The Thoughtful College Search

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

(Originally published in Inside Higher Ed’s “Admissions Insider” on February 19, 2024) Earlier this month, Dartmouth announced that it will reinstate its requirement that applicants submit test scores beginning with the next admissions cycle. Is this the canary in the coal mine for test-optional admission?

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Testing Standardized Testing Transcripts GPA 40

Top Tier Admissions

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

If you are researching graduate programs, you might be understandably confused when it comes to the testing requirements. UC Berkeley also states: Official scores must be sent directly to the Graduate Division by Educational Testing Service (ETS). February is prime time for graduate school application submissions.

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Testing Transcripts Policies In-State 90

Inside Emory Admission

JANUARY 25, 2024

Updated January, 2024 Emory University has extended its test optional policy for applicants who plan to enroll as first-year students in Fall 2025. In addition, transfer applicants for Fall 2025 can also take advantage of this test optional policy. WHO DOES THE POLICY APPLY TO? Emory will continue to superscore the ACT and SAT.

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BestColleges

MARCH 12, 2024

The University of Pennsylvania will extend its test-optional policy for another year. Penn's announcement follows news that Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown will reinstate standardized test requirements beginning next fall. Test-optional colleges could realize a competitive admissions advantage over rivals that require scores.

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Policies Testing Ivy League Standardized Testing 52

Great College Advice

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Admissions officers mark each individual factor (grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, etc.) And they are recorded and presented to college admissions officers on your transcript. The transcript is the record of your academic performance. What About Standardized Test Scores?

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Admissions Letters of Recommendation Standardized Testing Transcripts 98

Educated Quest

OCTOBER 20, 2022

Test-optional admissions grew in practice at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I touch on test-optional admissions in my new book, The Good College. Standardized test scores are one of several data points in college admissions, even at test-optional schools. Test scores are one of them and so are grades.

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Testing Admissions Financial Aid Loans 52

North Star Admissions Consulting

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

Similarly, some schools use the portal (or email) to send requests to fill out forms like the SRAR, which is essentially a manual transcript. Submit test scores, if you are including them in your candidacy. Transcripts: Be aware of each school’s requirements regarding first quarter/trimester grades.

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Applications Financial Aid Transcripts Early Decision 77

North Star Admissions Consulting

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Triple check that you have properly requested your transcripts and recommendations. Although you shouldn’t wait to submit your applications until your recommendations and transcripts have been received by each school, please do verify that you have requested everything correctly.

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Applications Financial Aid Transcripts Early Decision 77

Spark Admissions

JUNE 20, 2023

Raise your test scores? Yale admissions officers will calculate based on your high school transcript, which you’ll submit with your overall application. They have no preference between the standardized tests, so choose the test that’s a better fit for you, thoroughly prepare for it, and plan to take it multiple times.

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Simply Admissions

AUGUST 13, 2020

This month, we’ll go over post-COVID standardized testing changes and FAQs. The majority of colleges have changed their testing requirements recently, which seems like it’s only caused more confusion! Below is a handy cheat sheet I’ve created that summarizes the different testing policies. Should I still sign up for an ACT/SAT?

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the college spy

OCTOBER 1, 2021

The role of standardized tests in the college admissions process has always been difficult to understand, with most people overestimating their importance at most colleges. The following is The College Spy’s guide to what students and parents need to understand about the changing landscape of standardized testing in college admissions.

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Testing Admissions Standardized Testing SAT 52

Top Tier Admissions

AUGUST 5, 2024

Myth #2: The essay should recap your accomplishments Reality: Your transcript and Common App already list your achievements. A standout essay can compensate for slightly lower grades or test scores, while a poor essay can hurt an otherwise strong application. Focus on revealing your character, values, and personal growth.

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Admissions Transcripts SAT Extracurricular 103

Ivy Central

JUNE 27, 2023

Teacher Recommendation: An evaluation completed by a teacher who has taught the applicant either junior or senior year in an academic core subject (English, math, lab sciences, social sciences, and foreign languages) that appears on their official high school transcript.

