Could the future of college admissions change drastically over the coming years?
That may be the case, according to a new report by the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common project, entitled “Turning the Tide,” which has been endorsed by more than 50 colleges nationwide. Some of the suggestions made include a de-emphasis on standardized testing and an increased focus on quality over quantity of extra-curricular activities and advanced college-level coursework in high school.
“I think there’s a real mismatch between what students think they need to do to get into college and what they actually need to do to get into college,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology Admissions Director Stuart Schmill told Matt Lauer on The TODAY Show. “I do believe that most students stress out over their SAT scores much more than they need to,” added Schmill, who endorsed the report’s recommendations.
Among the recommendations made in the report:
A decreased emphasis on standardized testing, including SAT and ACT exams: Arguably the most stressful aspect of the admissions process for students and their parents alike, the report recommends that admissions offices “should work to relieve undue pressure associated with admission tests,” including making standardized testing optional and “discouraging students from taking an admissions test more than twice.”
Encouraging students to engage in meaningful, sustained community service and get involved in causes that speak to
Standardised testing is something every high school student has to go through as it is a crucial and stressful part of the college application process. During their junior year, high school student’s stress levels increase as they have to take both the SATs/ACTs and AP tests. The SAT was introduced in 1926 and since then it has slowly become more integrated into the standard procedure in order to get into a university. The AP is an understandable test as it tests students on what they studies in class; the SAT on the other hand requires students to do all the learning and studying on their own time. Some students may even pay hundreds of dollars on the test-prep books and classes on top of the already expensive
Standardized testing has been around since the early 1900’s. Today, it determines a high school student’s future. Every year juniors in high school start to prepare months in advance for the SAT’s and ACT’s. Along with the test itself, comes stress that is not necessary. The debate of standardized tests defining a student’s academic ability or not has become a recent popular controversial topic. Many colleges and universities are starting to have test optional applications because they are realizing that a single test score does not demonstrate the knowledge of a student. There is more value in a student that should rule an acceptance or rejection. In the article, “SAT Scores Help Colleges Make Better Decisions” Capterton states, “The SAT has proven to be valid, fair, and a reliable data tool for college admission” (Capterton). Capterton, president of the College Board, believes that the SAT’s and ACT’s should be used to determine a student’s acceptance because it is an accurate measure. What Capterton and deans of admissions of colleges and universities don’t know is the abundant amount of resources upper class families have for preparation, the creative talents a student has outside of taking tests, and the amount of stress they put on a 17 year old.
In 2011, Jen Wang was finishing up her freshman year at Connecticut College. As a young girl growing up in New Jersey, Jen took her first SAT when she was in the sixth grade, long before other students her age would even start to think about college. Jen said that test preparations for standardized tests, like the SAT, took up most of her free time that could have been used to do other things (Billy). The SAT’s early intent was to open doors of higher education to students without traditional credentials, but now this test is held at high esteem, the biggest indicator of college success (Mulugetta). Although standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are used to “level the playing field” for students across the country, these tests add little
For many years, standardized tests have been a pillar of college admissions. Students are persuaded to take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT) because colleges believe the scores can predict an applicant’s academic success after high school. However, an increasing number of colleges have made reporting test scores optional due to inconsistencies with the tests, many of which have been emphasized by students. These inconsistencies and other problems with test distribution have led to increasing demands for standardized testing to be reformed or become optional in the admissions process. Standardized testing should be eliminated as a criterion for college applicants because the tests have made education less significant, have made scores vary among students with similar academic abilities, and have not contributed a noticeable improvement to children’s intelligence.
