The College Board just announced that it will no longer offer the SAT II Subject tests or essay portions of the SAT. Even pre-COVID, the nation was already moving towards reducing testing requirements by making the SAT and the ACT test optional. So how do colleges determine which students are the best and most prepared to excel at their institutions?
As always, grades are the most important criteria that admissions officers consider when reviewing college applications. They look at what courses are offered, and which courses the student has taken. Selective colleges prefer to see students taking the most rigorous courses offered and acing them. Those who take AP, IB, or community college courses demonstrate that they can handle and excel at a higher level than those who take regular high school courses.
So now the pressure is on getting that coveted “5” on the AP exams and taking more AP courses. Instead of studying for the SAT Subject tests, students will study for the AP exams. Hmm, they’re both owned by the College Board. AP courses are supposed to be college-level classes taught in high school but most agree that they cover only about 30% of the concepts that are taught in introductory college courses.
Students who take AP courses spend the entire school year preparing for the AP exams in May. Their teachers present information, give study guides, and hammer facts that will be on the big exam. By preparing students to ace the AP test, they give dozens of practice tests and require vast memorization of concepts. This doesn’t allow these teachers to have Socratic seminars and discussions, or to assign research or projects to delve into these subject areas. Student learn to regurgitate information under pressure with loads of mind-numbing assignments – and then, they forget it all a month later.
About the SAT essay — I believe that this was actually the fairest way to determine if a student has the writing skills to be successful in college. By giving them 25 minutes to write a coherent essay, all students across the US had the same prompt and wrote their essays without any help. Critics of the SAT essay argue that there are other ways to determine how well a student writes – suggesting that their college application essays would do just that. Colleges aren’t naïve enough to think that students’ personal statements and short essays actually represent their real writing skills. Instructions on college applications even suggest that students have others proof read their essays before submitting them. Most students get more support than just proof reading…
Even though many colleges are going test optional in the future, the best students will continue to take the SAT or ACT to give themselves an edge in the college admissions process. Beyond the fuss over SAT subject tests and writing requirements, my recommendation is for students to do stellar independent projects throughout high school. This is the best way to stand out and get in.
The College Board just announced that it will no longer offer the SAT II Subject tests or essay portions of the SAT. Even pre-COVID, the nation was already moving towards reducing testing requirements by making the SAT and the ACT test optional. So how do colleges determine which students are the best and most prepared to excel at their institutions?
As always, grades are the most important criteria that admissions officers consider when reviewing college applications. They look at what courses are offered, and which courses the student has taken. Selective colleges prefer to see students taking the most rigorous courses offered and acing them. Those who take AP, IB, or community college courses demonstrate that they can handle and excel at a higher level than those who take regular high school courses.
So now the pressure is on getting that coveted “5” on the AP exams and taking more AP courses. Instead of studying for the SAT Subject tests, students will study for the AP exams. Hmm, they’re both owned by the College Board. AP courses are supposed to be college-level classes taught in high school but most agree that they cover only about 30% of the concepts that are taught in introductory college courses.
Students who take AP courses spend the entire school year preparing for the AP exams in May. Their teachers present information, give study guides, and hammer facts that will be on the big exam. By preparing students to ace the AP test, they give dozens of practice tests and require vast memorization of concepts. This doesn’t allow these teachers to have Socratic seminars and discussions, or to assign research or projects to delve into these subject areas. Student learn to regurgitate information under pressure with loads of mind-numbing assignments – and then, they forget it all a month later.
About the SAT essay — I believe that this was actually the fairest way to determine if a student has the writing skills to be successful in college. By giving them 25 minutes to write a coherent essay, all students across the US had the same prompt and wrote their essays without any help. Critics of the SAT essay argue that there are other ways to determine how well a student writes – suggesting that their college application essays would do just that. Colleges aren’t naïve enough to think that students’ personal statements and short essays actually represent their real writing skills. Instructions on college applications even suggest that students have others proof read their essays before submitting them. Most students get more support than just proof reading…
Even though many colleges are going test optional in the future, the best students will continue to take the SAT or ACT to give themselves an edge in the college admissions process. Beyond the fuss over SAT subject tests and writing requirements, my recommendation is for students to do stellar independent projects throughout high school. This is the best way to stand out and get in.
Students, and their parents, are worried about how they will be evaluated by college admissions teams this year. When college-bound students can’t take the SAT or ACT because test dates have been cancelled due to coronavirus safety concerns and most students received pass/no pass grades last semester, how will colleges select qualified students for admission? Admissions officers claim that they are using a holistic approach to evaluating each application. But what does that mean?
Colleges consider GPA and the types of courses that the high school offers to be valuable elements because they can determine how the student ranks within their classes. In other words, they’ll know if the student may have been intimidated by honors, AP or IB courses because they took the easier path. But because of the chaos that took place last spring and even this fall, many students have changed direction to manage family and personal issues.
AP exams taken in May 2020 were considerably easier than previous years because the College Board restructured the test to be shorter and cover less content. How can that be fair when looking at the AP test scores from 2019? Then with technical difficulties on the actual exam days, many students didn’t get credit for AP exams because of they couldn’t submit their tests online.
The SAT and ACT exams have been cancelled in many areas from March to last weekend. Many juniors who expected to take the SAT or ACT in May-September have not been able to find testing centers. As a result, most colleges have offered a test-optional or test-blind policy for this year’s applicants.
Almost all sports and clubs have been cancelled since spring, upsetting athletes and active students from showing their best by winning games and reaching their goals.
So how does a student stand out when grades don’t reflect real aptitude, AP exams were easier, most students didn’t get to take the SAT/ACT, and extracurricular activities came to a screeching halt last year and haven’t started up for the new school year? Projects. They do individual projects that show their personal interests, tenacity, and innovation, and drive.
Students who do these projects demonstrate all of the qualities that colleges are looking for in their incoming classes. They want students who find their passions and pursue them with determination. Students don’t need to cure cancer or solve climate change, but they need to do something that supports their beliefs. I’ve written Beat the College Admissions Game with ProjectMerit to help students do projects. By brainstorming, researching, and organizing a plan to complete the project before 12th grade, students will demonstrate that they have the character, brilliance, and gumption to be successful at the best colleges.
But be careful not to do a project just to impress college admissions officers. With the void in GPAs, SAT/ACT scores, AP scores, and extracurricular activities, students, and their parents, are rushing to start projects for all the wrong reasons. College admissions officers are savvy to students who make false claims (think Varsity Blues), have parents or tutors do their projects, or simply do the bare minimum so they can write their personal statements about something. I work with hundreds of students and guide them so they find their passions and create projects that they’re proud of. That’s what it takes to make a college application stand out amidst the chaos of 2020. Do a project because you believe in it, and then, so will the college admissions officers!