Hello there, I’m planning on applying to Boston University. I’ve done my SAT and I have checked the data set to find out that only 40% of students had submitted the scores. I’m worried because I’ve got a international unweighted GPA of 3.8 and I only got 1160 on my SAT. Is it really worth it to show the score, or am I best not to show it. Early decision is on November so I am on a point of no return and my only option is to chose between test optional or below average SAT score. I’ve actually gone to BU and experienced it via a program, so I do show interest, but I’m still not sure on what I should do. Please help me if you can.
Great question Manuel, thanks for asking. So considering that most of the scores are 1200+ and only 2% had scores under 1200, I think it would be best to go optional. As you said, it's around 40% submitting scores and that's a good sign for you too I think. Average GPA was actually under 3.8 so that's going to make you look better. If you're considering ED, your acceptance rate jumps from 19% to 32% overall, so I think that's the way to go. ED Optional.
Hello, I’m not sure if I should go test optional for colleges like Harvard and Yale. I am ranked 1st in my class with a weighted of 4.75 and will have taken 9 AP courses and two dual enrollment classes in total, however my sat is just a 1380. For my extracurriculars, I wrote a book that is an Amazon bestseller in children’s violence, I’m the captain of the varsity girls tennis team, I am the school president, I’ve had a flute channel for years, and etc. My essays are personal and unique as possible and I’m confident in the letter of recommendations. Do you think I should go test optional for universities like Harvard and Yale? If so, is it smart to apply test optional through early action? Thanks.
Great question. The advice I often hear from admissions officers is that if you don't feel that your SAT score accurately reflects who you are and what you're capable of, don't send it. And I think that's the case here. But a 1380 is NOT a bad score and I don't think it would hurt you to send it either. Yale's CDS had 7.7% of its new class with a score between 1200-1399, and even a few people admitted with scores below 1200! Yale also says they just "consider" test scores and don't rank them as very important, so I think you could go either direction and it wouldn't hurt you. Both Harvard and Yale had similar percentages of enrolled students who presented test scores (85 in Harvard and 89% in Yale). While Harvard won't say the composite numbers, they're probably very similar. I think it's up to you, honestly. Your profile is great, I already subscribed to your channel (Butter on the flute was gold), and if you absolutely can't decide at all then I'd say send your score to Yale but not to Harvard. I think you could go optional for both, and I think you could send it to both, but that's what I'd do. I hope you get in!
I probably would, especially since that's a superscore. Their 25% low is 1470 and 40% were admitted optional last year, so I like your odds more without the SAT
Hello! I wanna apply for UPenn and NYU for a film degree but I'm not really sure if I should go test optional or not. I got a 31 on my act but my biggest downfall is math (i got a 27). For reference I am going to a really small high school w/ like 50 kids. We don't have honor or ap classes but I am on honor roll, national honor society, and I've won many awards. I've been involved in extra curriculars like track, BPA, and SkillsUSA. My biggest advantage is probably my work in my high schools film/broadcast program. Essentially I kick-started and run the entire program and I am the only constant member. I spend time creating promotional videos and commercials for the network, it triples as an extra curricular, club, and a job. Our school is one of the top rated and highest grossing in the state in terms of broadcasting, and I don't want to brag but I think most of it is my doing. I have gotten help from my supervising teacher but I essentially run the whole show at this point. I also have hobbies of writing and music production. What do you think my chances of getting in are? Should I go test optional and apply prior to the first submission deadline or should I retake the act until I get a higher math score? Should I just send the 31 and hope for the best? Thank you Edit: Also I got a 4.0 and I am ranked first in my class.
I checked the CDS like you said and it said that UPenn considers tests scores very important. However, when looking at the stats of accepted people who reported their scores it's less than 80%. So it's definitely not a deal breaker to not submit scores right? Let me know what you think of all this.
Thanks for asking and for actually looking at the CDS yourself lol before coming back here, respect for doing your homework. So first off, if you check out part C9 of the CDS you can see that 97% of the people that submitted the ACT had a score between 30-36, so your 31 falls right into that range! 3% even got in with 24-29, so I don't think you would be negatively affected by sending your score at all. Second, since your school is small and didn't have AP/Honors, bringing an ACT score is a way to show that you still wanted to challenge yourself. Finally, you're shooting for film studies. You have a better shot than most as creative careers in prestigious T-20s tend to get far fewer applicants than other majors. Most film majors aren't bringing very high test scores, so I think yours will add to your application. I think you definitely have a chance in either university, although I do hope you have a couple of safety/fit options as UPenn or NYU are always a reach given the sheer number of applicants in general.
