Cornell Test Optional This Year
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Anonymous
| Cornell is the 1st Ivy to go test optional. Will most select schools go test optional? If so, best guess to who and when. |
Anonymous
| I would encourage people to read Cornell's statement carefully. https://admissions.cornell.edu/news/cornell-university-suspends-actsat-testing-requirement-2021-applicants |
Anonymous
| This shocks me. I did not think any ivies would do this, but Cornell already does shady “guaranteed transfer” stuff |
Anonymous
| Cornell’s statement is reasonable. I am curious to see who is next. This tells us a lot about the humanistic side of the school. |
Anonymous
What shady guaranteed transfers? |
Anonymous
What does test optional mean? SAT? |
Anonymous
| Most people who are serious about applying to T20 schools would have taken something already. I know people may have waited til March, but they will be first in line for whatever the college board and ACT have planned for Late summer and fall. Colleges could add self-reported PSAT scores to what they consider since everyone would have that done. |
Anonymous
|
If Cornell goes test optional to admit more, they’ll be going from their current status as soft ivy with 10%+ acceptance rate to mid-to-bottom 2nd tier national universities.
Harvard, Yale, Columbia can get away with it. Not Cornell. |
Anonymous
A 10% acceptance rate? Wow, they suck. |
Anonymous
This is my thinking. Even before coronavirus, apps were down slightly at many schools (possibly due to demographics). The financial situation exacerbates a reduction in app numbers. Colleges now have a bit of cover for going test optional to increase apps. Plus, test optional makes them sound kind, and may be the right thing to do in any event, to the extent that the test date cancellations interfere with the ability of disadvantaged students to test, as indicated in Cornell's statement at the link. I am interpreting the speed with which a school announces test optional as an indication of their concerns about their potential fall app numbers, in light of whatever is going on in their admission offices this season for app numbers and potentially yield. Among top 50s, Case went first and is a position to play an unfortunate second fiddle to colleges in more exciting locations, which makes sense. I really hate to compare Ivies because I think parsing prestige at that level is silly hair-splitting, but it likewise makes sense that Cornell feels a bit of pressure from its particular position. It'll be interesting to see how yield shakes out when those numbers begin to be reported in the fall, though I'm not sure all schools do so. |
Anonymous
Yea, the way I read that is sure, you don't have to submit but you're not likely to get in if you don't. |
Anonymous
No one said they did. But, for myriad reasons, no college likes to report that their app numbers are down and acceptance rates up. However, I disagree with PP about the reference to 2nd tier national universities - not only is that not going to happen, but I also would never refer to those schools (just guessing what relative ranking PP is referring to) as "2nd tier." |
Anonymous
Don’t worry about Cornell becoming a 2nd tier national university in the future. It’s already there. |
Anonymous
Thanks, PP. You all really need to read it. If you live anywhere near a test site this fall and are not poor, you need to submit a score. I mean, you can apply without it, but they are quite clearly, they are saying test optional, but read it and you'll see, they don't really mean it. |
Anonymous
Not true. My daughter who is at an Ivy now didn’t do her first SAT until June. She finished two subject tests in October of senior year. I can’t imagine anyone is doing subject tests now |