As the title states, I’d like to apply to Ivy League colleges, and Brown University is my dream school.
I know that a lot of things matter in context, so just for reference, my SAT 1 score is pretty good and my GPA isn’t bad either (I’m in the top 5% of the class - I know, it could be better, but still).
I currently have a 750 Biology E and 720 Math Level 2. I’m going to retake the Math Level 2 in October and hope I get a better score!
But my question is, if I didn’t get a better Math Level 2 score, would submitting a 720 and a 750 look unimpressive and/or detract from my application? I unfortunately have no other scores to submit for subject tests. Please be honest and thorough if you answer. I am an Asian female, by the way.
Hope4567: Considering that Brown is fabulous for forging its own path among the Ivies, and taking students who have a definite statement that indicates initiative, curiosity, diligence and independence, the things that work in your favor there are your personal characteristics.
You should list more of your credentials, and I’m sure others will respond. The young women I know who attend Brown are the most independent, unselfconscious, quietly driven students with an eye toward community and change (for the better!) that I know.
You might not know this, but Subject Tests work quite a bit differently than the SAT. What I mean is that the same raw Subject Test score can be at a very different percentile, the distribution of scores varies widely from one Subject Test to the next. Not sure which Bio test you took but your score is either at the 97th or the 84th percentile but your Math 2 score is at the 72nd percentile. I have done a lot of research and have not found a lot of useful information on how strong your Subject Tests need to be for top schools. I think it would be better if your Math 2 score were at say the 80th percentile or so. Remember though that only about 10% of the students taking the SAT take Subject Tests and they are the strongest students. So being at the 72nd percentile is not as bad as it might seem. Depending upon which Bio test you took you either performed very well or excellent. Take your Math 2 test again if you can but at this point focus on why Brown is right for you and why you are right for Brown.
Just take Math 2 again and see what you get. 750 Bio is very strong.
720 Math, in my opinion, while it won’t cause a rejection, certainly detracts at least a small bit from your app as it is around the 52th percentile (this is for 2014 and I suspect it will be even lower for 2015).
Send the Math 2 and Bio scores and send the Math 2 score that you will be taking this Saturday.
This is just my opinion. Subject tests don’t count for that much in admissions anyways, and there is no point in worrying. Just relax, get a good night’s sleep and kill that Math 2 test on Saturday.
Thanks guys, especially @Wje9164be and @rdeng2614 for the encouragement. I took the Biology Ecology test - Wje9164be, is that “very good” or “excellent”, as you said?
Most people are saying your scores are good enough. I wish for your sake this was true, but I doubt it. Most of the people who have scores in the mid-700s at Ivies (instead of straight 800s, 4.0 GPA, 2400) are the ones who have a very compelling story (think Malala). Otherwise, a “normal” application with several leadership positions, great rec letters, etc, will almost certainly get lost in the shuffle with these scores.
^^I would disagree with the above post. I had a 740 Math II and a 650 Literature (and I can say with confidence a story nowhere near as compelling as someone like Malala haha) and got into my Ivy Leagues. I agree with @skieurope and implore you to listen to the advice given by @waiting2exhale : if you get rejected with that score, it wasn’t because of the score most likely. The scores >700 will get you in the door: Focus on everything else that makes “you” you to stand out.