@@score-yourcollegecounselor Thank you so much for the reply and your words are actually very reassuring. That does make sense that an ACT score will show I still challenged myself even without honors and AP classes. I don't have tons of extra curriculars, but I have a few good ones and then the big one which is the film program at my school. I personally think that that will set me apart from other applicants, but I'm not really sure. Very reassuring and helpful comments, and I do think you make a good point about most film majors bringing lower scores, especially because it isn't a field where STEM is needed. Thank you very much
You're welcome, and yeah your EC film program is definitely going to make a solid case for you as a film major. Good luck with the applications! If you need other universities to check out, you might want to look at RIT or UNM, both have awesome film programs, I just visited RIT and their studios on campus are the coolest I've ever seen. UNM works with Netflix studios Albuquerque, I did a video about them not long ago.
I'm an A-levels student with gpa of 3.8/4.0. I've got international honors from institutes such as Unicef, UN, British Airways, GE Aerospace, New York Times and these extra-curriculars make are my strength with gpa. BUT, I've got just normal a SAT, 1410. I wanna apply at Yale or Cornell and I assume I should be test optional so the admission officers focus on the other parts of my application more holistically. What do u reckon?
Optional might be best, although I'd say it also depends on what you want to study, I'm guessing engineering by the tone of your ECs. If so, I'd say optional is better at those universities.
Robotics competitions can be a great option if you're targeting a related major. Also, you can try doing stuff on your own. There's no rule that says it has to be some official project with an organization. You can always do things on your own and use that too.
hello i wanna apply to pitzer for ED2 but my sat score is 1270 (88th percentile) and i need full ride as well. should i even consider applying? i have good grades and activities tho
Needing a full ride I'll be honest the odds are low, that's true everywhere, but especially after the first round. Also, if you already ED'd somewhere else for ED1, you can't do an ED2 unless you got rejected by your ED1 already. In general, I tell people full rides are mostly gone after November. But, you never know. You might be the kind of person they're looking for this year. Are you considering applying anywhere else?
@@score-yourcollegecounselorthank you so much for responding i honestly wasn’t expecting it so THANK YOU! Yes i applied ED1 to NYU AD and got rejected. Now i’m thinking of doing ED2 for pitzer and for RD i have Swarthmore, Colby and GUQ in mind mainly. I really need a full ride, my school counsellor has already discouraged me from even applying at this point but i don’t wanna waste a year or end up at some local college🙏🏼
You're welcome! That's what I'm here for is to help people out. If you want to apply, you don't really lose much by trying, aside from a bit of time and an application fee. Give it a shot. I will say those are hard to get into needing a lot of aid, although GUQ is probably the easiest of the three. NYU AD used to be kind of a hidden secret but now everyone knows they give out full rides and application numbers are rising so it's getting harder to get in. But one piece of advice, if I may, always have a plan B. You should still sign up for a local college. If you don't get a full ride this year, at least you can start building something for your future. And you can always try to transfer! One of our people transfered into Columbia after getting rejected as a first-year applicant, but she got in as a transfer and got a full ride.
Hello! I am thinking if applying to UPenn ED. I am a Mexican female student (Penn is need-blind for Mx, Canada and the US) applying for financial aid. I did the IB diploma in high school (instructed in English) and have a fairly good score (37, which is relatively high for mexican students). I speak 5 languages (speak, read and write in 3). I am on a gap year. My gpa is 95/100, and my high school does not do rankings. I am confident about my recommendation letters, my essays and my extracurriculars. My SAT score is a 1450, with a 760 in math and 690 in reading. Should I submit my score to Penn ED? Will it hurt my chances rather than improve them? How competitive would my score look in this context?
I think you can send it as it's within their range. Your math score is right in line with their numbers and your EBRW score is a bit low but not far from the 25th percentile, and it's also not uncommon for internationals to have a slightly lower EBRW when English isn't your native language. However, I'm curious what your major is. I think that will have more of an impact here. To be honest, 37 on IB is great but usually for Ivies I like to see 40+, so I think it's going to come down to how competitive your program is.
Seeing that makes me more inclined to say go optional. Latest CDS data had around 40% of the enrolled students as optionals, and for a double major in those areas your EBRW score would be scrutinized more, and even though it's roughly a top-10% score, UPenn likes to see more.
@@score-yourcollegecounselor Do you think it would be worth it to retake the test and superscore it for the same major in other colleges of the same caliber?
Personally, I don't think that another 50-60 points is going to be the difference maker here. Put a lot of effort into essays too because that's really where you get to be more than just a number. A great essay will probably have more of an impact than a slightly better superscore. Request interviews also so you can get a little more demonstrated interest and show off your personal traits/qualities, an underrated portion of the evaluation.
