not an applicant, but I always wondered whether adcoms eliminate those apps without even looking at the other components, whether they would consider some exceptional despite not meeting what seems like a relatively unimportant req, etc. I am certainly not trying to misinterpret their phrasing to my advantage, just a curious product of the college admissions process who ran into this a few times (and, luckily, met the requirements necessary--I had other friends who did not, however, and chose not to apply simply because of that). Thanks for all the replies and clarifications!</p>

<p>Yes, when they say required they really mean it. I have seen instances where students were accepted and were still made to take the SAT IIs if they wanted to attend. Why? Because they were required.</p>

<p>What part of "required" is confusing you?</p>

<p>I have to note that the only person who actually provided any answer to this question was FLVADAD. The question, really, is whether schools will disregard the absence of a required element of the application and admit (or at least consider) an applicant anyway. The question assumes that the schools may not do what they say they will do, while most of the responders assume that the schools will do what they say they will do. Without some evidence, I'm not sure either assumption is defensible.</p>

<p>If you're borderline and they're comparing you to someone who actually provided a complete app, then that person wins. But if you're a clear admit they can accept you but make you take SAT 2's before attending(I've never seen an Ivy do this, perhaps because few people are clear admits at Ivies)</p>

<p>If you take the ACT, you might be able to get away without taking the required number of SAT2 subject tests, but check with the admissions office before you try this.</p>

<p>
[quote]
The question, really, is whether schools will disregard the absence of a required element of the application and admit (or at least consider) an applicant anyway. The question assumes that the schools may not do what they say they will do, while most of the responders assume that the schools will do what they say they will do. Without some evidence, I'm not sure either assumption is defensible.

[/quote]

Unless one of us sits on an admissions committee at a school that has such a requirement, there is no evidence we can provide to the OP. So the original question cannot be answered on this board. Anecdotal accounts (particularly of the "I know a kid who . . ") are not evidence.</p>

<p>I know that large employers use "scrubbing" software to weed out job applications. The program looks for key words in the resume; if the words aren't there, the resume is discarded and never even gets to the decision maker. Why would we assume that colleges don't have similar programs, so that applicants who don't meet the minimal requirements are not summarily rejected?</p>

<p>Would you want to run the risk that a school really doesn't mean what it says? It's the school's game; they can make whatever rules they want. Why would they include a requirement, which is not a standard one, if they didn't mean it?</p>