14% of the actual freshman class didn’t submit any standardized test scores. Assumedly their scores were not superior or they would have submitted them. So, compared to the entire freshman class, including the non-submitters, your son’s scores look even better and are certainly above the 25th %ile of all students.
1460 = 96th %ile. That’s excellent! Top 4% of all test takers. So why would he not want Wesleyan to know that he’s in the top 4% of all test takers?
Look at Wesleyan’s scores from 2 years ago. 1430 was the 50th%ile and 1300 was the 25th%ile. So, obviously there is considerable volatility from year to year. Maybe that’s because Wesleyan doesn’t pay much attention to standardized test scores in making admissions decisions. In point of fact, they tell us exactly that. Standardized test scores are not an important criterion for admissions. They will be considered if submitted, but they are not important.
So, submit the scores. They will enhance his application. If he doesn’t get admitted, it will not be because of test scores. 1460 is not a number which gets you ruled out.
Thanks for the insight. Unfortunately, Wesleyan has posted on its website SAT Scores for the Class of 2028, I believe, that’s vastly different from their CDS. This is what was discussed on this thread. See below. I don’t know which one my son should use as a guide.
I think the difference between those numbers and those in the CDS is that those refer to admitted students, which I assume is all admitted students, while those on the CDS refer to the freshman class, who would be only those admitted students who actually enrolled. Take your pick as to which you want to focus on.
Regardless, this doesn’t change the fact that 1460 is an excellent score and would not keep anyone out of Wesleyan. It doesn’t change the fact that there are students who submitted no test scores and a comparison which includes the elevates the relative value of 1460. And it doesn’t change the fact that standardized test scores are NOT an important criterion for admission at Wesleyan. They state that flat out. They do a holistic review of a student’s application portfolio and make their decision based on the totality of the student’s accomplishments, interests, and abilities. All that’s needed from a test score is to be in the ballpark and 1460 is certainly there.
I think not. That score is, at worse, a net zero for Wes, but most likely viewed as a good score that will support his good GPA. What is the HS average score? That is an important factor that many overlook when deciding to submit or not.
The submit or not decision needs to be a holistic one. SAT scores are always viewed as in context. IMO there is no objective cutoff, but scores in the 25+ range should probably be submitted.
Thank you. I will let S26 know and let him decide if he wants to submit or not. It’s so easy to get swept away by everything you read/hear about gaming the system - to submit or not submit, to be above the 50% percentile, etc, etc. - it’s what S26 and his friends talk about too. I’m realizing now that in the end, the SAT is just one aspect of the college application. I will remind S26 that. Thank you!
@TonyGrace You bring up a good point and something I forgot to consider - the context of my S26’s SAT score. His HS’s average score is 1088 according to the latest School Profile from 2023-24. They have not released the School Profile for 2024-25. Thank you!
That is barely above the national average and pretty low in the context we are talking about. It won’t have changed significantly. AOs on popular podcasts (ie Yale) have stated that when you are looking at 250+ above the average from such schools, the score is usually seen as a positive.
Thank you! A student’s SAT score seen in the context of their HS’s avg SAT score is something so many students/parents fail to consider when determining whether to submit or not. I guess so many feel that colleges “protect” their score averages for marketing purposes and so students err on the side of caution and choose not to submit to leverage their chances of acceptance.
[quote=“TheMonaLisa, post:47, topic:3687272, full:true”] It’s so easy to get swept away by everything you read/hear about gaming the system - to submit or not submit, to be above the 50% percentile, etc, etc. - it’s what S26 and his friends talk about too.
[/quote]
I understand. I’ve seen the “gaming the system” conversations in action too. There are places where you can game the system, but Wesleyan isn’t one of them. They are very selective and with a 16% acceptance rate, they can afford to pick and choose.
If he wants to enhance his chances of acceptance at Wesleyan or other schools like it encourage him to focus on the things that are important to them and that are within his control:
Write a truly authentic essay. No BS. Do NOT try to impress them or show how good a writer he is. Focus on showing them what kind of person he is, what makes him tick. Write from the heart.
