Look at what CalTech is doing. https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2020/06/08/ready-resilient-elons-plan-for-fall-semester-2/

Increased emphasis on academic preparedness and deeper review of high school coursework and curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Voluntourism trips

Those scams likely cost you a point or two.

A private High School in my area requires a domestic week of service (in addition to other hours) the summer before senior year. They take kids all over the mid Atlantic/Northeast, but the trip they are most proud of is to an Indian Reservation in the Dakotas. The kids post tons of reflective sayings on Social media about it, but the school keeps quiet about the fact that the trip costs each kid $5,000. I'm sure they put the trip on their college applications.

Colleges are well aware of checkbook volunteerism, and they probably do more harm than good.

Anonymous wrote:Essays and recommendations will be more important factors than they are now.

Recommendations have ALWAYS been the most important factor in choosing from a qualified cohort. That’s why schools are not panicking about test scores and why you are not allowed to see them (without a disqualifying waiver surrender). It’s one thing you can’t ever fudge.

Anonymous wrote:The degree to which you can claim victimhood of one form or another will be key.

Take your thinly-veiled politics out of the college forum.

Anonymous wrote:

It does seem that, right or wrong, essays and recommendations will be a lot more important. That just further advantages wealthy families who can pay for essay coaching and private schools where the teachers/counselors have fewer kids and really know how to write recommendations.

I'd guess more private school kids already have an SAT score too. We went to an event about preparing for college when DS was in 10th. The person talking about test prep said she normally sees the private school students coming in the Fall for prep so they can start testing early, allowing more time for multiple tests. The public school kids typically show up in winter planning for a first test in Spring.

Fortunately, we followed their advice and DS took the Dec SAT and got a great score, which will stand out even more when so many won't have a score.

This. My DC just graduated from a small private and I'm amazed at the amount of time DC spent with the college counselor, and the process started in 10th grade. Each counselor at our school had about 20 advisees, and the counselor also wrote a letter of recommendation in addition to the teachers. The counselors also have relationships with many of the universities and make a lot of phone calls in support of the students. We didn't pay for outside essay coaching because our counselor did such a great job of working with my DC on various drafts of their essays (which, of course we paid for with our high tuition!).

In 10th grade, DC had thought about transferring to our large public high school, which is one of the top publics and has a graduating class of about 500+. One of the reasons (among many others) I wanted DC to stay at their small private was because of college counseling AND far fewer classmates applying to the same universities. DC ended up getting into a top 20 university with stats that were in the middle of their class. If DC had transferred to the large public, I'm pretty damned sure DC would have not gotten into this university.

It'll be interesting to see how this affects college admissions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the sat goes away, kids from unknown high schools won't apply much or get in to better schools. I posted recently on a different thread about my kid with a high gpa and 1320 sat not getting into a good lac. Which I don't think is a bad score at all, but whatever. A poster asked if it was a known rigorous high school or not. But why does that matter??? If two kids have identical sats, the edge should not automatically go to the kid at the more well known high school.

An A is not an A by any other name, and it does not smell as sweet. Sorry.

If anything, a move like this is going to make brand-name high schools even more important. Or they are just going to start randomly picking names out of a hat. Who knows. Admissions is a crap shoot.

Name brand high schools are either expensive tuition (private), expensive house (public), or high powered magnet. So this change will make colleges less diverse rather than more diverse. A kid in a cloistered private school who got a 1400 is no smarter than the kid from rural Alabama who got a 1400.

If you're a super smart kid from rural Alabama, you'll be able to distinguish yourself in ways other than just getting As. You'll likely be winning math or debate competitions or win your state's history day competition. Or have the science teacher who has taught for 40 years say this is the brightest most incredible student I've ever taught. I wouldn't worry. It'll work

It does seem that, right or wrong, essays and recommendations will be a lot more important. That just further advantages wealthy families who can pay for essay coaching and private schools where the teachers/counselors have fewer kids and really know how to write recommendations.

I'd guess more private school kids already have an SAT score too. We went to an event about preparing for college when DS was in 10th. The person talking about test prep said she normally sees the private school students coming in the Fall for prep so they can start testing early, allowing more time for multiple tests. The public school kids typically show up in winter planning for a first test in Spring.

Fortunately, we followed their advice and DS took the Dec SAT and got a great score, which will stand out even more when so many won't have a score.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the sat goes away, kids from unknown high schools won't apply much or get in to better schools. I posted recently on a different thread about my kid with a high gpa and 1320 sat not getting into a good lac. Which I don't think is a bad score at all, but whatever. A poster asked if it was a known rigorous high school or not. But why does that matter??? If two kids have identical sats, the edge should not automatically go to the kid at the more well known high school.

An A is not an A by any other name, and it does not smell as sweet. Sorry.

If anything, a move like this is going to make brand-name high schools even more important. Or they are just going to start randomly picking names out of a hat. Who knows. Admissions is a crap shoot.

Name brand high schools are either expensive tuition (private), expensive house (public), or high powered magnet. So this change will make colleges less diverse rather than more diverse. A kid in a cloistered private school who got a 1400 is no smarter than the kid from rural Alabama who got a 1400.

Anonymous wrote:If the sat goes away, kids from unknown high schools won't apply much or get in to better schools. I posted recently on a different thread about my kid with a high gpa and 1320 sat not getting into a good lac. Which I don't think is a bad score at all, but whatever. A poster asked if it was a known rigorous high school or not. But why does that matter??? If two kids have identical sats, the edge should not automatically go to the kid at the more well known high school.

An A is not an A by any other name, and it does not smell as sweet. Sorry.

If anything, a move like this is going to make brand-name high schools even more important. Or they are just going to start randomly picking names out of a hat. Who knows. Admissions is a crap shoot.

Anonymous wrote:Bring back interviews

They never went away.

If the sat goes away, kids from unknown high schools won't apply much or get in to better schools. I posted recently on a different thread about my kid with a high gpa and 1320 sat not getting into a good lac. Which I don't think is a bad score at all, but whatever. A poster asked if it was a known rigorous high school or not. But why does that matter??? If two kids have identical sats, the edge should not automatically go to the kid at the more well known high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Voluntourism trips

Those scams likely cost you a point or two.

A private High School in my area requires a domestic week of service (in addition to other hours) the summer before senior year. They take kids all over the mid Atlantic/Northeast, but the trip they are most proud of is to an Indian Reservation in the Dakotas. The kids post tons of reflective sayings on Social media about it, but the school keeps quiet about the fact that the trip costs each kid $5,000. I'm sure they put the trip on their college applications.

Bring back interviews

SATs bring diversity to college campuses, ironically.

Anonymous wrote:Voluntourism trips

Those scams likely cost you a point or two.