Hello there, I’m planning on applying to Boston University. I’ve done my SAT and I have checked the data set to find out that only 40% of students had submitted the scores. I’m worried because I’ve got a international unweighted GPA of 3.8 and I only got 1160 on my SAT. Is it really worth it to show the score, or am I best not to show it. Early decision is on November so I am on a point of no return and my only option is to chose between test optional or below average SAT score. I’ve actually gone to BU and experienced it via a program, so I do show interest, but I’m still not sure on what I should do. Please help me if you can.
Great question Manuel, thanks for asking. So considering that most of the scores are 1200+ and only 2% had scores under 1200, I think it would be best to go optional. As you said, it's around 40% submitting scores and that's a good sign for you too I think.
Average GPA was actually under 3.8 so that's going to make you look better. If you're considering ED, your acceptance rate jumps from 19% to 32% overall, so I think that's the way to go. ED Optional.
Hello, I’m not sure if I should go test optional for colleges like Harvard and Yale. I am ranked 1st in my class with a weighted of 4.75 and will have taken 9 AP courses and two dual enrollment classes in total, however my sat is just a 1380. For my extracurriculars, I wrote a book that is an Amazon bestseller in children’s violence, I’m the captain of the varsity girls tennis team, I am the school president, I’ve had a flute channel for years, and etc. My essays are personal and unique as possible and I’m confident in the letter of recommendations. Do you think I should go test optional for universities like Harvard and Yale? If so, is it smart to apply test optional through early action? Thanks.
Great question. The advice I often hear from admissions officers is that if you don't feel that your SAT score accurately reflects who you are and what you're capable of, don't send it. And I think that's the case here. But a 1380 is NOT a bad score and I don't think it would hurt you to send it either. Yale's CDS had 7.7% of its new class with a score between 1200-1399, and even a few people admitted with scores below 1200! Yale also says they just "consider" test scores and don't rank them as very important, so I think you could go either direction and it wouldn't hurt you.
Both Harvard and Yale had similar percentages of enrolled students who presented test scores (85 in Harvard and 89% in Yale). While Harvard won't say the composite numbers, they're probably very similar. I think it's up to you, honestly. Your profile is great, I already subscribed to your channel (Butter on the flute was gold), and if you absolutely can't decide at all then I'd say send your score to Yale but not to Harvard. I think you could go optional for both, and I think you could send it to both, but that's what I'd do. I hope you get in!
@@score-yourcollegecounselor Thank you so much for your feedback!
Hi! I wanna apply to Cornell this ED, and I'm contemplating whether I should go test-optional or not. My SAT superscore is: 1410 (640R/W 770 Math)
I probably would, especially since that's a superscore. Their 25% low is 1470 and 40% were admitted optional last year, so I like your odds more without the SAT
Hello! I wanna apply for UPenn and NYU for a film degree but I'm not really sure if I should go test optional or not. I got a 31 on my act but my biggest downfall is math (i got a 27). For reference I am going to a really small high school w/ like 50 kids. We don't have honor or ap classes but I am on honor roll, national honor society, and I've won many awards. I've been involved in extra curriculars like track, BPA, and SkillsUSA. My biggest advantage is probably my work in my high schools film/broadcast program. Essentially I kick-started and run the entire program and I am the only constant member. I spend time creating promotional videos and commercials for the network, it triples as an extra curricular, club, and a job. Our school is one of the top rated and highest grossing in the state in terms of broadcasting, and I don't want to brag but I think most of it is my doing. I have gotten help from my supervising teacher but I essentially run the whole show at this point. I also have hobbies of writing and music production. What do you think my chances of getting in are? Should I go test optional and apply prior to the first submission deadline or should I retake the act until I get a higher math score? Should I just send the 31 and hope for the best? Thank you
Edit: Also I got a 4.0 and I am ranked first in my class.
I checked the CDS like you said and it said that UPenn considers tests scores very important. However, when looking at the stats of accepted people who reported their scores it's less than 80%. So it's definitely not a deal breaker to not submit scores right? Let me know what you think of all this.
Thanks for asking and for actually looking at the CDS yourself lol before coming back here, respect for doing your homework.
So first off, if you check out part C9 of the CDS you can see that 97% of the people that submitted the ACT had a score between 30-36, so your 31 falls right into that range! 3% even got in with 24-29, so I don't think you would be negatively affected by sending your score at all.
Second, since your school is small and didn't have AP/Honors, bringing an ACT score is a way to show that you still wanted to challenge yourself.
Finally, you're shooting for film studies. You have a better shot than most as creative careers in prestigious T-20s tend to get far fewer applicants than other majors. Most film majors aren't bringing very high test scores, so I think yours will add to your application. I think you definitely have a chance in either university, although I do hope you have a couple of safety/fit options as UPenn or NYU are always a reach given the sheer number of applicants in general.