What he has going for him in applying to Wesleyan is his basic interests in Writing and History. Creative Writing is VERY important to Wesleyan. They began hosting a summer Writing Institute back in 1976 both for professional writers and for aspiring writers where writers came for growth by seeking criticism from others. Over the years it has been a celebration of writing. It has recently evolved into their Summer Writing Intensive. On campus they have the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism. They offer a major in Creative Writing. They are not looking for students who have it all together at 17-years-old. They are interested in students who are self-reflective, who have some understanding of their shortcomings, who are open to criticism, and who are interested in growth. Let him write about that. That would impress them.
Wesleyan has an open curriculum with some self-selected distribution requirements. A student needs to have some maturity to deal with this, to have their own internal compass, to have some idea of where they want to go and who they want to become. A student at Wesleyan has to plot his own course - with the support and mentorship of a faculty advisor of course. Let him impress them by showing that side of himself. It will impress them a lot more than a few SAT points.
The open curriculum provides many opportunities for interdisciplinary study. His distinct interests in both History and Creative Writing already have him on that path. As such, he would be a good fit at Wesleyan academically. He can tell them more about that.
Wesleyan is interested in students who want to make an impact on the world. They want students are passionate about that. What are his passions? I know from what you have written about your son that he does have passions. He should tell them about those. If he already wants knows that he wants to be a writer, then it’s in his soul. Let him show them his soul.
Finally, he’s just a kid. He’s vulnerable. He should not be afraid to show them that. He’s at the stage of wonder. Show them that. What in the universe fills him with a sense of wonder, of awe?
As you sat through an admission session where this was discussed, do you ( or anyone else) have any insight into my query that I posted elsewhere - My child has a 4.0 UW/ 4.8 W 13 APs. They have taken all the classes recommended by Wes. His ECs are average. My dilemma is regarding submitting SAT scores. They are 760 EWR/710 math or a 1470 total. I’ve read way too many threads discussing the discrepancy between the CDS and the class profile on Wes’s website and am still confused. The class profile seems to suggest we should only submit if he has a 1480 total. I know his math would be considered quite low (admitted profile shows 750/780/790for 25th/50th/75th and enrolled(?)median of 750), but his English is on the higher side of the range (admitted profile shows 730/750/770 for 25th/50th/75th and enrolled (?)median of 740). Any thoughts on how to handle? Do they pay attention to the individual sections of the score or mostly just the overall score?
I’m not sure really how they handle this. I just note that they were very explicit about their guidance to not submit below the 25% percentile. I’d be curious if anyone else got that feedback from one of their admission sessions or if it was just the admissions officer that we got.
Has your S asked his HS counselor what they think? Where does his score stand relative to his HS average?
Your S can/should also reach out to his Wesleyan admissions officer and ask if he should apply with his scores or not. He can weave into the question should he be looking at composite or each section to decide. I don’t know what type of answer their AOs will give, but this is a totally appropriate question to ask. Good luck.
In essence, this idea of a 1550 SAT being an official cut-off of some sort has the earmarks of a stock answer. I’ve now heard it from three different sources including an alleged instance involving a varsity coach. It’s the sort of thing a system develops in response to being on the receiving end of the same question, thousands of times; it just saves time and cuts through a lot of confusion, the main one being that a hundred points on your child’s board scores are going to make the difference between getting into Wesleyan and not getting into Wesleyan. In the vast majority of cases it won’t, but if you put it that way, people won’t accept it. They will focus on the tiny minority where it will make a difference.
In other words, when does the SAT score become a “hook“? And, of course, from the adcom’s POV, it makes sense to make that figure as high as possible. So, yeah, a 1550 on the SATs will garner their child’s file a second look. But didn’t we know that?
A few questions about your son: is he applying ED? What does “average” ECs mean? Are you relatively confident in the strength of his recommendations and essay?
I think if he’s applying ED, has ECs that demonstrate commitment and leadership, and has strong recommendations and a good essay, he should feel comfortable applying with or without his scores. I think Wesleyan values all of those other things (plus his being a boy and making clear that Wes is his first choice) such that the 1470 won’t move the dial in either direction.
The only caveat would be if he’s applying for a STEM major, in which case the 710 might give them pause, so I probably would err toward not submitting. And if he’s applying RD, I might also hold the scores given how many high-scoring kids apply to Wes as a back-up for Ivy-type schools.
(ETA: I see you asked this question in the ED thread, so I guess he’s applying ED! I’ll also add that my kid—a boy admitted ED without test scores—loves Wes. Best of luck to you!)
