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anyone know Penn State's current view on SAT/ACT????

blion72

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Jan 1, 2010
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there seems to be a number of very high profile schools moving to the "no standardized test needed" for application/admission. anyone heard PSU stance on this. I certainly hope we don't join this strange trend. without some type of objective measure, how do you select students for admission or deny them admission? we have grade inflation in K-12, so the tests are the last shot at differentiating students. I realize the argument is that they are not fair or favor the students who can afford to get prepared. But that is life = it ain't fair. if anyone of us were bigger, faster, smarter, more athletic, more connected = we would likely have gotten further in life.

Interestingly, the ABA just increased the standard for law school accreditation.....each school must have 75% pass rate of each cohort within 2 years of graduation. this is to create a stronger standard in the practice of law per the ABA. the opponents argued that this will make the LSAT become a bigger part of acceptance especially at elite schools along with an effort to weed out the weak students in L1. the opponents were arguing for diminished LSAT and more "holistic grading" in L1.
 
I think it almost no longer matters if a college requires ACT/SAT as they all parrot the same line - they take a "holistic" view towards applicants and admissions. IMHO this is cover for "we won't be bound by objective qualifications when deciding who to accept". In the recent lawsuit by a group of Asian-Americans against Harvard it was revealed how low the SAT scores are of many of those who are admitted to Harvard under the "holistic" view. They were scores you would expect to see at PSU.
At least if a school tells you up front that you don't even need to take the SAT/ACT, you know there are other subjective factors that are going to be looked at.
 
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Most of us loved our time at PSU, but be honest about it. The four-year undergraduate education is an antiquated system which is inefficient and not necessary. Everyone can see it. The universities are trying every gimmick they can come up with to keep the gravy train going. It's going to end with a lot of them going out of business.
 
I think it almost no longer matters if a college requires ACT/SAT as they all parrot the same line - they take a "holistic" view towards applicants and admissions. IMHO this is cover for "we won't be bound by objective qualifications when deciding who to accept". In the recent lawsuit by a group of Asian-Americans against Harvard it was revealed how low the SAT scores are of many of those who are admitted to Harvard under the "holistic" view. They were scores you would expect to see at PSU.
At least if a school tells you up front that you don't even need to take the SAT/ACT, you know there are other subjective factors that are going to be looked at.

That same approach has quite possibly had a significant impact on PSU. Will leave it at that......
 
“Number of very high profile schools”?

Such as?






Most of those that are including it as an optional method - including Temple - are including it as a rarely selected option (to try and appear “trendy”)

Those who are truly “non score based” are generally glorified GED Universities - - - - who always accepted anyone willing to attend anyway.

University of Chicago
 
University of Chicago

NYU
Cornell (pilot 3-4 years)
GWU
UT Austin
Wake Forest

and under review at Univ Michigan as one example. someone posted that a number of schools already diminishing it. The Asian suit at Harvard was an eye opener.
 
I think it almost no longer matters if a college requires ACT/SAT as they all parrot the same line - they take a "holistic" view towards applicants and admissions. IMHO this is cover for "we won't be bound by objective qualifications when deciding who to accept". In the recent lawsuit by a group of Asian-Americans against Harvard it was revealed how low the SAT scores are of many of those who are admitted to Harvard under the "holistic" view. They were scores you would expect to see at PSU.
At least if a school tells you up front that you don't even need to take the SAT/ACT, you know there are other subjective factors that are going to be looked at.

Standardized tests are very highly correlated with good students.

They are also the only real way to rate people across the country uniformly.

But the fact is the money comes with the lower end students needing the boost. And schools love money.

LdN
 
Schools that process a lot of applications, as PSU does, will continue to rely on standardized tests to some degree.
 
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Schools that process a lot of applications, as PSU does, will continue to rely on standardized tests to some degree.

PSU continues to require SAT or ACT. How the information is used I cannot say.
 
PSU continues to require SAT or ACT. How the information is used I cannot say.

Years ago, PSU was 70% academic record and 30% test score (unless one was applying to a special program which would require submission of a portfolio or an audition). Don't imagine it has changed much. Simple volume of applications augurs against much else.
 
My son is 18 and went through the application process this year, having scored a 33 on the ACT. He received an 85% merit scholarship at Miami of Ohio and a $3,500 per year scholarship at Ohio State. (1/3 of tuition). Also, received other scholarship offers, including one that paid $18,000.

Know someone admitted to Cornell in fall of 2018 who scored a 35 on ACT (one below perfect) who received a 100% scholarship offer to go to Ohio State. Student is ethnically Chinese and Chinese much prefer Ivy League schools as a matter of prestige no matter the cost or the practicality of other schools.

So, my experience with my son is that for about 90-95% of the schools the test scores are important.
 
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