I just received my SAT subject test scores back, and was very disappointed with my score (500,570). I had misunderstood the test, and thought it was better to leave it blank, rather than guess. That day I had a cold, and had not been able to study for a week. This was very low compared to my sat scores which were 100+ points higher. I took the subject test only for one school, being Georgetown which strongly recommends them. College Board sent these subject tests to All the schools I wanted to go to, including Georgetown. I wanted to ask: Will these scores hurt my application to all schools due that they are low, especially compared to my SAT?; Should I use the December 1st Test date to retake the SAT to possibly get a much higher score, or to retake the Subject tests, and keep my current SAT scores? December 1 is the last SAT test this year
Also, here are my stats:
GPA UW: 3.75/4 W: 4.25/5
SAT: 1210, ACT: 27 composite
Extracurriculars: National Career Organization Officer representing millions of students in every state (1 of 14 officers nationwide, State rep and Regional rep for my organization, First African American Officer); JROTC District Brigade Commander, Company Commander, Public Affairs Officer; City Youth Council Vice Chair, Met the Vice President of the US and Dept of Labor to brief them on Education; School Executive Council Member, Student Rep. on the Regional Board of Directors for my organization; National Honor Society; Karate black belt
AP Classes: 11 total, 5 Senior Year, 5 years of each subject and 4 years of a foreign language
Major: Finance/International Relations
Awards: Presidents Volunteer Service Award
Community Service: over 300 hours, VP of Community Service Committee
Schools: Georgetown, University of Virginia, Boston University, George Washington University, University of Texas, USC, UCLA, UWashington, UMaryland, Penn state
Honestly your stats are very low for Georgetown. If you only took the sat II tests for them, I would not bother as it was a real long shot to begin with. If your other schools recommend them, I would retake. I hope you have some safety schools on your list as these are competitive schools for your stats.
Does your school use Naviance? Have you reviewed this list of schools with your Guidance Counselor?
Your EC’s are impressive and will help you, but in my non-expert opinion, you do have a tough list for many applicants.
Georgetown has an acceptance rate of 17% and Naviance says it has an average ACT of 33 and SAT of 1543.
UVA has an acceptance rate of 33%, an average ACT of 33 and SAT of 1550.
Boston U; 22%, 32, 1448
(NOTE: These average ACT and SAT scores are the averages from my son’s high school, for students who have been accepted to these schools. This may or may not be helpful to you, which is why it’d be better for you to see your own school in Naviance if they have it.)
If you want suggestions for other schools to also consider, you might want to share a little more info -
What are you planning to study?
How did you arrive at the above list?
What is your home state?
You may think you’re ready to receive a few rejection letters, but they can break a kid’s heart when they come. It helps a LOT to balance them with some reliable acceptances!
U. Alabama is a great school with a lot of spirit that is discussed at great length on College Confidential. They have rolling admissions, so if you are accepted, you could have a quicker response in hand to help you weather the rejections you’ll likely get from a few of the schools on your list.
They have an acceptance rate of 53%, ACT of 26 and SAT of 1400.
Best of luck to you!!!
Also, I suggest you only sent your ACT score to the colleges you apply to. A 27 correlates to an SAT range of 1260 - 1290.
Also, many colleges only want Subject Test scores if you are sending SAT scores and don’t need them when sending an ACT score.
Thank you for that advice, I want to study finance or international relations, with hopes of being an attorney and politician. I arrived at the list because I have met a lots of alumni, I’ve done campus visits to all of them, and they all have good programs for what I’m studying (ie. Georgetown for International Relations/polisci). I am from Texas, and attend an inner-city high school. For my scores, all of them have already been sent by their respective testing agency, and I cannot change or take them back.
UVA OOS acceptance was 22% last year.
I would take UCLA off your list of schools. 65,000 with no financial aid.
Are you in the Top 8% of your high school class? If not then UT is going to be a reach with your stats.
You have a lot of strengths in your resume. Many of the schools on your list are very expensive which I’m sure you know. Georgetown has good merit aid, but the other schools are more of a mixed bag. So please consider the financing of your education very carefully. Fill out the online tools to see how much your family will be expected to contribute.
I suggest you add UT Dallas business school to your list.
I also think your should consider Howard University in DC.
GWU is test optional and you might consider applying this way. You could apply to the business school (I believe the business school is a little easier to get into) and do a minor in international affairs via Elliot.
Are you thinking about ROTC and the ROTC scholarships?
By the way, as an update I have got into:
Fordham University
Pepperdine University
Baylor University
University of Oregon
Penn State
My SAT score has also increased to 1260.