The New York Times recently reported on the recent trend of small liberal arts colleges who are making the SAT/ACT an optional part of the admissions picture. It’s a fascinating trend, and perhaps one that’s long overdue.
The SAT and ACT are far from perfect.
“Test scores are a much weaker predictor of how students will do in college than their high school transcript,” said Mark Gearan, the president of Hobart and William Smith. “We really know our applicants, because we have an admissions staff that can read every essay, have a personal interview and review the high school transcript in depth.”
Half a century ago, the SAT was a tool for opening college access to students who did not come from elite schools, a steppingstone to academic meritocracy. But many admissions officers now see the test as a barrier to low-income students and those who do not speak English at home.
Test scores, college officials say, present a skewed picture both of poor students who have had little formal preparation, and wealthy ones who spend thousands of dollars — not to mention evenings, weekends and summers — on tutoring.
“We felt the system had gotten out of whack,” said Steve Syverson, dean of admissions at Lawrence University, which admitted its first test-optional freshmen this year. “Back when kids just got a good night’s sleep and took the SAT, it was a leveler that helped you find the diamond in the rough. Now that most of the great scores are affluent kids with lots of preparation, it just increases the gap between the haves and the have-nots.’
There are a lot of valid points in these quotes. I’m not a fan of the SAT; never have been, never will be. And students spending thousands and thousands of dollars on test preparation does defeat the original intent of the exam. But until US News & World Report stops publishing rankings, and students and parents stop using them as gospel, they’re not likely to go away.
(There’s also the issue that the College Board is a for-profit organization that has a stranglehold on college and university admissions across the country. But that’s another issue entirely.)
The SAT and ACT, unfortunately, are necessary evils for schools, especially big schools like Stony Brook with thousands of applicants. The thing for students to remember is that these tests are just one piece of the admissions puzzle; your high school coursework and grades are the most important piece, and there are dozens of smaller pieces (activities, employment, etc.). Make sure you put all the pieces together before you submit your applications.