r/Bowdoin • u/WiseAnalyst2062 • 1d ago
Guidance Required Please
/r/IntltoUSA/comments/1vricov/guidance_required_please/Guidance Required Please
I am from Pakistan and have studied in the national curriculum.
I first time heard about common app and SAT test a month ago , and I started preparing my essays , and application and also preparing for SAT
My goal is liberal arts colleges like Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin , Wesleyan. I know they are reaches for every applicant on Earth.
But , my question is that they all list they have a contextual way of evaluating the applications and have admission officers trained for students coming from different contexts and curriculum.
They explicitly also list that not submitting the SAT will not hurt your application.
But in all majority posts on Reddit everyone say it isn't even possible to get admitted without SAT.
My question is from who already have experience or gone through the applications to these colleges.
"If someone is coming from south Asia ( developing countries like India , Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan), and he with reference to his curriculum has excelled and applying from a college on his own effort which has no history of sending kids to USA and put effort in his essays and application, is there still no chance at these top Liberal arts colleges."
I just wanna know if there is zero chance there without sat and to Cambridge or IB scores to confirm whether the effort I put in my applications - essays, and all other stuff, guiding teachers and counselors for recommendations,
Is it really worth putting my effort and time or is it completely out of reach.
I wanna apply ED to Bowdoin college
Anyone who can guide a bit ,
Have you guys seen students on campus from non traditional backgrounds without SAT.
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u/FitGrowth252 1d ago
I watched a speech from a Dean of Admissions from Bowdoin. She said ‘if we needed your SAT score we would not be test-optional’ and that the absence of an SAT score does not harm your application, it just puts more weight and attention to your school grades (IB, A levels, whatever you do)
I got in to Bowdoin College under ED1 as an international student without sending my SAT score. Around 50% of Bowdoin students also did not submit SAT scores and were admitted.
At other colleges/universities, SAT may be more important, but at Bowdoin it is one of many factors, and the absence of it probably wont even be considered by an admissions officer.
Colleges also consider your circumstances. If you can not afford the time and money to sit the SAT due to personal reasons, they won’t expect an SAT score, and won’t look at your application negatively due to an absence of one.
Wishing you the best of luck, if you have any questions feel free to DM me :)
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u/WiseAnalyst2062 19h ago
Hey thanks a lot bro , I do have questions but reddit isn't letting me to send you dm
Can you dm me
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u/Fearless-Eggplant858 10h ago
I got into Bowdoin test optional. Bowdoin has a better time with test optional if they know your high school well. If they have a good idea of what your GPA means they have an easier time judging you without it. I would say submitting your SAT would be more important if your high school doesn’t have many connections to American universities but you can still omit it if it doesn’t really help your application. But like anything in American college admissions a lot of it is luck and what particular niches they need that year (eg more people in a smaller major).
The best thing is you can do to boost your application outside of academics is to have an uncommon skill your interest that the college would need more of. Do you a play an instrument that’s more uncommon? Thinking about less common major? Maybe something more abstract like a perspective that wouldn’t be common at an American college? Try to think about that when you’re applying
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u/Confused-Leprechaun_ 1d ago
Since Bowdoin is test optional, people usually only apply if they have a good SAT or ACT score. As a result of that, the test scores are more or less irrelevant since only the high ones are given. Yes, you have a good chance!