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Early Decision Transcripts Government SAT 130

AHM Advising

AUGUST 19, 2024

While you are responsible for submitting your application, your high school is responsible for sending your transcripts and, potentially, your letters of recommendation. If a college requires official test scores, those need to be sent from College Board (SAT) or ACT.

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Letters of Recommendation Transcripts Grants SAT 65

Discovery College Consulting

MARCH 5, 2024

According to Jed Applerouth, a nationally recognized leader in test prep, tutoring and executive function coaching, “ … for the admissions officer at a selective college, wading through transcript after transcript filled with A’s, the job of picking the most deserving student for a coveted spot has never been more challenging.”

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Transcripts Test Prep GPA High School 64

UGA Undergraduate Admissions Q & A

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

GPA -Please remember this is not the GPA students see on their high school transcript, but rather the GPA that UGA recalculates for everyone based on the core academic courses taken in high school and looking at the actual grades posted on the transcripts. Mid 50% Admitted Average GPA: 4.11-4.40

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In-State Financial Aid GPA Out-of-State 131

The Thoughtful College Search

MAY 2, 2022

MIT’s announcement that it will reinstate its requirement that applicants submit test scores next year has already generated responses from those who believe that it is time for admission tests to disappear altogether as well as from apologists for the testing industry. This is not the beginning of the end of test-optional.

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Testing SAT Policies Out-of-State 40

PrepScholar

OCTOBER 2, 2023

In addition to standardized test scores and transcripts, a personal statement or essay is a required part of many college applications. The personal statement can be one of the most stressful parts of the application process because it's the most open ended. In this guide, I'll answer the question, "What is a personal statement?"

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Standardized Testing Transcripts Testing Applications 98

BestColleges

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

The lack of standardized testing places more weight on nonacademic factors like guidance counselor recommendations and nonacademic ratings by admissions officers, which are biased toward higher-income students, according to the study. Students from a U.S.

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ACM College Consulting

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

Prepare for Standardized Tests If you plan to take the SAT or ACT, start preparing now. Plan to take the test at least twice this spring and summer to meet fall deadlines. While most colleges are test-free or test-optional, remember that more and more schools are shifting back to requiring testing.

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Applications Financial Aid Letters of Recommendation Test Prep 71

ACM College Consulting

MARCH 13, 2024

Students can send their test scores by simply requesting an official test score to be sent to any of the 12 Florida sate universities, state colleges or public high schools. Students have until August 31 post graduation to meet the testing requirements, which means completing testing by June 30.

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Financial Aid Scholarships Standardized Testing Associate's Degree 86

Grown & Flown

OCTOBER 14, 2024

There is nowhere to explain all that on the transcript, though, so it was just a glaring hole in his academic rigor. Given that administering tests and sending scores is the entire scope of the ACT Board, I was not jumping on the hate bandwagon just yet. I never double-checked his testing registration and apparently neither did he.

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Minor ACT Transcripts High School 130

North Star Admissions Consulting

AUGUST 30, 2024

You will need to answer questions about your family and your background, list your senior year classes, report your grades, and choose which standardized tests (if any) you want the schools to consider. (This will save you time and frustration.) It’s important to be accurate.

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Applications Early Decision Standardized Testing Transfer 81

Ivy Central

APRIL 12, 2023

The students work in teams and generate a new business idea, assess its profit potential, build an innovative model, and test and iterate as they drive toward product-market fit. High School Transcripts: The applicants are required to upload unofficial transcripts with at least two marking periods of grades. A minimum of 3.5

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Programs Ivy League PSAT GPA 130

Top Tier Admissions

MAY 17, 2023

Transparent Entry Requirements (Though Testing Matters!) Each school details the entry requirements for every program they offer, spelling out clearly what the testing requirements are to gain admission. However, with this transparency comes a more test-focused climate. if you plan to apply to a university in the UK.

