It’s come to my attention that UC schools are doing away with requiring the SAT and ACT in the following years; eventually, they are getting rid of it all together and instead putting their own standardized test into place. The reasoning behind this is to alleviate the disparity between students of different socio-economic status and to level the playing field. People have criticized standardized testing for a while, but in my opinion, the UC schools’ decision is not the way to go.
Starting off, standardized tests do have value. Yes, they are not the sole determiner of how smart a student is, but they add another piece to the puzzle of a college application. There is arguable value in a student taking the time to study, learn, and put effort into showing their knowledge to receive a high score. As colleges move to a more “holistic, well-rounded” decision making process, I worry that we are forgetting that not everyone has to be the team captain or club leader to be a viable college applicant. Grades do matter. GPA does matter. Standardized tests matter. I put work and effort into getting the grades and scores that I do, and I want colleges to notice that. I understand now that they want to see the whole student, and they want diverse young adults who have different interests, and that’s great! I have no issue with wanting students to avoid taking 4 APs merely for college aps and having no social life to maintain a 4.6 GPA, but I want us to remember and acknowledge the kids who, for them, school is their thing. Learning is their passion, and they are focused and dedicated on performing well in classes.
Next, I’m confused as to how a different standardized test will benefit socio-economically disadvantaged applicants. There will still be tutors and courses available to improve one’s score on these UC tests, which doesn’t change anything from the SAT and ACT. In fact, if a student wants to apply to a UC school and another school, like one that takes the SAT/ACT, that person now has to pay for two tutors, two courses, drive to take two separate tests, and pay two fees for the tests. For those who can afford these extra costs, fantastic! This doesn’t affect them at all. For those who struggle to pay for amenities for one test, they now either can’t afford to improve both scores, have to choose either a UC school or an outside school, or stress about paying for both. I do not see how this change will fix anything.
Shout out to a college that’s doing the application process right: Wake Forest University. They’ve been test optional since May of 2008, and this fact hasn’t reduced the quality of students they accept or produce in any way. 98% of their graduates go on to get a job or attend grad school six months after graduation, a statistic that is well above the national average. Surely numbers like these show that implementing a policy of test-optionality is the way to go, as many other colleges are now doing in the wake of Covid-19. I’m sure the application experience will look much different as the years go on, and even in two years there will be some adjustments. My hope is that we maintain holding our students to a high standard and continue to see the value in a solid report card, impressive GPA, and dedication on a standardized test.
Thanks for reading!
-Reagan
