Harvard will require Test Scores starting next year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:yep.
Whatever will the 4/4.6 1390 poor test-taking children of DCUM do?

That’s a good score - stop it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

+1 terrible for planing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

Any student considering applying to Harvard has already tested.

Not really. My DD got a letter with brochure a month ago from Harvard because of her psat score I would guess.

It explicitly said TO is an option. Odd to say the least to have such a short notice.

I don’t think we will get a letter saying sorry actually it’s back to testing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

Any student considering applying to Harvard has already tested.

Not really. My DD got a letter with brochure a month ago from Harvard because of her psat score I would guess.

It explicitly said TO is an option. Odd to say the least to have such a short notice.

I don’t think we will get a letter saying sorry actually it’s back to testing?

Is she a junior? Has she taken the SAT/ACT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:test optional was a failed experiment

it wasn't an experiment it was due to testing centers closing during the pandemic

CA schools didn't go TO because of covid.

Am genuinely curious how the UC's are going to respond to the changes. UCLA had almost 145k applicants this year! Cal Berkeley had 125k applicants. Those numbers are... wild.

From what I've read, UC admissions policies are heavily based on their own research and not the whims of politicians. They found they didn't need the SAT after studying the issue.

UChicago has similarly not let politics drive the decision. They went TO in 2018.

The UCs own data showed that test scores were the most predictive data point for academic success. They just ignored that for political reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:test optional was a failed experiment

it wasn't an experiment it was due to testing centers closing during the pandemic

CA schools didn't go TO because of covid.

Am genuinely curious how the UC's are going to respond to the changes. UCLA had almost 145k applicants this year! Cal Berkeley had 125k applicants. Those numbers are... wild.

From what I've read, UC admissions policies are heavily based on their own research and not the whims of politicians. They found they didn't need the SAT after studying the issue.

UChicago has similarly not let politics drive the decision. They went TO in 2018.

The UCs own data showed that test scores were the most predictive data point for academic success. They just ignored that for political reasons.

Exactly. Napolitano caused this to happen, and the Regents allowed it to happen. It worked out OK in my house, but it's generally a bad system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yep.
Whatever will the 4/4.6 1390 poor test-taking children of DCUM do?

Remember when a 4.0 and 1400 was an exceptional kid?

It still is. Look at the national percentile ranking.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was an open secret that UCs use AP scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

why is this late? the SAT is a test of the most basic English and Math skills. If you need months and months of prep on topics you should have already mastered, you probably have bigger problems than the application deadlines next fall.

mostly bcs may and June seats are full

Well presumably any kid applying to Harvard has already registered or taken the SAT/ACT.

They just didn’t submit their scores. So now they’ll have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

why is this late? the SAT is a test of the most basic English and Math skills. If you need months and months of prep on topics you should have already mastered, you probably have bigger problems than the application deadlines next fall.

mostly bcs may and June seats are full

Well presumably any kid applying to Harvard has already registered or taken the SAT/ACT.

They just didn’t submit their scores. So now they’ll have to.

Will they have already taken it twice, as many juniors have already who had such plans, thereby giving them a third or fourth sitting to look forward to in June and August? Harvard could have said no superscores for class of 2025 if they insisted on renouncing their established policy so late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, obviously. The test optional thing was a weird experiment and there is no evidence that it accomplished anything useful, and some evidence it was genuinely detrimental. Good riddance.

Being good at taking tests is not the most important thing in life and everyone should remind themselves of that. But it turns out that people who do test well, and are able to get very high scores on college preparedness tests, tend to also do best in college, where they will also be expected to regularly take tests. It's okay that not everyone goes to an Ivy, or becomes a lawyer or doctor or academic or MBA or whatever. It's not the only option in life.

Just realize that Harvard isn't going to accept your kids with a 1580 over one with a 1500 based on the SAT alone. They will consider them "the same"/made the cut, and then look at everything else. I don't think requiring tests will have the effect most "high stats" parents want.
Fact is T20 schools only want to see your kid meet a baseline for the testing, then they still want to look at everything else. A 1600 doesn't differentiate your kid from a 1520

NP: Your and the PP's argument is pointless because Harvard will continue to reject and accept 1600 scorers at the same rate it did pre-TO. I think SAT scores are important and valuable data, but let's not be delusional to think that the acceptance rate for high scorers is going to significantly change going forward. Harvard is not embracing true meritocracy. Read their study—they have an agenda.

The more important ramification of going back to test required means less kids will apply, and perhaps kids won’t have to continue to apply to two dozen schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

Any student considering applying to Harvard has already tested.

Not really. My DD got a letter with brochure a month ago from Harvard because of her psat score I would guess.

It explicitly said TO is an option. Odd to say the least to have such a short notice.

I don’t think we will get a letter saying sorry actually it’s back to testing?

Actually my DC got an email from Harvard this morning announcing that update. DC one and done at 36.

[Anonymous]

The more important ramification of going back to test required means less kids will apply, and perhaps kids won’t have to continue to apply to two dozen schools.

This is my hope too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is for current Juniors? my kid has no interest in Harvard, but this seems really really late to make this call for this class

why is this late? the SAT is a test of the most basic English and Math skills. If you need months and months of prep on topics you should have already mastered, you probably have bigger problems than the application deadlines next fall.

mostly bcs may and June seats are full

Well presumably any kid applying to Harvard has already registered or taken the SAT/ACT.

They just didn’t submit their scores. So now they’ll have to.

Will they have already taken it twice, as many juniors have already who had such plans, thereby giving them a third or fourth sitting to look forward to in June and August? Harvard could have said no superscores for class of 2025 if they insisted on renouncing their established policy so late.

Everyone is in the same boat. The kids who have taken it 2-3 times already are on the ball and will get the advantage (and that's not a bad thing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The more important ramification of going back to test required means less kids will apply, and perhaps kids won’t have to continue to apply to two dozen schools.

This is my hope too.

+1