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University University Transcripts SAT 97

BestColleges

MARCH 7, 2024

Also, school admission requirements vary, so do some research and find out what information you'll need to submit, such as letters of recommendation, transcripts, and other documents. To earn your GED diploma, which is equivalent to a high school diploma, you'll need to sit for and pass a series of GED tests. What Is the GED?

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Letters of Recommendation Transcripts Standardized Testing GPA 52

Spark Admissions

JUNE 20, 2023

You probably know your grade point average (GPA); it’s usually printed on your transcript. A high school transcript that contains an even mix of As and A-s will produce a GPA of 3.85, exactly halfway between the 3.7/A- A transcript with a mix of A-s and B+s will produce a grade point average in the range of 3.5, A- and the 4.0/A.

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GPA Ivy League Transcripts High School 130

UGA Undergraduate Admissions Q & A

MARCH 15, 2024

I will not break down the academic data into GA/non-GA accepted students, because overall the academic information is very similar , with the only difference of note being that test scores are generally somewhat higher for non-GA accepted students. The mid 50% UGA GPA is 4.05 – 4.33, with a 4.19

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Financial Aid SAT ACT Scholarships 111

UGA Undergraduate Admissions Q & A

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Of our EA applicants, roughly 88% have all required materials/test scores in their file and are considered complete and ready for review. The deadline for getting in materials for EA is 10/29, and we import test scores and documents daily which then show up on the status page. As such, there is no reason to call/email about items.

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Out-of-State Minor GPA In-State 80

Top Tier Admissions

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Internships have exploded in popularity as job “try-outs,” allowing students to test out potential careers before going all-in on law school, for example, or the strenuous recruitment process for management consulting. GEORGIA TECH With one of the oldest co-op programs in the U.S.

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Programs Internship Study Abroad Transcripts 103

UGA Undergraduate Admissions Q & A

MARCH 17, 2023

I will not break down the academic data into GA/non-GA accepted students, because overall the academic information is very similar , with the only difference of note being that test scores are somewhat higher for non-GA accepted students. UGA Calculated Grade Point Average mid-range/average : 4.06 – 4.33, with a 4.19

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GPA SAT ACT Scholarships 117

BestColleges

DECEMBER 20, 2023

CSI plans to remain test-optional through spring 2025. ESU requires proof of high school completion, such as official transcripts or a GED diploma. You need only to submit the official application and high school transcripts to apply. The college requires only high school transcripts and one recommendation letter.

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Transfer Standardized Testing Transcripts GPA 59

The Koppelman Group

APRIL 19, 2024

Courses + Grades With Colby, what they want to see on your transcript is simple. Doing the work to have an exceptional transcript is hard, especially when you push your limits by taking hard classes instead of easier courses you know you could sail through. Standardized Tests As far as standardized testing, Colby is test optional.

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International Students Ivy League Transcripts Early Decision 52

College Essay Guy

JULY 26, 2024

Incidentally, if you’re on the fence about which test to take, MIT recommends taking the PSAT. However, the application process will give you the valuable experience of collecting test scores and letters of recommendation while assembling your academic and extracurricular experiences into a winning CV.

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PSAT Letters of Recommendation Programs Transcripts 52

Great College Advice

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Those colleges will be looking more seriously at other factors, such as your transcript and GPA. They already know about your academic achievements, since they have your transcript, academic awards/honors, and test scores (if they are required and if you choose to submit them).

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Admissions Transcripts Letters of Recommendation Transition 98

Scoir

OCTOBER 24, 2023

If you assume that grades, test scores, and transcripts are the only items that matter to admission officers, you’re missing the whole picture! We’d like to draw your attention to 6 little things that make a big difference when applying to college. ⭐ Check them out below!

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Applications Transcripts Admissions Testing 72

AdmissionSight

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

The PSAT, or Preliminary SAT, is a standardized test that gives you a sneak peek at what the SAT will be like. A great way to begin is by taking a full-length practice test for both. Most students take their chosen test two or three times to improve their scores, with the last attempt happening in the early fall of senior year.

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Applications Financial Aid Early Decision PSAT 52