It could be that they ask but don’t require.
ETA - I believe Bowdoin does the same.
It could be that they ask but don’t require.
ETA - I believe Bowdoin does the same.
I think in the CDS they’re actually showing two disparate things: 1) is the percentage that submitted scores FOR admission. 2) is the score ranges for ALL matriculated students regardless of whether they submitted scores for admission.
Apologies if it seems I’m confused. I’m still confused by this.
Sorry for posting the HOCR results in this thread. I had my head in the NESCAC thread. I’ll move it.
I wasn’t trying to be argumentative. Basically when I said I thought Wesleyan required test scores from all matriculants, they pointed out evidence that’s not true (the proportion of submitters in C9.)
So, it seems like they are getting as many scores as they can for the set of students who applied TO.
Regardless, the outcome is the same, students can’t use the CDS test score ranges to make the submit or not submit decision because the CDS does not reflect only the set of matriculants who applied with test scores.
The CDS is showing all the students who asked to have test scores considered in their application, PLUS students who applied TO but Wesleyan had a test score for them (gathered in various ways.)
Oh, I know. I didn’t think you were. Sorry if the tone of my response indicated otherwise.
I think the likely answer is the one we stumbled onto: Wesleyan asks for them but they likely don’t get them all and they don’t compel anyone to do it.
I would think all TO schools would want them for tracking and study purposes. As I’m sure you know well, test scores, and whether to require them, is still an ongoing discussion.
Ah, got it! Thanks!
All of this does make me wonder how many other schools might gather any test score data they can for those who applied TO and include it in their CDS
And yet…my class of 2028 student, admitted TO, was required to submit his scores before enrolling this August.
Who knows what is happening…I expect some form of X department doesn’t communicate with X department.
As I noted above, as long as there is test score data for TO matriculants in the CDS data, it is not valuable as a source for students to make the submit or not decision.
As this thread veers off into “angels dancing on the head of a pin” territory, I’ll opine that every college has its handful (or two or three handfuls) of students who are such a strong fit with the institution and/or the children of such influential donors, that as long as the GPA is within range and there is decent rigor, the test scores become irrelevant or a “nice to have”. And that including the scores of those students (and some of them will likely be TO whether or not they took the tests) is not at all helpful in deciding whether to submit or not.
it’s like asking Meryl Streep to take a screen test or do a table read to figure out if she can do a British accent. Meryl doesn’t need to prove she can do accents- but any other actor under consideration does.
Don’t disagree with any of that, but the median numbers that Wesleyan is reporting are disparate enough (Math 760 vs 710, EBRW 750 vs 710 as seen in the OP) they could lead certain students to make different decisions wrt submitting a test score or not. That’s the whole point of parsing thru these details.
It might be the whole point, but I’m not sure the numbers tell the story you think they tell! I.e. they are more helpful when looking at the entire class (or a subset-- kids from rural high schools vs. kids from suburban HS’s) and are not particularly helpful in figuring out “should I submit my scores if I’m on the bubble”? Because the answer- “it depends” will drive you crazy.
Do you have something really compelling in your application that makes you a really great fit for Wes (are you the next Lin Manual Miranda?). Then it doesn’t matter. Is your application relatively generic/plain vanilla AND your scores are a skootch below the 25th percentile? I’d argue that it still doesn’t matter whether you submit or not- because you’re likely not getting in.
Counselors across the land are using CDS test score ranges to help inform students’ decisions to submit or not. That is the most common topic by far on various counselor list servs, FB groups, etc.
Schools don’t share data in the subsets you are talking about. There is tremendous variability across TO colleges in what they want…some want test scores, some are truly TO. Some do crazy things like the elite LAC that told an athletic recruit to not apply with an 34. Some schools include TO applicants’ test scores in their CDS.
Counselors are having conversations with AOs every day trying to understand where things stand because they are the ones students and parents are typically asking if they should submit a test score or not. Test required and test blind are much better policies because you are right…these submit or not decisions drive counselors, parents, and students crazy. And no one has the time for that BS.
OP’s question: “I’m trying to understand something, so hopefully someone has an idea of what’s happening. When I look at Wesleyan’s reported Class of 2027 profile , it shows a median SAT ERW of 750 and math of 760. However, the common data set for 2023-2024 shows 50% scores for ERW and math of 710 each.”
I believe these are stats for two different admissions cycles, correct? Class 2027 is for the admissions cycle 2022-2023 vs class 2028 is for the admissions cycle 2023-2024?
No, they are the same period. Enrolled Class of 2027 data is on 2023-24 CDS (assuming 4 years to graduate, first years in Fall 2023 graduated HS in May/June 2023 and will graduate college in 2027…they are current college sophs.)
Class of 2026 corresponds to 2022-23 CDS.
Class of 2028 (current first years) data will be on CDS 2024-25, which won’t be out until next spring.
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