Campus Bound

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Both Wake Forest University and Smith College, arguably two of the most competitive schools in the country, recently announced that they will no longer require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores.  These two schools now join the ever-growing number of colleges—including Bowdoin College, Bard College, Wheaton College, and Providence College, among others—which have decided to make submission of SATs or ACTs an optional component of the application process.  Great news, right?  Think again. 

Without SATs or ACTs to compare applicants, admissions officers are forced to emphasize other components of a student’s application—primarily the student’s transcript, the interview, letters of recommendation, and/or extra-curricular involvement.  Most families assume that it’s easier for an applicant to be accepted to a school that does not require SATs or ACTs.  However, when you take a closer look at the impact of this decision, the statistics are eye-opening.  In 2007, for example, the year in which the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, switched to an optional SAT/ACT policy, the applicant pool increased 37%--in just one year!  Providence College soon followed suit resulting in a similar spike in applications.  Wake Forest and Smith will undoubtedly have a noticeable increase in this year’s applicant pool—and two schools that are already extremely difficult to get into will surely become even more competitive.

While de-emphasizing the importance of SATs and ACTs is good news for many students who have never been strong test-takers, don’t automatically assume that it will be easier for a student to be accepted at that particular school.  Instead, it’s important for these candidates to shine in other areas. 

What do you think about this trend—does it help your student or make it that much more difficult for your son or daughter?