Reader Rants at Lockwood
In response to my email predicting the slow demise of test-optional policies, I received a mini rant from a subscriber to my email list. Her point, summarized:
* She was a great student herself back in the day
* She was not a great test taker though
* She was admitted to an elite school
* Ergo, standardized testing is ineffective at predicting academic success in college
My response:
"Back in the day" there wasn't as much grade inflation as there is in modern times. Today, admissions officers can't rely on GPA they way they once could to predict how well a student will do in college, academically.
*I'm happy that she was admitted to the college where she apparently wanted to go. But I'm curious why she has a chip on her shoulder big enough to spend her time emailing me.
*My email reported the news that Yale (joining Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT, Georgia Tech, Purdue and others) announced they were tearing up their test-optional policies. Not my opinions on test-optional policies. The reasons Yale gave were:
a. they're accurate predictors of how well a student will perform in college and
b. SAT and ACT scores actually improve diversity, not reduce it.
In case you missed it: these were Yale's reasons, not mine.
If you want my thoughts on the matter -- which isn't the point -- I personally see very little correlation with how successful a person is LIFE with how they performed on the SAT or ACT.
Or how they performed in college, academically. Or, where they went to college. There's no there, there.
The point, which I thought was clear (shame on me), was to describe REALITY and make a prediction in order to help anyone reading my words succeed in the college admissions process.
Not to pretend things are different, or complain about how things are, neither of which strikes me as a particularly successful strategy or use of time.
My advice for every college-bound child:
a. figure out which test is best, for him/her, and
b. get that test score as high as it can possibly go. Assume it will take three tries to max out the SAT or ACT. Could be less, could be more.
And I repeat what I noted in my previous, controversial(!) email: many colleges will still be test-optional next year. If you apply to some of them and don't submit scores, then the rest of your application, including GPA and rigor of course load, must be competitive at that college in order for you to have a fighting chance.
Ditto for your extracurriculars, volunteer hours, recommendations, essays and other parts of the application, of course.
We have a group ACT class starting next Tuesday, March 5. There are seven seats left. And this class, like all of our classes, is guaranteed (see sign up page, below, for details).
Here's where to learn more and, if you sign up, use coupon code CRUSH2024 for an instant, $100 off "scholarship" if you get in before we close out:
- Andy Lockwood
P.S. Attention 11th graders: we will be opening early registration for our 10th annual summer Get College Ready Bootcamp in a few days. Stay tuned for details.
