The University of Chicago recently announced that it will no longer require its applicants to submit standardized test scores from the SAT or ACT. It’s joining the “test optional” movement, which actually began about 50 years ago at Bowdoin College in Maine and has added colleges and universities to its list ever since. But before students break their #2 pencils, there are some points to be considered.
Why are colleges tempted to waive their test requirement? Statistics have shown that college applicants who choose not to submit test results scored, on average, 100 to 150 points lower than those students who did divulge their SAT scores. Therefore, by not including the SAT scores of these students, if admitted, test optional colleges are able to artificially boost their average SAT score for admitted students which makes them appear more selective and move higher in the rankings race. The higher they rank, the harder they typically become to get into. Currently, the University of Chicago ranks as the third “Best National University,” according to U.S. News & World Report, with an eight percent acceptance rate. It tops six of the eight Ivy League schools, surpassed only by Princeton and Harvard universities. If the University of Chicago gets a surge of additional applicants, attracted by its new test optional policy, its acceptance rate will likely drop even further making it harder – not easier – to get into.
Students need to give careful consideration as to whether it will truly benefit them not to submit SAT scores. Colleges need some criteria on which to select their students. When standardized test scores are taken out of the mix, additional focus is placed on other aspects of the application – particularly specialized activities. The necessity to have top grades to get into a selective college is a given. But students who do not submit SAT scores need to present some special quality to lure the college admission folks to place their application in the accepted pile. If they are not top athletes, and are not virtuoso musicians on an instrument needed for the university band, then they need a “passion project” that has gained them recognition, greatly helped their community, or in some way will enhance their prospective college. Without impressive SAT scores, college applicants need to bring something substantial to the table that will help them rise to the top of the applicant pool.
Students applying test optional also need to consider the impact of this choice on potential scholarship money. Many test optional colleges state on their website that all students will be considered for merit scholarships, yet it is hard to determine if students without test scores are considered on an equal footing. Also, many local, national and private scholarship competitions require SAT scores as part of their eligibility.
Students who have taken all of these factors into account and still prefer test optional colleges can see a complete list of the nation’s test optional schools at www.FairTest.org.
Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart in Hillsborough that has been offering PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses, as well as private tutoring by Ivy League educated instructors, for more than 25 years. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.
