Test optional success stories 2025

[Anonymous]

For example, the most recent CDS for Brown is 1510/1560 but only 76% submitted either sat or act, so my question is what was it last year when it was test required, was the 25th lower?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For example, the most recent CDS for Brown is 1510/1560 but only 76% submitted either sat or act, so my question is what was it last year when it was test required, was the 25th lower?

The last year of test-required for most top schools was the fall 2020 admission season, which can be found in the 2020-21 CDS. For that year, Brown did not report a composite range. Section ranges for 2020-21 were EBRW 710-770, math 730-790, with 70% reporting SAT, 41% ACT.

For comparison, 2023-24 CDS, EBRW 740-770, math 760-800, with 54% reporting SAT, 22% reporting ACT.

[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!

Ask an URM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

First Gen is definitely a big hook. Privileged UTM’s not at all.
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]

In at Stanford TO. His SAT was just 1340….
Unhooked.
An amazing writer and very good (but not amazing ECs).
From Louisiana

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In at Stanford TO. His SAT was just 1340….
Unhooked.
An amazing writer and very good (but not amazing ECs).
From Louisiana

Attention juniors, Stanford requires scores for next fall's admission season

[Anonymous]

[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

So interesting. Wonder if the Texas geography helped.

[Anonymous]

With Trump pushing schools to go back to test required, expect most schools to be more test preferred than last cycle, with the exception of smaller schools with a long history of test optional like Wake and Bowdoin.

[Anonymous]

In today’s your college-bound kid podcast talking about the deal that Brown and Columbia struck with the Trump administration, there’s an argument to be made that some colleges should remain test optional and encourage students openly not to submit test scores because it gives universities more leeway in shaping the class, the way they want them to? Really interesting conversation in the roundtable.

“And one wonders, I think one of the questions that people are, people should be asking is that if you move away from test optional, which the universities, some really selective universities have been doing, then they leave themselves open to pressure from the Trump administration to release those numbers because now everyone's required to do them. Right now, Columbia about, well, I don't know if it was for this past year, but in 2024, about 60% of their admitted students submitted their test score. When you're test optional, you have the opportunity to look at other factors that are important.

And Brown is saying that if you're really far away from the average, or the mid-50%, there has to be some compelling evidence to take you because that is an important factor. I think the other thing that you're starting to see is that you're starting to see this push into admission at other selective university processes. You've seen even the Trump administration really go after specific targets, highly selective colleges that are really prominent in the Ivy League, and then a consistent battering of cities and universities in California.

Stanford, University of California, UCLA, Berkeley, and Irvine[…]”

From Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews: Brown and Columbia Share Race & Admissions Stats In Trump Deal, Aug 27, 2025

[Anonymous]

^^
I wonder if some universities will reverse themselves on test scores?

[Anonymous]

This doesn’t need a thread.

TO success stories make up a good portion of college acceptances at our school. Exception is stem.

Michigan? TO
Cornell? TO
Stanford? TO
I could go on & on.

[Anonymous]

From that podcast!

“Okay. I'll tell you what else they're not going to want to get rid of. You know, the poor kid from Appalachia who's white, who has a terrible test score compared to the national averages, but is actually a really good test score in his context.

I've said this before on the podcast. Talking with the Yale Admission Officer, Senior Person, if I can get a 31 out of Appalachia, like I'll do a cartwheel. Like that's probably the high score they've had in five years.

They're going to somehow defend and support that, and they're going to make it all about race. And I just think there's so much evidence. So I was like, well, how can you be so opinionate?”

From Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews: Brown and Columbia Share Race & Admissions Stats In Trump Deal, Aug 27, 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From that podcast!

“Okay. I'll tell you what else they're not going to want to get rid of. You know, the poor kid from Appalachia who's white, who has a terrible test score compared to the national averages, but is actually a really good test score in his context.

I've said this before on the podcast. Talking with the Yale Admission Officer, Senior Person, if I can get a 31 out of Appalachia, like I'll do a cartwheel. Like that's probably the high score they've had in five years.

They're going to somehow defend and support that, and they're going to make it all about race. And I just think there's so much evidence. So I was like, well, how can you be so opinionate?”

From Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews: Brown and Columbia Share Race & Admissions Stats In Trump Deal, Aug 27, 2025

Doesn’t need to be Appalachia. Can be anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This doesn’t need a thread.

TO success stories make up a good portion of college acceptances at our school. Exception is stem.

Michigan? TO
Cornell? TO
Stanford? TO
I could go on & on.

Last year Cornell and Stanford.

Are t they returning to scores?

Michigan is okay with TO if DC has a stellar app for undersubscribed major.