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SATs need to be reconsidered
by Richard Alterbaum
Op-Ed | 10/7/08
Posted online at 5:51 AM EST on 10/7/08
/ Last updated at 3:20 AM EST on 10/7/08
I took the SAT twice. The first time, I received a 1920 total, the second, a 2050. Obviously, I'm happy that I'm here and that I had the grades to back it up. But what if I didn't take the test that extra time and therefore didn't get accepted? Additionally, what if, as the NACAC pointed out, I couldn't afford that extra instruction that was so imperative to my earning that number?
I am glad, though, that colleges have been starting to pay more attention to the ACT. Although I never took it, some kind of alternative was needed in place of the monopoly that the SAT held, especially for those students who were weak on reasoning skills.
But still, there ought to be options available for students within this system. For example, I think colleges should place more emphasis on interviewing and seeing the student not just as another statistic but as a human being. Furthermore, I believe that more attention should be paid to one's performance, participation and enrollment in AP courses. Like them or not, AP classes were excellent indicators of what was to come for us in the future.
If the Department of Education is resistant to changing anything about standardized testing, including exams like the LSAT and MCAT, then additional funding should at least be allocated to schools in order that they could offer free prep courses and tutelage on these tests.
Because even with all that studying and cramming, these tests are definitely no walk in the park.
I am glad, though, that colleges have been starting to pay more attention to the ACT. Although I never took it, some kind of alternative was needed in place of the monopoly that the SAT held, especially for those students who were weak on reasoning skills.
But still, there ought to be options available for students within this system. For example, I think colleges should place more emphasis on interviewing and seeing the student not just as another statistic but as a human being. Furthermore, I believe that more attention should be paid to one's performance, participation and enrollment in AP courses. Like them or not, AP classes were excellent indicators of what was to come for us in the future.
If the Department of Education is resistant to changing anything about standardized testing, including exams like the LSAT and MCAT, then additional funding should at least be allocated to schools in order that they could offer free prep courses and tutelage on these tests.
Because even with all that studying and cramming, these tests are definitely no walk in the park.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Bekah
posted 10/07/08 @ 9:44 AM EST
I disagree. The SAT is the closest thing to an objective measure of aptitude. GPAs are wildly inflated, and were personal interviews to become that important, personal interview coaching would take over the test-prep industry. (Continued…)
Wei-Huan Chen
posted 10/08/08 @ 6:29 PM EST
"For example, I think colleges should place more emphasis on interviewing and seeing the student not just as another statistic but as a human being."
This is simply not practical with many colleges receiving 1000+ interviews every year. (Continued…)
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