Test optional success stories 2025

[Anonymous]

Texas based.
DS accepted to Princeton TO
He scored 1480 and counselor recommended not submitting….
3.9 UW GPA
8 APs (98 avg on them, no AP test scores).
White, Privileged.
School doesn’t rank.
Essays were amazing
EC was mainly volunteering and a startup
Speaks 4 languages fluently
European Summer pre-college program at Sciences Po

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know of an urm that went TO and got into an Ivy. It happens for hooked kids.

URM is not a hook anymore. See the Supreme Court. Maybe the student had a great application just like the non-URM students who were admitted TO. Or maybe the student had other “hooks”. But simply being an URM is not one.

Not according to college counselors!! Ask Sara H!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Texas based.
DS accepted to Princeton TO
He scored 1480 and counselor recommended not submitting….
3.9 UW GPA
8 APs (98 avg on them, no AP test scores).
White, Privileged.
School doesn’t rank.
Essays were amazing
EC was mainly volunteering and a startup
Speaks 4 languages fluently
European Summer pre-college program at Sciences Po

Looks like Princeton material.

Test scores aren't everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know of an urm that went TO and got into an Ivy. It happens for hooked kids.

URM is not a hook anymore. See the Supreme Court. Maybe the student had a great application just like the non-URM students who were admitted TO. Or maybe the student had other “hooks”. But simply being an URM is not one.

Not according to college counselors!! Ask Sara H!

Sara H is wrong. As usual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know of an urm that went TO and got into an Ivy. It happens for hooked kids.

URM is not a hook anymore. See the Supreme Court. Maybe the student had a great application just like the non-URM students who were admitted TO. Or maybe the student had other “hooks”. But simply being an URM is not one.

Not according to college counselors!! Ask Sara H!

Agreed, urm is a big hook. I know a kid that got into dual degree program at upenn TO with relatively decent rigor. Asian kids with higher SAT score and more rigor (like mine), didn't fair well. Not bitter, but it's a big advantage along with first gens! I would say to take advantage of it before the new administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM just can’t accept that TO is real. Yeah a good number have abandoned it, but as long as a school is TO, it’s TO. Every school mentioned is legit TO, despite the DCUM strivers who want to play the only hook they have - unlimited funds for test prep! What’s even more hilarious are the sanctimonious know-it-alls who imply that if you are white, private school and wealthy, then the adcom will hold you to a different standard and expect scores - wrong! and if you disagree, show me published comment or proof from a school indicating this is the official (or unofficial) stance
signed,
parent of 2 TO non-URMs in T25s - 3.9 engineering and 3.92 econ, $130k job offer (‘25) and one making $150k (‘24)

College class of 2025 was the first admission season of widespread TO. Where did your 2024/2020 kid attend TO?

Many schools will remain TO, though gradually they are becoming at least test-recommended. This isn't the 2020-21 admission season.

want me to give their name too? i don’t know if there’s just one weird poster on dcum or several who always scream “name the school!” - people are posting on an anonymous site for a reason folks, and DCUM region is small enough for handful of kids each year at T20s - pls give the “name the school!” a rest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM just can’t accept that TO is real. Yeah a good number have abandoned it, but as long as a school is TO, it’s TO. Every school mentioned is legit TO, despite the DCUM strivers who want to play the only hook they have - unlimited funds for test prep! What’s even more hilarious are the sanctimonious know-it-alls who imply that if you are white, private school and wealthy, then the adcom will hold you to a different standard and expect scores - wrong! and if you disagree, show me published comment or proof from a school indicating this is the official (or unofficial) stance
signed,
parent of 2 TO non-URMs in T25s - 3.9 engineering and 3.92 econ, $130k job offer (‘25) and one making $150k (‘24)

College class of 2025 was the first admission season of widespread TO. Where did your 2024/2020 kid attend TO?

