The Elimination of the SAT

The Elimination

By: Jack B.

Having low SAT and ACT scores is a common worry that plagues the minds of high school students across the United States. The financially-advantaged invest thousands of dollars in tutors and preparatory classes which makes the process resemble a game. A great deal of the SAT, in particular, requires memorization and does not assess a student’s ability to learn. Colleges (and universities) would generally prefer a student body that has a certain set of moral standards and capacity for acquiring knowledge. Neither of which does the SAT or ACT test assess. Thus, Hampshire College, in Western Massachusetts, went one step further than making the inclusion of test scores optional, but eliminated them from the application process. The school justified this by sharing how their most recent class (which is the first under this new set of guidelines) is the most diverse and, although the school received less total applications, the applications of the freshmen class were superior to those of years past. This is because the school emphasized essays and short answer questions in the acceptance process. Hampshire College sacrificed their school’s rankings in order to ultimately create a community based off more than just a test score. I support their action, not only because I am about to embark on the college application process, but because the SAT and ACT are a flawed way of assessing one’s character and capabilities.