Brown reinstating SATs/ACT requirements

[Anonymous]

From the email:

Brown will continue to offer its Early Decision option, which is attractive to prospective students and has contributed to efforts to enroll an undergraduate class that is both highly qualified and diverse.

Starting with next year’s application cycle (effective for the Class of 2029), Brown will reinstate the requirement that applicants for first-year admission submit standardized tests scores (the SAT or ACT, except in the rare circumstance when these tests are not available to a student). This will accompany enhanced communications to students and school counselors emphasizing that test scores are interpreted in the context of a student’s background and educational opportunities.

Current practices for applicants with family connections — including “legacies” and children of faculty and staff — will remain unchanged while we continue to consider a range of complex questions raised by the committee and seek more input from our community.

[Anonymous]

I imagine the rest of the Ivies are going to go back to test-required. The question is will the non-Ivies follow suit?

[Anonymous]

Dominos are falling . . .

[Anonymous]

Bout time.
The T20 are next

[Anonymous]

How else do you pick the right 4.5 GPA since everyone has one today.

[Anonymous]

More than likely they got wind of some federal entity looking to investigate their TO application fee bonanza. More than likely they applied filters and got rid of a sizeable chunk of the applications before starting to read and if i was part of that chunk, I'd want my money back or at least penalize them. This could be a way of them getting ready to respond "Oh yeah! Covid. Now that we are past that, look we are back to objective measurement" and beg for mercy.

[Anonymous]

My Senior kicked butt on standardized tests...of course, it's the year after him they come back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From the email:

Brown will continue to offer its Early Decision option, which is attractive to prospective students and has contributed to efforts to enroll an undergraduate class that is both highly qualified and diverse.

Starting with next year’s application cycle (effective for the Class of 2029), Brown will reinstate the requirement that applicants for first-year admission submit standardized tests scores (the SAT or ACT, except in the rare circumstance when these tests are not available to a student). This will accompany enhanced communications to students and school counselors emphasizing that test scores are interpreted in the context of a student’s background and educational opportunities.

Current practices for applicants with family connections — including “legacies” and children of faculty and staff — will remain unchanged while we continue to consider a range of complex questions raised by the committee and seek more input from our community.

Have no issue with them doing it but very later notification since most who are planning on taking it already signed up. No open slots by us testing unless you drive 2+ hours - (not CA) - would only have the potential August slot open- they have half the amount of locations they had in the past since not as many students are taking it.

Not a lot of time for kids to now study with AP tests etc.

[Anonymous]

Welfare check on the TESTING IS NEVER COMING BACK! brigade, please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Senior kicked butt on standardized tests...of course, it's the year after him they come back.

Good scores never hurt, and they help everywhere that's not test blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Senior kicked butt on standardized tests...of course, it's the year after him they come back.

Same here, but his grades were mediocre. Based on his outcomes, I think colleges have already started implementing Test-preferred policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Welfare check on the TESTING IS NEVER COMING BACK! brigade, please.

I mean…Columbia went permanently TO. Cornell announced that it’s extending TO. Michigan is permanently TO. The UC schools are permanently test-blind. Amherst, Pomona, and a number of other top-ranked SLACs are permanently TO. The vast majority of schools outside the ~50 people on here talk about are still TO and don’t seem to be signaling any change.

I think testing is going to come back for a small subset of schools that have huge numbers of applications and want to use tests to cull applicants easily, and at public schools in some red states.

I think the “TO is over” folks are reading the evidence very selectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Senior kicked butt on standardized tests...of course, it's the year after him they come back.

Same here, but his grades were mediocre. Based on his outcomes, I think colleges have already started implementing Test-preferred policies.

I am so annoyed by these uninformed posts. You have no understanding of why they are reinstating. It's not so kids who "kick butt" on standardized tests can get in over others who people like you perceive of unworthy because they have a lower score. It's so people who do really well (1350+) submit their scores and show schools that they are capable of doing the work, despite a crappy education. This is not to let more 1600 students over potential 1400 students. Those of you with the high scores are actually at an even great disadvantage with test required. I can't believe how obtuse you all are to not understand this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welfare check on the TESTING IS NEVER COMING BACK! brigade, please.

I mean…Columbia went permanently TO. Cornell announced that it’s extending TO. Michigan is permanently TO. The UC schools are permanently test-blind. Amherst, Pomona, and a number of other top-ranked SLACs are permanently TO. The vast majority of schools outside the ~50 people on here talk about are still TO and don’t seem to be signaling any change.

I think testing is going to come back for a small subset of schools that have huge numbers of applications and want to use tests to cull applicants easily, and at public schools in some red states.

I think the “TO is over” folks are reading the evidence very selectively.

I don't think TO is over. Too much easy money for most colleges to give up. It will just morph into "Test preferred but pretend we are TO". Given the opaqueness of the admission process, what are you going to do, sue them? Based on what? Just take the test folks.. It's not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

But scores and grades and transcripts is all mad racist