As Key Club President, a fourth-year blood drive coordinator, and a University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics volunteer, I witness community service’s influence and encourage high school students to serve
As Key Club President, a fourth-year blood drive coordinator, and a University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics volunteer, I witness community service’s influence and encourage high school students to serve
As Key Club President, a fourth-year blood drive coordinator, and a University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics volunteer, I witness community service’s influence and encourage high school students to serve
Anyone who has ever taken the ACT or the SAT knows how stressful and difficult the tests are. Students are forever judged because of the scores the receive by colleges and peers. The ACT/SAT are standardized tests that are meant to calculate what students have learned in previous years of high school. Colleges then use this score to determine whether a student will succeed in college. Specific problems with this process include the fact that high schoolers are extremely busy and may have other things on their minds, the tests require brutal test prep, the test can cause stress and anxiety, and the tests do not accurately gage a student’s college success. For these main reasons, students should not be required to take the ACT/SAT to get into college.
High School juniors and seniors are frequently asked what they plan to do for their college education. While discussing their future in college, many relevant topics come into the conversation. One may talk about their grades and classes, paying for school, and their test scores. All of these have a very important impact on what a student will do for the next few years of their life. Unfortunately, in our society, test scores are an extremely important factor in the college admissions process. Students are highly encouraged to put forth a serious effort in order to achieve the best possible score. “To this day, most four-year colleges require applicants to take one or more of a number of standardized tests for admission, and
The issue with the SAT test is a dilemma when it comes to certain subgroups in this country, even though it seems to maintain its effectiveness for others depending upon race, ethnicity, and gender. Colleges and universities administrators, testing agencies and psychometricians should reassess the use of the SAT’s as the only means of admissions and develop new criteria for admissions for higher education.
The ACT and SAT were created to accurately measure the knowledge of our children and make sure they are prepared for college, yet often times it seems to have the opposite effect. Due to the tests, some students are deciding not to go to college just to avoid paying so much money when they do not think they can do well in college courses. Even if students do decide to go to college, they may avoid taking classes with large tests due to test phobia developed from the ACT or SAT (Paul 42). Seeing such low scores in certain subjects can lower a student’s confidence and willingness to take those classes in college. By not taking certain classes, a student is limiting what major they can complete which will lowering their career options (Paul 42). We can’t let this happen to our students! We can’t let one stupid test destroy the careers and futures of hundreds of teenagers. The long term effects of the trauma created by the ACT and SAT are detrimental to today’s students.
The next alternative recognizes the fact that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to standardized testing does not reflect the abilities of all demographics taking the test (NACAC, “Standardized Tests In Admission”). Despite this fact, the National Association for College Admission Counseling believes that to some degree, “Standardized tests are important predictors of students’ academic success” (NACAC, “Standardized Tests In Admission”). While the Commission supports the use of standardized tests, they believe that all students should be provided with the necessary preparation before taking the test.
It demonstrates why the SAT does more harm than good in admitting students to universities and colleges. Although racial inequality and high school GPA versus SAT scores can account for some variation in why we should eliminate the SAT, I found that the test-optional approach offers a better understanding in the choices behind my reasoning. Scholars argued that the test-optional approach gives the less privileged students a better chance; as shown at Bates and UC. It allows for a more diverse student body because the requirement is not strictly based on test scores but on other factors, and it allows for a broader pool of applicants hailing from different socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities. It also gives students who do well on testing, the opportunity to submit their scores if needed. Thus, the test-optional approach does not restrict either party, but rather accommodates both types of students without affecting their
It has become a problem and schools should really consider taking it out of admissions. It has been proven that SAT/ACT scores don’t predict a student’s success, so why not remove it. A solution to this problem would be to rely on the student’s high school GPA and maybe two other factors to go along with the application. A high school GPA is made up within four years and it determines how well the student handled state tests and other educational obstacles. Institutes should consider this a problem and propose a solution because a four-hour test should not override a four-year grade, as stated
Taking time to volunteer at the many nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, advocacy centers, philanthropic fundraisers, local schools and child care facilities in the inner city is not always at the forefront of young people’s minds while navigating through their college experiences. But, with a little push from student organizations, local nonprofits and passionate individuals, volunteerism and community change can start to take a front seat and become not just an opportunity, but also a priority in the lives of young people.