I came across this article in the New York Times today that talks about how college admissions tests (ACT’s, SAT’s) are hurting well-qualified students. It’s a fierce continuum; colleges choose applicants with slightly better test scores over students who didn’t test as well but have clearly more experience in the field they wish to enter as a college graduate. They do this because colleges reach higher rankings from [accreditation] organizations that calculate the average ACT/SAT test scores of its first-year students, and use those rankings to garner more attention and market themselves as a more exclusive and meritorious university. This higher marketability ultimately means that the university is allowed to charge more for tuition and/or elicit more public funds from the government.
What a disappointment. Although I made very good grades in high school (shout out to Coral Springs Charter School) I did not score high on the SAT’s or ACT’s (at least not high enough to separate me from the pack– 1110 on the SAT and I think a 25 or 26 on the ACT). Yet by the time I was ready to apply to college, I had already worked at two newspapers, was the editor of my high school newspaper for two years, plus some other accomplishments I’ll tactfully not mention. I thank my lucky stars that Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism accepted me and has worked with me on my somewhat lackluster performance in non-journalism related courses. Some people just aren’t cut out for generalized memorization and consistently high performance on useless liberal arts exams [cue scathing criticism for my unappreciation of liberal arts classes].
My point is this: some people are worth more than can be summarized by arbitrary test scores. You can’t assign an academic value to a killer smile and a good handshake.
While I’m on the topic of college entrance exams and grades, check out this great essay by Caroline Bird titled “College is a Waste of Time and Money”. It was required reading in my high school AP Language class and I thank Mrs. Curland so much for providing us with an alternative perspective on going to college. When you a high school junior/senior, everyone is pushing college down your throat. Curland was there to say “Stop, calm down, think about your life. Read this essay and think about the direction you want your life to take… Your life is your own to create.” She never discouraged any of us from choosing to go to college, she just wanted to make sure we were going for the right reasons.
Below is an excerpt from the New York Times article by Brent Staples:
“Imagine yourself an admissions director of a status-seeking college that wants desperately to move up in the rankings. With next year’s freshman class nearly filled, you are choosing between two applicants. The first has very high SAT scores, but little else to recommend him. The second is an aspiring doctor who tests poorly but graduated near the top of his high school class while volunteering as an emergency medical technician in his rural county.
This applicant has the kind of background that higher education has always claimed to covet. But the pressures that are driving colleges — and the country as a whole — to give college entry exams more weight than they were ever intended to have would clearly work against him. Those same pressures are distorting the admissions process, corrupting education generally and slanting the field toward students whose families can afford test preparation classes…”
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