Many schools will remain TO, though gradually they are becoming at least test-recommended. This isn't the 2020-21 admission season.

want me to give their name too? i don’t know if there’s just one weird poster on dcum or several who always scream “name the school!” - people are posting on an anonymous site for a reason folks, and DCUM region is small enough for handful of kids each year at T20s - pls give the “name the school!” a rest[/quote]

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NYC here (same as DMV for all practical purposes in terms of college admissions): close to 100% of kids at DC's high school submit scores. Not submitting would be the kiss of death.

100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have any TO success in ED this year?
From our school this fall, I’ve heard of test optional ED success at:

Vanderbilt
Duke
WashU
UChicago
Wake
BU
U-Miami

What state are you in?

NY

If you insist on posting here, you should indicate that in every post. Your experience really isn’t relevant for those of us in the DMV.

I posted earlier above and in many many other posts. I’m not in the DMV or in NY.

Weird rules.

It isn’t weird. If you aren’t in the DMV, your info isn’t typically relevant to those that are. There are more high stats kids here than any area of the country other than maybe NJ or MA. So if you insist on posting here instead of your own sub forum (where you will actually find similarly situated families), you should indicate the area of the country are posting from. That allows families to determine whether what you are posting is useful to them given that your kid is not local.

LOL. This is how you will lose at life, spouting nonsense.

If you post that you’re OOS or in-state it’s all good.

—DC resident, non-lunatic, with kids in college

[Anonymous]

DC got into William and Mary TO ED1. In state, 4.0 unweighted, 4.3 weighted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM just can’t accept that TO is real. Yeah a good number have abandoned it, but as long as a school is TO, it’s TO. Every school mentioned is legit TO, despite the DCUM strivers who want to play the only hook they have - unlimited funds for test prep! What’s even more hilarious are the sanctimonious know-it-alls who imply that if you are white, private school and wealthy, then the adcom will hold you to a different standard and expect scores - wrong! and if you disagree, show me published comment or proof from a school indicating this is the official (or unofficial) stance
signed,
parent of 2 TO non-URMs in T25s - 3.9 engineering and 3.92 econ, $130k job offer (‘25) and one making $150k (‘24)

+1!

[Anonymous]

It's a little early yet, so this may change more, but those with juniors, looking ahead to next fall's admission season, be aware that:

Schools currently requiring scores include MIT, Harvard, Caltech, Dartmouth, Brown, Georgetown, Florida and Georgia publics, UT Austin, Purdue

UNC and NC State require for applicants with low GPAs

Schools that have announced a return to test-required for the fall 2025 admission season include Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, CMU (req for CS, test-flexible - meaning some type of score required - for most other majors)
 
Schools where scores are recommended/encouraged include Rice, BC

Schools that are test optional for the current admission season 2024-25 but have not yet announced for 2025-26 include Princeton, Duke, Northwestern, UPenn, UVA, NYU, BC, Rutgers, Santa Clara, Penn State, RPI

Most others will probably remain test optional for some time.

[Anonymous]

DC got into UVA TO ED. In state/NOVA. GPA just0 unweighted, 4.3 weighted.

[Anonymous]

Sent before finished!

DC got into UVA TO ED. In state/NOVA. GPA just under 4.0 unweighted, 4.2 weighted. Great ECs and very well rounded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a little early yet, so this may change more, but those with juniors, looking ahead to next fall's admission season, be aware that:

Schools currently requiring scores include MIT, Harvard, Caltech, Dartmouth, Brown, Georgetown, Florida and Georgia publics, UT Austin, Purdue

UNC and NC State require for applicants with low GPAs

Schools that have announced a return to test-required for the fall 2025 admission season include Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, CMU (req for CS, test-flexible - meaning some type of score required - for most other majors)
 
Schools where scores are recommended/encouraged include Rice, BC

Schools that are test optional for the current admission season 2024-25 but have not yet announced for 2025-26 include Princeton, Duke, Northwestern, UPenn, UVA, NYU, BC, Rutgers, Santa Clara, Penn State, RPI

Most others will probably remain test optional for some time.

Do we have the 25/75 of the schools that became test required for 24 and when will we have it for 25