The beginning of senior year is filled with college application stress, and with applying comes time to send out scores for the SAT, the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test. In the evolving landscape of higher education, one significant shift has been the change in test-optional policies for college admissions. Traditionally, SATs were the holy grail for aspiring college students, but now, that tide in college admissions is changing.
As universities across the nation adopt test-optional policies, students find themselves in an intriguing position: They are altogether relieved, excited, and sometimes baffled about the new unspoken rules of the application game.
However, while many celebrate this departure from standardized testing, some students feel torn when sending scores to prestigious colleges.
“I thought about how my test score was defining me as a person and the other skills that I have,” said Srihari Senthilkumar ‘24.
The new policy has encouraged students to rethink the weight placed on standardized test scores. This sentiment embodies a growing awareness among students of the limitations of standardized testing in capturing the depth of their abilities, highlighting the need for a more holistic approach to evaluating academic prowess.
“Students feel like they’re getting bamboozled by the colleges. They might think the college will look at them in a negative way because they don’t send their scores,” said Ms. Eleanor Rolon, a college counselor at Edison High School, “but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If a college wanted your scores, they would have gone back to requiring test scores.”
“I decided to only apply for test optional to highly competitive colleges; I was worried that applying with a low SAT score would hurt me more than it can help me,” said Sai Deepak Guddanti ‘24.
The competition within the test-optional policy has given students the opportunity and determination to explore other ways in order to make their application stand out.
“I chose to be involved in a business-related club called DECA, a family career program club called FCCLA, as well as heavily involved in my school’s theater department,” said Guddanti.
This change has led to a surge in students emphasizing their diverse skills and passions as a great quality in their applications. Instead of fixating solely on achieving high scores, students are showcasing their creativity, extracurricular activities, and personal experiences to present a more comprehensive picture of themselves to colleges.
“Every other aspect of your application is now getting scrutinized so if you don’t have test scores it means that there’s even more weight put on your GPA, the kind of courses you’re taking, the rigor of your courses,” said Rolon. “Things that you participate in, your essay and your letters of recommendation, now all of those items are highlighted.”
Some are worried about unintended drawbacks of the test-optional policy. The concern is that without a standardized metric, colleges might find it challenging to uphold high academic standards. There’s a fear that there could be a temptation to admit students solely based on non-academic factors. Balancing inclusivity and maintaining academic excellence is a significant challenge for institutions adapting to the test-optional approach.
“I find that this is helpful to the kids that want to show their strengths that also aren’t just academic. Say you have strengths out of the academic field,” said Ridhdi Narkhede ‘24. “This allows them to ‘shine’ and be kind of more focused on that rather than the test scores everyone worries a lot about.”
As the journey to college transforms, one thing remains clear: The future holds different possibilities for students to carve their own paths toward academic success.
“I watched immense videos on how to properly craft and format sections like the activities section, and I had so many drafts of my college essay,” said Zunairah Khan ‘24. “I worked to bring my GPA up even by just one point and besides improving my GPA, I asked for letters of recommendation in advance.”
Generally, this new policy sparks the question of how the test-optional policy is affecting College Board.
“I could imagine from a standpoint from College Board that the number of SAT test administrations might have decreased, but they found other ways to make up that money, like AP testing or other programs that they are running,” said Rolon.
Test-optional policies have sparked many conversations and reflections within the education sphere. The dynamics of college admissions continue to evolve, empowering students to present themselves beyond a set of test scores.
“I would suggest they ensure that all other aspects of their application are secure and strong in order to apply for test optional,” said Senthilkumar, “as there are still people who do apply with SATs, it’s a competitive world out there.”