Thanks for replying. For context, we are at a public urban high school. Our counselor is great, but she has tons of kids to manage, and so we are really on our own. I believe she looked up the CDS not the profile and told my son to definitely submit the scores. The profile of our high school that I found shows a median SAT of 999 from SAT day this year.
The most important factor to Wesleyan is the rigor of his high school curriculum. Your son has taken all of the classes recommended by Wesleyan and has a 4.0 gpa, so that says that he is a very strong candidate!
I don’t understand how the class profile suggests that he should only submit if he has an SAT composite of 1480. The median composite SAT score for the freshman class of 2024-25, the most recent data reported by Wesleyan, was 1420. I believe that you are referencing the median composite score of ALL students who were admitted, not the median of the actual freshman class. The disparity between the two suggests that the admitted students with the highest SAT scores did not enroll at Wesleyan, resulting in a lower score for those who actually did enroll. His math SAT would NOT be considered quite low.
Wesleyan does nit consider SAT scores to be an important factor for admissions. 42% of the most recent freshman class didn’t even submit them. Your son has already Aced the most important factor. So, why do they even consider SAT scores? Because it gives them independent data to validate your son’s high school achievements if they don’t have sufficient information about his high school to do so in other ways.
What do his SAT scores say about whether he can do the academic work required at Wesleyan? Your son’s SAT scores are above the median both overall and in math of the most recent class reported of students who are actually at Wesleyan and doing the work required. They strongly support his high school accomplishments, which together should assure Wesleyan that he is very capable of doing the work required. So, yes, submit the SAT scores. They are very strong.
So, why does Wesleyan post the higher test scores of ALL admitted students, which includes scores of students who didn’t even go there? Marketing. The higher scores give the impression of a more elite student body than they actually have. This is silly because in fact they have a very elite student body. It just shows what the admissions game has become and creates the anxiety which you’re experiencing. All of this is ridiculous because your son has exceptionally high SAT scores which put him in the 97th percentile.
Every year the Admissions Office is tasked with assembling a freshman class with students who have complementary talents, abilities, and interests. Every year that is a different task because it is a different group of applicants. So, the most important parts of his application - after he’s passed the rigor test, which he has - are those pieces which will give them as clear a picture of who he is as possible, i.e. essays, recommendations, and any supplementary materials he submits. ECs can help, but they only paint part of the picture. He needs to tell them what his interests are. They may be outside of school and therefore not show up in ECs.
Not sure I agree with this. Every year, someone posts that they don’t understand some aspect of the Wesleyan First-Year Profile and that’s because Wesleyan tends to have one of the more transparent admissions pages among its NESCAC peers. High school counselors want to know the stats of admitted students. And the fact is, a lot of its peers are quick to report the admitted students stats in April and never bother to update their profile page. Wesleyan always adds to the profile with additional information near the bottom of the webpage regarding students who are actual incoming, first-year students. Lately, they’ve been coordinating the update with the publication of the CDS report for that academic year. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of confusion in the past because the publication dates didn’t always mesh with each other.
A lot of CCers appreciate the extra information (calling, @Mwfan1921.) I admit it often requires some guidance.
In 2024-24, Wesleyan had a yield rate of 35%, which is very high. Nonetheless, 65% of the admitted applicants decided to go some place else.
When we ask how Wesleyan - or any college - uses SAT scores, I’m saying that the scores of the enrolled students are more relevant to the Admissions process than the scores of those who have never attended Wesleyan. I believe that the scores of those who never attended inflate the averages and are misleading. I don’t see how that’s helpful to future applicants.
An applicant is competing in the pool of all applicants, from where the set of admitted students are selected. So it’s the relatively higher test scores that are relevant. A given applicant is not competing with only the set of matriculated students.
They are not competing to see who can submit the highest test scores. In fact, Wesleyan says that standardized test scores aren’t even an important factor in admission. Wesleyan says that they will be considered, and I believe they are. But I don’t think that it’s for the purpose of seeing who has the highest scores as you are suggesting.
What we know is the actual test score range of admitted students…the range of test scores among students that Wesleyan admitted via their holistic process. That range is relatively more valuable to a prospective applicant than the matriculated student data. Often we only have matriculated test score ranges though and I applaud schools that publish the admitted data. IME most counselors would prefer to see admitted student data.
I’ll also add that my kid—a boy admitted ED without test scores—loves Wes. Best of luck to you!)