Most Important Question
If you were to go around to any other school in any other state, you would find a fairly large number of kids in every school that feel the pressure of college applications, the stress of standardized testing, and the rush to beef up your transcripts starting freshman year. Even at the beginning of my freshman year, i feel this pressure from everyone, even those who don't mean to create this.
At the beginning of this year, Mr. Sloan asked all those in my fourth period English class to write out ten questions about ourselves, our community, and our world. The question I felt the most immediate need for an answer was this: What will I need to get into college? And a few weeks later, I was able to come across an article that helped me in the search for answers.
Students of my generation stress most about a key point of college applications more than any other. SAT and ACT scores are said to be the number one determining factor for whether you get into that special Ivy League school or not. But the National Association for College Admission Counseling is looking to change that. About a week ago, a report was released stating that these standardized tests were not a proper measuring tool when looking for reliable university students.
"Most universities now require SAT or other standardized test scores in addition to other applicant information, such as GPA and a resume of extracurricular activities. The report emphasizes that the SAT is a poor criterion for determining a student’s ability to perform in a college setting, finding the test to be more a measure of parental education level or a student’s ability to afford SAT tutoring. "
Study Questions SAT's Value in Admissions | UCSD Guardian Online
So what does this mean for all those high school seniors shaky with the process of applications? You can all take a deep breath, and focus on the many other aspects of those life determining sheets of paper.
