help needed

[dipalsoni]

hi everyone, i did my 12th in India and now i m in USA. so can i take ACT or SAT is compulsory. plz guide me

thanx

[babypurin]

hi everyone, i did my 12th in India and now i m in USA. so can i take ACT or SAT is compulsory. plz guide me

thanx

Neither the SAT or ACT is compulsory in the United States, however, the vast majority of colleges in the U.S. require at least one of those tests.

There are very few colleges these days that don't accept both tests (Wake Forest, comes to mind), but one must remember that Northeastern and Western schools are much more accustomed to the SAT (it's not like they'll punish you for taking the ACT) so it might require a little extra "boost" if you really want to stand out.

Depending on where you live, you might have never heard of the ACT before - thats because it used to be a test solely used in the Midwest, however, with recent outbursts of complaints about the SATs reliability and fairness have convinced many students to jump the boat over the ACT bandwagon.

Please do your research first! It would be a big mistake if you start studying for one test and then decide to switch over to the other. Seeing as you already completed your 12th grade it would be in your best interest if you start prepping soon.

[HiLine]

Bates does not require any SAT ,for example

[babypurin]

Bates does not require any SAT ,for example

...along with hundreds of other colleges. If you or somebody else is interested in a college that has a no SAT/ACT policy, you might want to check out this list: http://www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm

There are many prestigious colleges on that list, including:

- Middlebury College
- Mount Holyoke
- Hamilton College
- Bowdoin
- Franklin and Marshall College

Please note, many of the colleges that I listed above require some sort of test or portfolio in order for them to judge you from more than just a transcript.

Many of the colleges listed above are extremely selective, so even without standardized testing requirements you will definitely need to impress the adcoms in some way, whether its through a few tests or a unique portfolio of your work.

[Selayan]

Darn, lol, I dont have extracurricular activities either. I duno, it sounds cool not to have an SAT, but you must have a really good GPA and somehow really good essay too.

[babypurin]

Darn, lol, I dont have extracurricular activities either. I duno, it sounds cool not to have an SAT, but you must have a really good GPA and somehow really good essay too.

Yes, you must sell yourself really well if you don't plan on submitting SAT's to those colleges - not all of them, just the prestigious ones - in order for you to land a spot in the future class.

Remember, some of them do require SATII's, so you're not totally relieved from taking standardized tests - just the one that is scrutinized the most.