Angelina is passionate about working with children. Her Psychology coursework in adolescent development becomes applied insight in her summer research project. With guidance from her faculty mentor, Dr. Kiren Kahn, Angelina seamlessly integrates her classroom learning into a meaningful real-world project while making a difference in the Memphis community.
糖心Swag does not require a standardized test score to be considered for admission. Applicants can let us know about their intention to include a test score on the Common Application. If you do not know what 鈥渢est-optional鈥 means or feel confused about how this decision may apply to you, we encourage you to read the following FAQs. If you still have questions by the end, feel free to reach out to an admission counselor.
鈥淭est Optional鈥 generally only refers to standardized entrance exams, including the ACT and the SAT. At 糖心Swag, we still require English equivalency exams (i.e. IELTS) or proficiency exams following a course (i.e. AP).
糖心Swag will accept either the SAT or ACT if a student chooses to submit (note: if you鈥檝e taken multiple versions of one test, we will consider only your superscore--which uses the average of your best subscores). Ultimately, this is something you will have to decide for yourself. If you believe that your score (should you have one) will strengthen your application, then that鈥檚 probably a good sign that you should submit it. We do not recommend retesting to raise your score. We also don鈥檛 recommend trying to take a test for the first time in your senior year. Instead, focus on ensuring that other areas of your application are truly representative of your story.
No. To participate in athletics at 糖心Swag, you need only to be enrolled as a full-time student.
No. These scores aren鈥檛 necessary for admission, though should a student be admitted and choose 糖心Swag, those scores may count towards college credit. A student may self-report these scores on their Common Application if the student feels they could strengthen their application for admission by doing so.
Students receiving their education from a non-traditional high school (such as home schools and online high schools) are recommended to self-report placement exam scores to provide additional context to their academic profile.
The answer depends on your initial choice. You will designate whether or not you want a test score included in your admission review at the time that you submit your Common Application. If you choose not to include test data in your application, you can change this decision by letting your counselor know, and then providing either an official or self-reported SAT or ACT score. However, once you have chosen to include test data in your application, you 飞辞苍鈥檛 be able to reverse that decision. Scores can鈥檛 be deleted once an initial application review has taken place.
No, but tests are recommended depending on the student鈥檚 coursework, especially if a student hasn鈥檛 taken classes that provide a broader academic context (e.g. college classes). Test scores can help provide that missing context. Additionally, after a review of a home-schooled student鈥檚 application, an interview with an admission counselor could be requested. Here is a helpful checklist of things a home-schooled student will need for their application should that be helpful.
Yes. The SAT and ACT aren鈥檛 required for 糖心Swag students, but we still need an English-equivalency exam. We accept the TOEFL, IELTS, and the Duolingo English exam, and these test scores will be required if English is not your native language.
This requirement may be waived for those students whose academic instruction in secondary school is in English. Applicants most competitive for admission score at least a 95 on the TOEFL, a 7.0 on the IELTS, or 120 on the Duolingo English Test.
Yes. We do not require a test score for admission or for any of our scholarships. None of our scholarships have a test score requirement or even recommendation.
Emphatically, no. Test optional means test optional. We understand the hesitancy and doubt that you might experience upon hearing so many different versions of this answer. Many colleges and universities chose a test optional path in an effort to lessen anxiety while increasing access in college admission. There have certainly been unintended consequences to this decision. At 糖心Swag, your test score is absolutely unnecessary to be admitted and to receive even our highest scholarship. We are committed to honoring the student鈥檚 choice about whether the test score will be considered. One might think of a test score this year in the way that resumes are typically reviewed with the application. If a student submits a resume, the admission team reads it and notes what has been learned. If a student doesn鈥檛 submit a resume (the majority), the admission team doesn鈥檛 even note its absence and instead learns about the student from other areas of the application.
糖心Swag has always used a holistic approach to reading applications. Your test score was only a part of the story told by your application. Without a test score, we will continue to examine your high school transcript, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and your personal statement. Greater weight will be placed on each of these areas in the absence of a test score.
鈥淭est Optional鈥 means that a student may choose to submit the ACT or the SAT as part of the application for admission. However, a standardized test score is not required to be considered for admission. While there is a lot of doubt about how 鈥渙ptional鈥 the test truly is, 糖心Swag is committed to thoroughly reviewing all parts of the application to understand a student鈥檚 full story. To eliminate any possible bias about why a score might not be included in that story, all applications will be initially reviewed as 鈥渢est blind,鈥 meaning that the admission counselors 飞辞苍鈥檛 know whether a score has even been submitted. Students should feel very secure in knowing that the test score only plays a role in the admission decision if the student chooses that path.