Colleges Continue Test-Optional Policy for Future Application Seasons
Melody Tang
STAFF WRITER
As seniors wait apprehensively to receive their college decisions, many colleges have announced an extension for the no-standardized-test-requirement policy.
High school classes of 2022 were not required to submit standardized test scores when applying to most colleges. Recently, many schools have been releasing announcements extending this policy for the upcoming years.
Found on some colleges’ websites, such as Harvard University’s, a statement has been posted that this change is because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Columbia University has announced in a new update on their website that they have extended it “to consider systemic shifts in access to educational opportunities.”
Rodenberger visits Tulane University’s campus
In fall of 2020 and 2021, nearly every college went test-optional, with most colleges continuing the policy in fall of 2022. With this change, guidance counselor Anne-Marie Fortier noticed that the number of students who went test-optional has increased. This brings to light the possible disadvantage that some students face when taking standardized tests. “When the SATs were first put together, it was supposed to be an equalizer,” stated Fortier. “It’s not an equalizer, because what happened is the people [who did well were the ones] who had resources for studying [and] taking prep classes… Kids who didn’t have access to that did not do well, and it had nothing to do with their inherent or innate ability.”
According to Fortier, the test-optional change prompted “a lot of kids [to apply to]… more competitive schools. [As a result,] super competitive schools, like the Ivy League schools, saw their application numbers just shoot to the sky.”
Senior Isabel Rodenberger, who applied for and got into Tulane University with the test-optional policy, stated that all twelve schools she applied to followed a test-optional policy, and she is “very happy with [her] decision.”
“Most schools are starting to value other qualities in an application over test scores,” Rodenberger remarked. “A test score will not determine the outcome of your college decision. Test scores may look very impressive, but an absence of scores will not hurt an application.”
