After COVID-19, many colleges were SAT-optional regarding their admissions. However, it seems this change will soon be phased out as news of colleges requiring SATs again arises. This change is stated to happen in 2 or 3 years but actually could be affecting the class of 2025.
This has changed many juniors’ plans for college with most of them rushing their way into the nearest SAT testing center. It has caused many teenagers to be enraged at the sudden change that seemed to take place out of nowhere due to how it has now ruined many teenager’s college process.
“You could be expecting and preparing for a certain way to apply to a college and present yourself — but then they change it mid-application process,” Kai Talbert, a 17-year-old high school junior in Pennsylvania, told the Washington Post.
Many juniors focused on maintaining good grades above all else as well as extracurriculars which have become more important to the college application process. But due to this development, some are at a high risk of not getting into their dream colleges. Even school staff have their complaints.
“Students can’t just test overnight,” Jennifer Nuechterlein, a college and career counselor from New Jersey, told the Washington Post. “There are students who want to prep, there are students who are not math- or English-ready. ... Students are going to be unprepared.”
Luckily, the recurrence of SATs being mandatory once again is currently only required by a few certain schools such as top Ivy Leagues, MIT, Dartmouth, Georgetown, the University of Texas at Austin, and Brown University. The University of North Carolina and Yale may also require SATs again, according to the Los Angeles Times.
According to an article by the Washington Post, many colleges believe standardized testing is more telling of an academic performance than their grades with panels done by The University of California proving such theory. Results from colleges such as the University of Texas had shown that despite the fact SATs had become optional, 90 percent of applicants still took it. It has also been argued that by having SATs, it makes college more acceptable and less skewed towards the rich. Many have stated that by having SATs, it allows a better chance for applicants to apply compared to college essays. According to a 2021 study from Stanford, the quality of essays was heavily affected by the wealth of the students among students applying for UCs.
Either way, it is unlikely that SATs will make a rapid recovery. Angel Perez, the chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling has stated that standardized testing will most likely remain optional as the removal of tests has led to a more diversified college class within colleges.
Photo Credit: College Board
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