Written by: Emma Pierce, Staff Writer
UNCERTAINTY: In the year 2022, college admissions undergo historical changes.
College applications have always been surrounded by surreality and incertitude, but this year’s admissions processes prevail more precariously than ever. Recent events of a worldwide pandemic have directly affected recruitment, as the National Center for Fair and Open Testing reports that two-thirds of U.S. colleges and universities will no longer be requiring ACT/SAT scores from class of 2022 applicants. Along with the aftermath of COVID-19, the country has been additionally impacted by a mass movement towards social change following injustices of police brutality. Many colleges claim to be reevaluating their admissions policies to effectively serve marginalized groups in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The majority of universities are “test-optional”, meaning that while students are not required to submit standardized test scores, if they choose to do so, ACT/SAT scores will be considered in applications. This recently developed policy now begs the question: Should we rejoice over “optional”, or is the word synonymous with “preferred”? It is a relatively sensible assumption that students who score lower than their desired four year’s preferred range will opt against submission, and students with higher scores will opt for. Conversely, the average score increases and so does applicant selectivity. We should not forget, however, that the optional SAT will place a greater importance on personal essays. While Poly’s college preparedness AVID Coordinator, Brian Schulte, is skeptical of the new policies, he eases concern by emphasizing the ability of personal essays to “speak volumes”, which will “provide much better equity in acceptance”. Mr. Schulte affirms his position saying it is “only right that not having the test complete does not hinder the applicant”.
Standardized testing has never been as fair as it appears. Already with little evidence to support that it is an accurate indicator of student success, standardized testing has an adverse affect on applicants from low-income households. The SAT is $50 per sitting, and while tutoring is highly encouraged by counselors due to a guarantee of score increase, it averagely costs a whopping $70 per hour. College is a business, which, like most, appears to favor the elite upper class.
The wealth gap between the African American and white population remains vast, and the college admissions process systemically enforces socioeconomic disparity through inequitable testing costs. Test optionality this year brings us closer to justice, but institutions of higher education must reach greater lengths in order to address the issue of racism within college admissions in every respect. Angela Davis interpreted that “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be actively anti-racist” – a sentiment revived by the Black Lives Matter movement. Cheston Booth, teacher of government and economics at Poly, substantiates that “If a college wants to take race into consideration as one of many factors, which is the current precedent set forth by the Supreme Court, this seems to be, in [his] opinion, the right amount of preferential treatment which will benefit all involved”. Affirmative action practices are a valuable adoption of society which prioritize underrepresented groups and serve to diversify the whole. In the words of Martin Luther King, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. We cannot progress if progress is reserved for the elite.
Prospective college students, myself included, are challenged with presenting themselves authentically through a largely mechanized system, further enforced by standardized testing. The SAT has been a long held requirement, first introduced by College Board in 1926, and historically, the class of 2022 is reevaluating its sincere purpose. This, along with social justice efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement, continue to work towards fairness within higher education, and hopefully this will be beneficial for all the seniors here at Poly who are looking forward to furthering their education.