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SAT Subject Tests not really needed when college says they are


Melabella
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Just FYI...in a last minute panic to get a few more applications out, my daughter applied to Rhodes College before we remembered that they require several SAT Subject Tests which she had not taken. We contacted admissions to inquire if they were absolutely necessary given she was dual enrolled. There reply was yes, no exceptions. Therefore, we never even submitted her ACT scores. She just received notification that she was admitted with a merit scholarship!????

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Just FYI...in a last minute panic to get a few more applications out, my daughter applied to Rhodes College before we remembered that they require several SAT Subject Tests which she had not taken. We contacted admissions to inquire if they were absolutely necessary given she was dual enrolled. There reply was yes, no exceptions. Therefore, we never even submitted her ACT scores. She just received notification that she was admitted with a merit scholarship!????

I cannot remember why but I had come to that conclusion about Rhodes. My ds applied there with no SAT 2 tests. He was waitlisted but I don't think it was about scores. He truly was not very interested in Rhodes and had not visited, called, anything. He got deferred early action with a letter that basically said "we want to admit you but you need to visit". Then come spring he was waitlisted with the same explanation. Never did it seem that they cared about the SAT2 scores.

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We never bothered to visit either after the curt email response. Now, I am wondering about other colleges that require SAT IIs. Maybe we should have applied to a few others we had on our radar. In the long run, it probably doesn't matter because we cannot come close to meeting our EFC. She's strong enough to get into most schools but not strong enough for full tuition at most, which is what we need. Sigh.

Edited by Melabella
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I wish I had known or thought it was possible. Dd did not apply to several schools that interested her because of that requirement. She should have taken a few of the tests, but life got messy.

I think there is a lot of information regarding homeschool applications that is inaccurate, or at least more murky than cut and dry. Dd applied to a school that requires the GED from homeschoolers, but we didn't realize it until after she applied. They didn't require it from her (I contacted them and told them to withdraw her application bc she was not taking it.) Not only was she accepted, she was named a Fellows, a Scholar, and given a large scholarship (she ended up hating the school after their Scholars weekend, though.)

 

She didn't apply to URichmond bc they required 4 subject test scores that she didn't have and she refused to take. Now I wonder what would have happened.

 

She also applied to one top school regular decision. (not tippy top, but right around 30.) I was curious how a homeschool transcript with zero APs and zero DE courses would be viewed. She did have 2 subject test scores (math and Latin). She demonstrated zero interest (and according to their data set, interest is considered). Based on conventional wisdom, I expected her to be rejected. They only had my course descriptions, the SAT and 2 subject tests (and her Latin score was not a top score bc she took it June of 10th grade when she was still recovering from her serious illness), and her Russian awards to validate anything on her transcript. She found out a couple of days ago she was accepted. In her acceptance letter they stated that her obvious love of independent learning (she is doing an independent research project on Shakespeare for her sr English class), languages, and cultures (lots of cultural history on her transcript) are why they thought she would make significant contributions to their campus.

 

After our experience with her applications this yr, I personally believe there is far more flexibility in homeschool applications than is generally perceived. I explicitly stated in my counselor and school profile that I do not attempt to replicate a traditional school. This time I stated that my goals are to allow my children to become independent thinkers and have the freedom to pursue learning at the level they desire. This Dd totally rejected traditional style education, so I decided to highlight our differences instead of not. I suspect that highlighting our homeschool as a homeschool with different objectives, not as a parallel to traditional school, is why she has had the outcomes she has had. (Well, not exactly! Highlighting the differences on top of the fact that Dd is a pretty awesome young lady. :) Her essays were works of art. I think that probably had a huge impact over all. She pointed out to me how she incorporated internal rhyme into her essays. What can I say? She is a lover of all things words and language.)

Edited by 8FillTheHeart
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8FilltheHeart and Gr8lander, I concur. Unfortunately, this realization is too late for us. DD crossed many schools off her list due to their homeschool requirements and is now regretting that decision. Also, she has been accepted at all schools to which she applied with merit aid. I think she did not aim high enough, frankly.

 

I just hope this post will help future WTM folks.

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I just thought I'd add this to the thread: In some cases the number of required courses in each subject area is not always as black and white as it appears on lists of required courses for admission.

 

I spent an afternoon calling colleges on DD's list because she is short in one subject area according to the websites of *some* colleges. Every college admission rep--private and public, small and medium, none super selective--told me it would not matter.

 

I heard the word " holistic" a lot in the conversations.

 

FWIW, I also got the impression that if it were math or science I was asking about, it could be a problem. (And I think the requirements for math and science for engineering programs, for example, are held to for a reason.)

 

I think part of the reason I got the responses I did is because there aren't any weaknesses otherwise...and her b&m high school gave her a waiver so she could pursue other interests. But I thought I'd share in case anyone else faces a similar situation.

Edited by Tiramisu
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