Schools that are TO but really care about tests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TO just means that about half the class is reserved for hooked kids (URM, athlete, donor, celebrity). The other half is for highly academic students with high test scores.

Def not. My TO kid got into many T20 last cycle and was not any of those 4 things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TO just means that about half the class is reserved for hooked kids (URM, athlete, donor, celebrity). The other half is for highly academic students with high test scores.

Not in my experience. DS is a recruited athlete, all of the TO schools that were interested in him (think NESCAC and similar) wanted scores for the pre-reads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A high test score will help at these TO schools:

WashU
Emory
Duke
Northwestern
Rice
Notre Dame
Michigan

I agree about Michigan. It is almost impossible to get into Michigan OOS without a high test score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would we know what is "really" in the minds of admissions

Was that a necessary post? You can’t figure this out? (And, clearly you didn’t, so best to stay silent).

What OP is seeking is info we may have heard from a school counselor, info session/tour, or to even piggy back on some online research.

For example, Auburn is test optional but admissions will tell you that an applicant has less than a 2% chance of being admitted without a test score. They also have a merit scholarship program where cutoffs are test scores and grades (info found on their website). You can extrapolate that a high test score helps a kid at Auburn but I wouldn’t have known that without talking to them.

That sort of info.

I didn't post that comment about not knowing what is "really in the minds of admissions" but I agree with it. I am continuously shocked on this forum about how people look for anecdotes from random anonyous posters as if it were actual data or info from a reliable source.

[Anonymous]

UMD

[Anonymous]

OP - they all want to see high scores because it goes into the database sent to USNWR and other ranking services. The higher the scores, the better the institution looks. TO was started to give admissions more leeway in social engineering a class, specifically with URM and first generation students. And before you squawk google it. Covid gave colleges the chance to expand on what the UC system and others were experimenting with regarding TO. The experiment has not gone well, which is why TO is disappearing. All else equal, schools want to see top scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMD

Don’t only 50% of accepted students submit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A high test score will help at these TO schools:

WashU
Emory
Duke
Northwestern
Rice
Notre Dame
Michigan

Eh, I think a high test score doesn't help that much at these schools. Like the T20, many many applicants have very high scores. They are TO for athletes, donors, kids, and other institutional priorities. Other kids must submit scores to have a reasonable chance to be admitted. A 1540 will put the kid in the 50% or the 75%, but lots of applicants with such scores will be rejected from every one of these schools.

Nope.

Example 1: WashU, where more than 50% is admitted TO, the standardized test scores are deemed "very important": https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2025/06/2024-2025-WashU-CDS.pdf
So high test scores will actually help you here more than at Rice (which is really test-preferred).

Example 2: Northwestern, where test scores are only "considered". I'd imagine high test scores are not a determining factor, then
https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2024-2025.pdf
Look at the "scoring rubric" for NU here to see how test scores are "lumped" with GPS and rigor to make up the "Academic Rigor" score (not separated as its own number: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1224166.page

OP - do this analysis for the schools on your list, then come back with specific questions.

Something like 80% of admitted students at Northwestern submitted tests. It’s not really TO unless you are an institutional priority/hook OR a very talented musician or actor applying to those special programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A high test score will help at these TO schools:

WashU
Emory
Duke
Northwestern
Rice
Notre Dame
Michigan

I agree about Michigan. It is almost impossible to get into Michigan OOS without a high test score.

Thats the easiest school on that list to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - they all want to see high scores because it goes into the database sent to USNWR and other ranking services. The higher the scores, the better the institution looks. TO was started to give admissions more leeway in social engineering a class, specifically with URM and first generation students. And before you squawk google it. Covid gave colleges the chance to expand on what the UC system and others were experimenting with regarding TO. The experiment has not gone well, which is why TO is disappearing. All else equal, schools want to see top scores.

95% of all schools are still TO (see page 5 of this report: https://www.commonapp.org/files/DAR/deadline-updates/Common-App-End-of-Season-Report_24-25.pdf#page24).

Half of top 25 schools are still TO. Nearly all of the top SLACS are still TO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TO just means that about half the class is reserved for hooked kids (URM, athlete, donor, celebrity). The other half is for highly academic students with high test scores.

Not in my experience. DS is a recruited athlete, all of the TO schools that were interested in him (think NESCAC and similar) wanted scores for the pre-reads.

Do you not see how this works?

The school gets to see the score in the pre-read, to confirm that it’s over their minimum required score (1300 or 1400 or whatever; they’re probably more forgiving for the most exceptional athletes). Then, for athletes with scores below the profile, they tell them to apply TO. And voila, the school gets the benefit of a kid with a decent score but doesn’t have to include that score in their profile, making them seem more prestigious than they are.