OP: 48% of the admitted class this cycle is test optional. Year before was 49%. |
I just looked at the CDSs. Duke listed score as "Very important". Vanderbilt: "Important". Northwestern: "Considered". If the schools don't lie, I would think NU is your best shot for test optional. |
OP: Thank you! |
| my DC is a rising junior at Vandy. Did not visit Vandy beforehand as did not want to get hopes up, but used ED chit to take a shot. 1320 SAT, non-URM, large public in tri state area. Ranked around 20 of 350 or so. Good leadership ECs, team captain, student government, clubs - but nothing national or exceptional imo - just a pretty solid all around kid. DC was accepted - honestly think what did it - the teacher recs. DC was well liked by most of the administration and kids throughout school, and think that came off strongly in the recs - a genuinely nice kid who checked the boxes. Think second see so many jerks and jerky strivers that authentic “niceness” is actually a trait that pops on an application - and I’m not kidding. DC was preparing to pivot to Wake, Lehigh, or Bucknell for ED2, so acceptance caught us by surprise. Can’t stress recs high enough |
At our high school scattergrams do not show whether an applicant applied TO or with test scores which would make them of no value to this question and limited value overall. |