Does Test Optional Really Mean Test Optional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:40% of Cornell is probably hooked if you add up legacy, first gen, URM, and athletic admits. A few years ago, 30% of the Harvard class was legacy.

40% of 15k undergrads? What?!?

You guys are insane. Do some research on what colleges at Cornell are TO before spewing this stupid stuff.

Exactly. People really really want TO not to be real.

Not as much as some people REALLY REALLY REALLY want standardized testing to never return!

The TO era has unleashed a tidal wave of applications from fresh faced 4.00 u/w students who test poorly, but only on Saturday mornings.

TO is disliked by families that are okay with hard work and believe in fair treatment, not the new BS equity that favors some groups over others.

I don't understand folks that complain bitterly about hooks like legacy, athlete, etc. and don't mind TO when those kids can skate in even easier now.

Eh not really. When tests were not optional, schools were just straight out ignoring the lower scores of legacies and athletes. The test scores didn't matter for those kids then, and they still don't matter now.

Yup. This is the reality. Test scores only ever mattered when AOs wanted them to. They could always ignore low scores for a kid they wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:40% of Cornell is probably hooked if you add up legacy, first gen, URM, and athletic admits. A few years ago, 30% of the Harvard class was legacy.

40% of 15k undergrads? What?!?

You guys are insane. Do some research on what colleges at Cornell are TO before spewing this stupid stuff.

Exactly. People really really want TO not to be real.

Not as much as some people REALLY REALLY REALLY want standardized testing to never return!

The TO era has unleashed a tidal wave of applications from fresh faced 4.00 u/w students who test poorly, but only on Saturday mornings.

TO is disliked by families that are okay with hard work and believe in fair treatment, not the new BS equity that favors some groups over others.

I don't understand folks that complain bitterly about hooks like legacy, athlete, etc. and don't mind TO when those kids can skate in even easier now.

Eh not really. When tests were not optional, schools were just straight out ignoring the lower scores of legacies and athletes. The test scores didn't matter for those kids then, and they still don't matter now.

Yup. This is the reality. Test scores only ever mattered when AOs wanted them to. They could always ignore low scores for a kid they wanted.

Not true at all. Colleges have to report to rankings services. Test optional relieves them of that and allows colleges to engage in more social engineering without accountability for test scores. That’s why colleges want iy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:40% of Cornell is probably hooked if you add up legacy, first gen, URM, and athletic admits. A few years ago, 30% of the Harvard class was legacy.

40% of 15k undergrads? What?!?

You guys are insane. Do some research on what colleges at Cornell are TO before spewing this stupid stuff.

Exactly. People really really want TO not to be real.

Not as much as some people REALLY REALLY REALLY want standardized testing to never return!

The TO era has unleashed a tidal wave of applications from fresh faced 4.00 u/w students who test poorly, but only on Saturday mornings.

TO is disliked by families that are okay with hard work and believe in fair treatment, not the new BS equity that favors some groups over others.

I don't understand folks that complain bitterly about hooks like legacy, athlete, etc. and don't mind TO when those kids can skate in even easier now.

Eh not really. When tests were not optional, schools were just straight out ignoring the lower scores of legacies and athletes. The test scores didn't matter for those kids then, and they still don't matter now.

Yup. This is the reality. Test scores only ever mattered when AOs wanted them to. They could always ignore low scores for a kid they wanted.

Not true at all. Colleges have to report to rankings services. Test optional relieves them of that and allows colleges to engage in more social engineering without accountability for test scores. That’s why colleges want iy

+ 100.
AOs would like maximum freedom. If they could go GPA optional, they would. Total control to do whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:40% of Cornell is probably hooked if you add up legacy, first gen, URM, and athletic admits. A few years ago, 30% of the Harvard class was legacy.

40% of 15k undergrads? What?!?

You guys are insane. Do some research on what colleges at Cornell are TO before spewing this stupid stuff.

Exactly. People really really want TO not to be real.

Not as much as some people REALLY REALLY REALLY want standardized testing to never return!

The TO era has unleashed a tidal wave of applications from fresh faced 4.00 u/w students who test poorly, but only on Saturday mornings.

TO is disliked by families that are okay with hard work and believe in fair treatment, not the new BS equity that favors some groups over others.

I don't understand folks that complain bitterly about hooks like legacy, athlete, etc. and don't mind TO when those kids can skate in even easier now.

TO can't be about equity if legacy, athletes, and rich donors can "skate in." Last I checked, those hooks aren't about equity and inclusion. I'm sure that plenty of people believe in hard work (measured by GPA) and that fair treatment means not having to submit test scores. You measure hard work and fair treatment differently.

--signed someone who believes test scores are valuable

+1. However, this is and was never about 'equity and inclusion'. It's about colleges wanting to do what they want and not having to explain themselves to anyone. Of course, we are expected to subsidize their existence by waiving their taxes while they fritter away those tax savings on high salaries and benefits.

[Anonymous]

tests favor well off kids. but so do "rigor of coursework". I'm in Brooklyn .. if my kid just went to HS in my neighborhood there would be no rigor at all. but we're well off and have the time to do the research (but not the money to pay 50k or more for private here).. athletics favor well off. extra curricular favor well off.

I dont get the 'tests are racist' thing. The country is racist. Poverty impacts opportunity. That's in every section of the common app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:tests favor well off kids. but so do "rigor of coursework". I'm in Brooklyn .. if my kid just went to HS in my neighborhood there would be no rigor at all. but we're well off and have the time to do the research (but not the money to pay 50k or more for private here).. athletics favor well off. extra curricular favor well off.

I dont get the 'tests are racist' thing. The country is racist. Poverty impacts opportunity. That's in every section of the common app.

I’d argue it’s classist, not racist.
Those that have the least educational opportunity - and thus our not favored at all in this application race/process - tend to be at the bottom of the rung socioeconomically.
Regardless of race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:40% of Cornell is probably hooked if you add up legacy, first gen, URM, and athletic admits. A few years ago, 30% of the Harvard class was legacy.

40% of 15k undergrads? What?!?

You guys are insane. Do some research on what colleges at Cornell are TO before spewing this stupid stuff.

Exactly. People really really want TO not to be real.

Not as much as some people REALLY REALLY REALLY want standardized testing to never return!

The TO era has unleashed a tidal wave of applications from fresh faced 4.00 u/w students who test poorly, but only on Saturday mornings.

TO is disliked by families that are okay with hard work and believe in fair treatment, not the new BS equity that favors some groups over others.

I don't understand folks that complain bitterly about hooks like legacy, athlete, etc. and don't mind TO when those kids can skate in even easier now.

Eh not really. When tests were not optional, schools were just straight out ignoring the lower scores of legacies and athletes. The test scores didn't matter for those kids then, and they still don't matter now.

Yup. This is the reality. Test scores only ever mattered when AOs wanted them to. They could always ignore low scores for a kid they wanted.

Not true at all. Colleges have to report to rankings services. Test optional relieves them of that and allows colleges to engage in more social engineering without accountability for test scores. That’s why colleges want iy

Test scores are not that important anymore to shape a class. I wouldn't be surprised if USNWR lowered its weighting for test scores or removed them altogether in the future.