Читать книгу America's Best Colleges for B Students - Tamra B. Orr - Страница 34

Let’s face it. If you’re reading this book, it means those wonderful acronyms in the title of this chapter are not among your strong points. For one reason or another, your overall GPA or your test scores are just not that remarkable.

What can you do about that? One possibility is to check out the colleges that do not require standardized test scores as part of their admissions process. “What?” you ask in amazement. There are colleges that don’t want those all important numbers? That’s right. In fact, there are more than 700 of them and they can all be found at www.fairtest.org.

Why would some colleges choose not to rely on ACT and SAT scores? Here is how Fair Test explains it:

“Test scores are biased and unreliable. Standardized college admissions tests are biased, imprecise and unreliable, and therefore should not be required for any college admissions process or scholarship award. If test scores are optional, students who feel that their strengths are reflected by their SAT or ACT scores can submit them, while those whose abilities are better demonstrated by grades, recommendations, a portfolio or a special project are assured that these will be taken into full account. Sometimes admissions officers use low test scores to automatically reject qualified candidates without even considering their schoolwork. That’s simply not fair.

“Test scores are nearly useless in college admission. Research shows that the SAT and ACT do not help colleges and universities make significantly better admissions decisions. The University of Chicago Press book, The Case Against the SAT, found that the SAT is ‘statistically irrelevant’ in college admission. It also proves that the SAT undermines the goal of diversity by reducing the number of qualified minority and lower-income students who are admitted.”

If you are applying to a school that requires SAT or ACT scores, Fair Test encourages you to ask some important questions including these:

 How does your school use the SAT and/or ACT?

 Are cut-off scores used? If so, do they apply to general admissions or to particular programs?

 Does your school use any statistical formula which includes SAT/ACT scores to judge applicants’ academic records?

 Do you take possible coaching into account when considering ACT or SAT scores?

 How does your college report SAT and ACT scores in handbooks and brochures?

 Does this college report simple averages or a range of scores? Does this include all entering students’ scores in these figures, in compliance with the Good Practice Principles of the National Association for College Admission Counseling?

So, if all of this is true, why do most colleges rely so heavily on the results from standardized tests? It’s a matter of “measurement.” If you think about it, an A at a high school in Chicago may be different than an A at a high school in Los Angeles. In fact, an A at two high schools in the same school district or even with two different physics teachers at the same high school may be different. Because schools have varying ways of awarding grades and varying levels of difficulty, colleges need a uniform way to measure students. The SAT and ACT have become those measures. A great deal of importance is given to the scores achieved on them.

In fact, a good performance on college-entrance tests has become the focus of many a student’s “free” time past the hours when the high school doors are closed for the day. In recent years, “test prep” has become more than just an option. It’s a booming business! During the last few years, it has grown from $100 million to more than triple that. More and more students are putting out big bucks to prepare themselves to take the SAT.

So while standardized tests may be unreliable and not every college requires them, it doesn’t look like they are going away anytime soon. If you are applying to a college that requires test scores, then you have little choice but to “bite the bullet” and take the test.

In my opinion, the way our culture is shaped today means that college is still a learning time for students. We should not expect to drop them off, drive away and Boom! they are adults. Colleges understand that your performance in high school is not who you are. They want to help you in the process of becoming an adult.

In your junior year, if not before, step back and take a careful look at your study skills. Are you really doing the best that you can? Is there some area that you can improve on? Be sure to use any outside help you can. High school teachers are usually very willing to help you reach your potential, so just ask. You can meet after school or use your school’s free tutoring services. Take advantage of those opportunities to improve your grades.

— Sarah Wilburn, Campus Bound