Should Colleges Make the SAT’s and ACT’s Optional?
Forty students sat diligently at desks in the classroom with worn out pencils and erasers. They were constantly preparing for the standardized test they were about to receive. The students in the front row had prepared throughout the summer; the artist in the back was drawing on a spare sheet of paper to calm her nerves, and I was in the middle of the room humming a Clarinet Concerto. I knew a better score was imperative towards getting accepted into college, but standardized testing was not my forte. Standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT do not accurately reflect a student’s overall potential and should be optional. Talents that are not included in this testing method are not utilized to resemble students in a positive manner. Instead, extracurriculars can negatively affect results of acceptance. People with these activities often do more poorly than those without because they have less time to study and dedicate their time towards …show more content…
People are very different. It’s important to recognize that difference to formulate the best acceptance process that includes people of all backgrounds. Around 800 colleges out of 3,000 in the United States realized this factor and decided to de-emphasized the use of test scores, making it optional for students. William Hiss, the former dean of admissions from Bates College decided to analyze a few dozen of these schools in a study called “Defining Promise: Optional Standardized testing policies in American College and University Admissions”. This data revealed that there was little distinction between graduation rates from people who did and did not submit standardized test scores. The idea that these students from various schools continued to perform well suggests that these scores do not identify a student’s dedication or
Forty students sat diligently at desks in the classroom with worn out pencils and erasers. They were constantly preparing for the standardized test they were about to receive. The students in the front row had prepared throughout the summer; the artist in the back was drawing on a spare sheet of paper to calm her nerves, and I was in the middle of the room humming a Clarinet Concerto. I knew a better score was imperative towards getting accepted into college, but standardized testing was not my forte. Standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT do not accurately reflect a student’s overall potential and should be optional. Talents that are not included in this testing method are not utilized to resemble students in a positive manner. Instead, extracurriculars can negatively affect results of acceptance. People with these activities often do more poorly than those without because they have less time to study and dedicate their time towards …show more content…
People are very different. It’s important to recognize that difference to formulate the best acceptance process that includes people of all backgrounds. Around 800 colleges out of 3,000 in the United States realized this factor and decided to de-emphasized the use of test scores, making it optional for students. William Hiss, the former dean of admissions from Bates College decided to analyze a few dozen of these schools in a study called “Defining Promise: Optional Standardized testing policies in American College and University Admissions”. This data revealed that there was little distinction between graduation rates from people who did and did not submit standardized test scores. The idea that these students from various schools continued to perform well suggests that these scores do not identify a student’s dedication or