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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Test optional saved my kid's mental health this year.  We had a very traumatic family experience that led to serious depression and anxiety for my kid during junior year.  Despite what she went through, she was able to maintain stellar grades. However, taking the SAT was just too much for her at the time.  If she had been in a better state with her mental health I think she would have done quite well based on previous PSAT scores, etc. but I am so thankful we could take that stress off her.  So far, she has been accepted into all the schools she applied to with merit aid (focused on matches and a couple of safeties, plus 1-2 reaches).  If she has been in a situation where she had to take the test, I think we would be in a very different place.  Lots of kids are struggling right now- test-optional is a way to take some of the pressure off when they need it.[/quote]

You might want to think twice about putting a kid who is so prone to depression and anxiety that they cannot take the SAT into a highly competitive school. Just sayin.  [/quote]

I've seen a theme of comments like this on other threads and the tone is somehow that kids struggling with mental health issues are somehow 'weak.' Our focus, first and foremost, is to continue to support our child's mental health. She is continuing to progress well and will take a gap year to give herself some additional time to focus on that and the experiences she missed out on during the pandemic. In my experience, when people are supported and given the resources they need to get through a tough situation they can really thrive in all sorts of academic environments as long as it is a good fit for the individual.

You also have no idea what our family was experiencing at that time- most kids would not have been in a good place to take the SAT at that time.  Thankfully, the schools she applied to are not as biased as you are and saw her for the strong student that she is. [/quote]

Not biased- realistic. College is an extension of an academic career, not a litmus test for a persons worth or uniqueness. The most rigorous programs should bring in the students who have proven their ability to excel at that level. There are plenty of colleges for kids at the level below, and the level below that and the level below that - and all those kids can turn out just fine. But putting fragile kids who opt out of academic assessments in top academic institutes...why?  AO's today love the edge cases because they are trying to make a social justice point.  You're so sure your kid won't freak out at the pressure in a highly selective school when they can't take a standardized test at home when they had realistically 2.5 years to fit the SAT in?  Whatever.[/quote]

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