Some colleges moving toward SAT being optional

[brittone2]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/30/test.drop/index.html

I know most of our kids have a long way to go before having to worry about SATs ;) , but I recently heard a radio segment about Wake Forest moving to no longer require the SAT for admissions. Since we've had a lot of talk on the boards about standardized testing in public schools, NCLB, etc. I thought this might be of interest.

It is a topic I've been interested in for a while as I was a total test-taker in high school, etc. DH, not so much. He did relatively poorly on his SAT and never had great grades in high school...looking back, he just wasn't a natural test-taker and he wasn't challenged/interested in high school. He's now pursuing his doctorate in chemistry at a school that is highly ranked in his field. The SAT was totally *not* predictive of his aptitude. As a homeschooler, I also think it is interesting to see some colleges no longer requiring the SAT. I realize these schools have a relatively small student body, which makes it somewhat easier for them to use other metrics as an alternative, but interesting nevertheless IMO :)

[Tondi G]

I think thats great! SAT's seemed like such a waste of time and stress for me! I remember a friend of mine took off a week of highschool to "study" for the SAT's. As mentioned before some people are just not good test takers but can be brilliant people. The colleges might not know what they are missing out on by relying on SAT scores!

[Ceepa]

There needs to be be some standardized test in place. I understand all the arguments about those who do not test well, are from diverse backgrounds with fewer opportunities and experiences, can contribute to a college without having to be a brainiac, etc., but I like the idea of the SAT. My college classmates and I all did well on the SAT and it made sense that we were all in the same place.

[brittone2]

There needs to be be some standardized test in place. I understand all the arguments about those who do not test well, are from diverse backgrounds with fewer opportunities and experiences, can contribute to a college without having to be a brainiac, etc., but I like the idea of the SAT. My college classmates and I all did well on the SAT and it made sense that we were all in the same place.
nak-
Hmmm...I guess I disagree that there *needs* to be some standardized testing in place. I think there are people that don't necessarily test well on standardized tests but have unique backgrounds can add a lot to society. For example, if someone is interested in being a social worker but comes from a greatly disadvantaged background (let's say was in foster care as a child), IMO, in many cases that person has a tremendous amount to offer to the world (and to their university) beyond SATs/GPA.

I also think standardized testing is extremely frustrating when it comes to thinks like the MCAT, GRE, LSAT, etc. Theoretically you shouldn't be able to up your score all that much through test prep, but almost every single person I know that took those specific exams did horribly when taking practice exams prior to a test prep class. Those that can't afford the expensive test prep can certainly study on their own, but from watching my own friends go through it, those that take the test prep have an enormous advantage. I find that highly unfortunate.

I did very well on my SATs. I did minimal prep because I went to a high school that wasn't extremely competitive. I have parents that are blue-collar types that could not afford expensive test prep. I suspect if I had done more to prep, I could have done substantially better. I had friends in college that had SAT tutors, prep classes, went to private high schools with tons of test prep, etc.

eta-

eta:
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/satprep.htm

[vludmilla]

[url]
The SAT was totally *not* predictive of his aptitude. :)

I had a similar experience. During high school I was in advanced classes but bored and my grades reflected my minimal effort. I took the SAT's and the results were far from stellar. When I took the GRE's many years later, I scored in the 98 and 99th percentile, verbal and math. The difference was enormous, both in my performance on the standardized test and in my motivation and attitude toward school.