@@score-yourcollegecounselor Thank you so much for the reply and your words are actually very reassuring. That does make sense that an ACT score will show I still challenged myself even without honors and AP classes. I don't have tons of extra curriculars, but I have a few good ones and then the big one which is the film program at my school. I personally think that that will set me apart from other applicants, but I'm not really sure. Very reassuring and helpful comments, and I do think you make a good point about most film majors bringing lower scores, especially because it isn't a field where STEM is needed. Thank you very much
You're welcome, and yeah your EC film program is definitely going to make a solid case for you as a film major. Good luck with the applications! If you need other universities to check out, you might want to look at RIT or UNM, both have awesome film programs, I just visited RIT and their studios on campus are the coolest I've ever seen. UNM works with Netflix studios Albuquerque, I did a video about them not long ago.
I'm an A-levels student with gpa of 3.8/4.0. I've got international honors from institutes such as Unicef, UN, British Airways, GE Aerospace, New York Times and these extra-curriculars make are my strength with gpa. BUT, I've got just normal a SAT, 1410. I wanna apply at Yale or Cornell and I assume I should be test optional so the admission officers focus on the other parts of my application more holistically. What do u reckon?
Optional might be best, although I'd say it also depends on what you want to study, I'm guessing engineering by the tone of your ECs. If so, I'd say optional is better at those universities.
I just wanna ask if you know any projects on making robots that would help me to stand out in my application
Robotics competitions can be a great option if you're targeting a related major. Also, you can try doing stuff on your own. There's no rule that says it has to be some official project with an organization. You can always do things on your own and use that too.
hello i wanna apply to pitzer for ED2 but my sat score is 1270 (88th percentile) and i need full ride as well. should i even consider applying? i have good grades and activities tho
Needing a full ride I'll be honest the odds are low, that's true everywhere, but especially after the first round. Also, if you already ED'd somewhere else for ED1, you can't do an ED2 unless you got rejected by your ED1 already. In general, I tell people full rides are mostly gone after November. But, you never know. You might be the kind of person they're looking for this year. Are you considering applying anywhere else?
@@score-yourcollegecounselorthank you so much for responding i honestly wasn’t expecting it so THANK YOU! Yes i applied ED1 to NYU AD and got rejected. Now i’m thinking of doing ED2 for pitzer and for RD i have Swarthmore, Colby and GUQ in mind mainly. I really need a full ride, my school counsellor has already discouraged me from even applying at this point but i don’t wanna waste a year or end up at some local college🙏🏼
You're welcome! That's what I'm here for is to help people out. If you want to apply, you don't really lose much by trying, aside from a bit of time and an application fee. Give it a shot. I will say those are hard to get into needing a lot of aid, although GUQ is probably the easiest of the three. NYU AD used to be kind of a hidden secret but now everyone knows they give out full rides and application numbers are rising so it's getting harder to get in.
But one piece of advice, if I may, always have a plan B. You should still sign up for a local college. If you don't get a full ride this year, at least you can start building something for your future. And you can always try to transfer! One of our people transfered into Columbia after getting rejected as a first-year applicant, but she got in as a transfer and got a full ride.
Hello! I am thinking if applying to UPenn ED. I am a Mexican female student (Penn is need-blind for Mx, Canada and the US) applying for financial aid. I did the IB diploma in high school (instructed in English) and have a fairly good score (37, which is relatively high for mexican students). I speak 5 languages (speak, read and write in 3). I am on a gap year. My gpa is 95/100, and my high school does not do rankings. I am confident about my recommendation letters, my essays and my extracurriculars. My SAT score is a 1450, with a 760 in math and 690 in reading. Should I submit my score to Penn ED? Will it hurt my chances rather than improve them? How competitive would my score look in this context?
I think you can send it as it's within their range. Your math score is right in line with their numbers and your EBRW score is a bit low but not far from the 25th percentile, and it's also not uncommon for internationals to have a slightly lower EBRW when English isn't your native language. However, I'm curious what your major is. I think that will have more of an impact here. To be honest, 37 on IB is great but usually for Ivies I like to see 40+, so I think it's going to come down to how competitive your program is.
@@score-yourcollegecounselor I am thinking of going for a double major on sociology and PPE (politics, philosophy and economics)
Seeing that makes me more inclined to say go optional. Latest CDS data had around 40% of the enrolled students as optionals, and for a double major in those areas your EBRW score would be scrutinized more, and even though it's roughly a top-10% score, UPenn likes to see more.
@@score-yourcollegecounselor Do you think it would be worth it to retake the test and superscore it for the same major in other colleges of the same caliber?
Personally, I don't think that another 50-60 points is going to be the difference maker here. Put a lot of effort into essays too because that's really where you get to be more than just a number. A great essay will probably have more of an impact than a slightly better superscore. Request interviews also so you can get a little more demonstrated interest and show off your personal traits/qualities, an underrated portion of the evaluation.