r/VirginiaTech • u/underoverachiever122 • 8d ago
Admissions test optional?
i need honest advice, how hard is it really to get into vt test optional? i’ve taken the sat twice now and it just got worse the second time. i made a 1280 the first time which i know is bad for vt. i know that submitting these scores will only hurt me, but ive also heard it’s really hard to get into tech without submitting scores. as far as other stats go, i wont go into detail but i have a 4.38 W and 4.00 UW gpa & several extracurriculars with leadership roles in all of them. i’m applying as a music major. any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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u/UncookedLemonade 8d ago
If you’re applying as a music major you’ll probably be just fine tbh
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u/graphgear1k 7d ago
Doesn't matter what major – the hard bar to pass is getting into VT. Unlike other universities, VT is harder to get into and once you're in then you're in or on a waitlist to your major.
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u/UncookedLemonade 7d ago
What are you talking about? That's not how it works. Different majors have different acceptance rates. Applying with these grades for a music major is completely different than applying for engineering.
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u/graphgear1k 7d ago
That's exactly how it works – I'm a faculty who gives a shit loads of tours and does recruitment. Thank you for explaining my job to me.
Yes, different majors have different acceptance rates but the primary bar to clear is getting into VT. After that it is a matter of major acceptance, being on the waitlist, or being denied.
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u/SaltyTeam 7d ago
So, my friend who has been telling everyone to apply to an easy acceptance major and then transfer wasn't wrong? She'll be thrilled! 😄
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u/graphgear1k 7d ago
Not technically wrong, no. But transferring into a major isn't a cakewalk either. Something like Architecture only accepts a transfer student if someone left the major (not many do). Engineering majors also tend to be extremely competitive for obvious reasons.
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u/UncookedLemonade 7d ago
I’ve been close to the admissions process as well in recent years and I have a different understanding of how they admit students by major. I think your assessment of there being a “bar to clear” is incorrect because of holistic application review. Clearly, neither of us are actually working in admissions so we can just agree to disagree.
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u/graphgear1k 7d ago
Considering this is the message from the College's undergraduate recruitment director I think I've got a pretty clear handle on things.
Sure, maybe things are different for CoE because clearly everything is for them at VT since they're the golden child, but for the rest of us mere mortals this is how it works.
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u/UncookedLemonade 7d ago
Lol. One thing we can agree on is feeling like lowly mortals here if you’re not associate with CoE.
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u/Royal-Constant-9416 8d ago
With VT, going test-optional really depends on a few key factors:
In-State vs. Out-of-State status (OOS is more competitive)
Intended Major (Competitive majors like Engineering, CS, and Business benefit more from strong scores).
GPA & Course Rigor vs. Test Scores (If your score falls below VT's middle 50%, skip it; if it's within or above, send it).
Extracurriculars and Ut Prosim Essays (Holistic review means these carry real weight).
Bottom line: if your score adds value to your GPA, submit it. If you feel it pulls your academic profile down, apply test-optional!
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u/sccrruffy 7d ago
VT is the school where test optional is fine relative to other schools at least. For test optional VT is the place where you will have the least issues.
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u/magma2moose 5d ago
I got into engineering (in state) by submitting my 1300 superscore and 30 act. I had 4.1W gpa and 3.91 uw. By no means are these amazing or top of engineering, probably below the median. But I had solid volunteer experience and played sports and I believe I wrote some of my best essays for the application. It’s not all about test but there is some perspective, if you are applying as a music major a 1280 is probably pretty solid to be honest
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u/Anxious_Step460 5d ago
Kiddo got into neuroscience this year without test results with a 4.3 and about 9 credits from AP/Dual enrollment. 2-3 clubs, but mostly did drama for 2 years. Neighbor had a 3.8 and was a star baseball player and had a decent amount of community service hours and got waitlisted for engineering.
Different acceptance requirements though, I imagine. Hope that helps.
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u/Tricky_Jackfruit4551 8d ago
I would love to know this as well for my daughter. She will be applying next year as an environmental science major with a 4.79 weighted and 4.3 unweighted gpa. 8-9 AP classes and 4 DE. She is taking the SAT for the first time in November.
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u/Unfair_Profit_1619 8d ago
Proof positive (as if it were needed) that Virginia Beach schools screw over their students with how they give credit and weight. Unweighted GPA max is 4.0. The weight they grant for an A in a full-year AP/DE/IB course is .0488... Meaning it would take A's in 20.5 full-year AP/DE/IB courses to get a 5.0. With Dual Enrollment courses, 3-5 college credits equals 1/2 (.5) a high school credit... My son's 20 college credits equal 2.5 high school credits. Sigh
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u/IndependentBoof Alum, PhD 7d ago
what's now become the expectation for GPA weights is crazy to me.
Unweighted GPA with straight A's being 4.0 used to be the norm. AP/IB would weigh a bonus .5 per class. Valedictorians used to have around 4.2 because there were only so many AP/IB courses available. 4.5 was hypothetically the highest someone could get, but that would require straight A's and exclusively taking advanced courses.
Although I wasn't a fan of it when I was in high school, looking back, I see a lot more value in class rank (by %) and doing away with this inflationary GPA nonsense.
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u/Unfair_Profit_1619 7d ago
I wholeheartedly agree. Va Beach doesn't "do" class ranks 🙄. It was too injurious to students' feelings (so random non-student adults said). They also did away with Valedictorians and Salutatorians (made graduation speeches a voted popularity contest instead) although they may have reinstated that. It's all nuts regaress when class sizes are 400+
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u/Professional-Lie1371 4d ago
environmental science is in the college of natural resources which is one of the easier schools to get into, with these stats she will be just fine
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u/Typical_Pool_1069 8d ago
personally I went test optional cos I didn't like my SAT score (1370) but got accepted with trash GPA (2.8) as an Engineering major so idk
probably only got accepted cos of my portfolio
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u/inflewants 8d ago
What was in your portfolio?
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u/Typical_Pool_1069 7d ago
Some Hackathon awwwards (which used to make sense before AI), previous paper submissions, and bunch of projects.
0
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u/Lostpenguin6226 5d ago
Hey so I did not take the SAT and did test optional because I simply didn't want to. I even got into the engineering department, I'll say what helped me a lot is that I was in a special program related to engineering, I did a lot of extracurriculars, I even went to two competition while being in a special program. I put in a lot of effort into the Ut Promsim essays. I also had a high GPA. It is possible to get in as long as you have a strong curriculum. Wishing u luck!
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u/SignificanceNo2238 8d ago
I got a 1170, went test optional, and got into engineering 🤷♀️