Should I go test optional for UPenn if I have a 1450?Answered
I'm a non-native English speaker and moved to the U.S. 2 years ago. There were a lot of moving and disruptions in my education over the past 2 years. I have a pretty strong Math score but my English score is weak because of my disruptions. I also don't have any AP classes because I have transferred schools a lot and every time I transferred, the guidance department said I can't take them because of my history of classes in another country. To prove myself, I took the SAT and got a 790 in Math and 660 in English. Should I submit this to Upenn?
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2 answers
Last cycle the mid-range for UPenn was 1510-1560 across all 4 colleges so if you are thinking of applying to Engineering or Wharton, those SATs were like 1530-1580. That means that 75% of admits had SAT above 1510. About 90% had SAT EBRW scores above 700. Submitting 1450 will not help you unless you identify as Black, LatinAa or Indigenous (Native north or south American). In that case you can submit anything above 1360 or within 150 points of the lower band. I think it's important for CV members from marginalized groups to know that they get some leeway with test scores. And if the ACT range is 34-35 at UPenn, you can submit anything above a 31 if you a "hooked" applicant from these marginalized groups.
I don't know if UPenn is your dream school but UPenn is not a great choice if you are not submitting a test score because nearly 80% of admits submitted a test score while about 63% of applicants submitted so there is either a bias favoring applicants submitting test scores or that those that submit tend to have more compelling applications in general.
Not to dissuade you in any manner, I would recommend that you apply to schools that historically didn't care much about test scores like Bowdoin, UChicago, Pitzer College, Reed College, Bates College, Skidmore College, Trinity College CT, good luck.
Hi @senior_2022!
I suggest you fill out your CollegeVine profile and then use the chancing simulator to figure out whether your chances are higher when you apply with SAT or when you apply test-optional. Let me warn you upfront: since you don't have AP or other college-level classes, the simulator will show low chances but don't be discouraged by that. If your extracurriculars and unweighted GPA are good enough, you can get in.
Hope this helps!
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