International student - Which subject to take???

BharadwajS
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 16:30:27 +0000

Hello helpful comrades,

I am an international student, currently in the senior year. I will be applying to university this December, and am planning to take the SAT 2 Subject tests in the May (am taking Math 2 here), June or October. I am still in a dilemma as to which other subject to choose, as most colleges require or recommend 2 subjects.

Background: I’ve taken Bio, Physics and Chem until 10th Grade, and none for the last 2 years. Never taken US History. I have English in all my school years, though we don’t learn classics and the like.

US History - I don’t know anything, but my friend says that it is only ~200 years of history and I can cover it with some dedicated prep. Though another thread discouraged non-US students from US History, saying we lack the native advantage.

Literature - I know the basics, haven’t read a lot of classics though. English novels and poetry are not my strong point, but since it requires the least amount of textbook preparation and more of general knowledge, I am considering it.

Bio Ecological - Ecological seems very easy, and so do the other 60 common questions, which I can vaguely recall or extrapolate from what I remember from Class 10. Can I use prep books and memorize the facts and concepts? (I don’t understand anything in Bio Molecular)

Physics - I’ve taken this till 10th grade, and being a math person, i think I can work out the answers. I only need to memorize formulas and some concepts. How many formulas are there, and how easy are they to memorize?

Chemistry - This also seems familiar, though i seem to have forgotten more in this than in Physics. A little bit of prep might be able to help, but I’m not sure how much prep is required. Is SAT II Chemistry more theoretical or based on formulas and calculations (I prefer the latter).

I think my big 2 are Bio E, Physics, and to a lesser degree, Chemistry. I am pretty good at mugging up concepts and facts, and applying them in the test. Do you think I can byheart the physics formulas, bio concepts or chemistry more easily? I am willing to sign up for Coaching for this subject, but do you think Physics, Chemistry or Bio will be able to get me the best score?

Thank you all so much for your help. I am very grateful for your replies.