By Kathy Laberge, College Admissions Coach
Yes, punished. Colleges and universities like to say not requiring standardized tests has increased chances of admission for students across the board, especially for those from underserved communities and school districts. As I write this we are on the cusp of another Ivy Day, and at The College Advisor of New York we expect to see a repeat of the confusion served up to the Class of 2023.
Colleges and universities have certainly created quite a conundrum for themselves. One year ago, in reference to the cohort of highly selective schools referred to as Ivy Plus, I wrote: “These institutions have created their own monster. And while we may not sympathize with them, we must know how to navigate the new rules of the game.” This statement remains true in 2024.
The pandemic necessitated a year or two with no standardized test scores. However, while Test Optional was once an admission plan offered by a few colleges, it is now the norm. Prior to 2020, colleges based admission decisions on first GPA and rigor of coursework, and then standardized test scores. Other factors such as essays and extracurriculars played a part in application review. Now, however, with the most comprehensive screening tool removed from the decision process colleges are forced to place more weight on the once secondary factors.
Or so one might think.
Competition between colleges is not limited to athletic fields and a capella vocal competitions. To appear selective in the allegedly omniscient rankings, schools must boast credentials other institutions cannot achieve. To remain selective a college must turn away an incredibly high percentage of its applicants. Test optional policies and the removal of supplemental essays serve to drive the total number of applicants ever higher. Students see how little effort is required to submit an application, so they opt to take a chance.
If a school is large, or popular, or selective then it has become more highly competitive than ever before. Quite simply when application numbers go way up acceptance rates go way down. And when applications increase, a holistic review of submitted materials is far less likely. How can a student know how to present the best possible application to a certain school? How can they even know if such an application is worth their time?
Furthermore, Test Optional policies created such a dramatic increase in application submissions that colleges are now suffering the consequences of their decisions. Admission offices are understaffed, and some are physically incapable of reviewing applications holistically. Some are even using Artificial Intelligence as the first reader of applications. Artificial Intelligence! Ask any professor what grade an AI generated project will earn!
An electronic decision-making tool will most definitively not generate a holistic review of applicants. If a potential student is automatically and categorically rejected due to a GPA that is statistically below the minimum used for screening purposes, then any counteracting strengths possessed by that applicant will not be seen or considered. Suppose they are an Olympic caliber athlete? Suppose they spent the last two years battling cancer? Suppose they work nearly a full-time job to support themselves and their family? I will always choose a student who has demonstrated grit over one boasting of an incredibly inflated GPA such as those often awarded by many American high schools.
The SAT/ACT once acted as a barrier to applying where chances of admission were slim. Data was readily available to inform students if their scores were in range. Certainly, high school students have always, and always should, apply to a few schools that would be a stretch. However, published SAT/ACT scores were used to guide students into not wasting time and application fees on hopeless submissions. Now solid professional guidance is needed more than ever to assist families in interpreting trends and admission odds.
Furthermore, some schools like the selective University of California system, have gone test blind. This means they refuse to consider the SAT/ACT altogether, which clearly punishes high performing students. One of our brightest clients this year – a resident of California – was rejected at three University of California Universities. He scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT but was not allowed to submit his scores. Talk about punishment. Clearly, this student would have excelled at most any college in the country.
Two Ivy League schools and several other colleges have reinstated mandated standardized testing. Surely more will jump on that bandwagon. We think this is excellent news; it will lead to more thorough application reads for the students who are truly capable of the academic rigor required at elite colleges and universities.
In the shrouded rooms where decisions are made, some schools are still fully reading applications. Others are relying on electronic decision makers. How is a high school student or their parent to know which is which? How can an applicant strategize and present the most appealing application?
Ivy day has always instilled a mixture of excitement, trepidation, and dread in applicants. Yet students could console themselves by knowing the hard work required for a successful high school experience coupled with a careful and well written application would ensure they had presented their best selves. Acceptance was never assured, but a fair review was an unwritten promise.
The days of preparing one application and submitting it to all colleges are in the past. To make admission most likely, each application needs an approach and presentation tailored to individual colleges. Solid guidance and expert advice is critical to this personalized approach. So good luck, Class of 2024! And to the Class of 2025, we are here to help!
