Inside Higher Ed just published some interesting finds regarding the most recent trends in SAT scores. In a nutshell, it showed that scores were either flat or down in the past year compared to the previous year. There have also been articles about this in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, and various other national and regional newspapers. The gist of these articles show that SAT scores, on average, dropped for kids who just graduated high school compared to the year before. Additionally, research shows that the gap between Caucasian and African American kids has gotten wider. Interestingly, Asian Americans have increased their scores (and they see the score increase regardless of economic background). The recent revelations makes me wonder how much our own economy has to do with the decrease in scores. Hopefully with the economy turning around, this year’s kids will see an increase!

For the article, please see http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/26/sat

More than 800 colleges in the USAT do not require SAT or ACT scores. Most of these institutions are technical or religious schools or schools that have open admissions policies. But there are about two dozen selective liberal arts colleges, including Smith and Bowdoin, for whom the submission of test scores is optional.

Not requiring tests can make a school appear more selective because it generates more applicants. Typically when schools switch to a test-optional policy, they experience a 10-20% increase in applications. With more applicants to choose from, schools can reject more students and seem choosier. As it turns out, many of those applicants will typically have lower SAT or ACT scores. Students who opt not to report scores statistically score 100 to 150 points lower than students who do divulge test results. Since about 25-50% of applicants’ scores go unreported to these colleges, the average scores of admitted students are raised by 25-75 points, a fact that makes the school seem more competitive to applicants.

Here’s an example of how that works: Before Mount Holyoke went test-optional, in 2001, its middle 50% SAT range (a frequently cited test barometer) was 1170-1360. A few years later, with roughly 70 percent of freshmen submitting scores, the range jumped to 1230-1420, an increase of 60 points on both ends.

The end result is that a school that does not require the SAT or ACT can appear more of an academic heavy-weight on paper than it actually is. Families should also be aware that many test-optional schools do require submission of scores to qualify for merit scholarships. So when considering the test-optional schools, make sure you do your homework before you apply!

Test Optional Schools:
Albright
American — for Early Decision only *
Assumption
Bates
Bowdoin
College of the Holy Cross
Dickinson *
Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg *
Goucher *
Gustavus Adolphus *
Hampshire
Hobart & William Smith *
Lake Forest *
Lawrence University*
Loyola (MD)
Mount Holyoke
Muhlenberg*
Providence College
Rollins
Saint Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence
Smith
Wake Forest

* Test scores are required for merit scholarships.

As ranked by the Sierra Club:

To see the full article, please check out: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/

The following questions were submitted to me by a client, I thought I would share my responses with you – this is for Indiana University (Bloomington), but it’s applicable to hundreds of other applications. My responses are in bold

1. I downloaded the paper application so I could see what it looked like but John is going to submit the electronic one. On the one we downloaded, it said you could attach a personal statement. What do they mean by that? What is a personal statement?

It’s the same as the main essay a student uses for another application, such the Common Application. While the application indicates that sending an essay is “optional,” I firmly believe that “optional” means “required” when it comes to the application process

2. Is there any advantage in your opinion to selecting a major vs selecting “exploratory”? Better to apply to school of arts and sciences or other? Again, any advantages to one or another?

I prefer indicating a major, preferably one that can be supported by a student’s academics or extracurricular activities, as it makes the student look more focused — and the student isn’t bound to that particular major unless it’s in one of the special schools, such as Business or Engineering. Arts & Sciences, which is where most majors are, is easier to get into than Business

3.What does the box “block schedule” mean in the area where you list your classes?

Some schools are on semester, some on trimester, and some on block. Block is when a student takes several full-year course in about 4 months, rather than over the course of the entire year

4. In the SAT section(#19) on paper app, it asks you for the dates you took the college admission tests. Brett took the SAT twice but I only want to submit the January scores since he did much better on that test. Do I still list both dates or only the date for which I am submitting the scores?

Indiana does not require ALL SAT scores (see attached, which is from the College Board and indicates the score-reporting policies of many popular colleges), so all Brett has to include is the date of his best score set.

5. When my older daughter applied to college, she did a paper application, not an electronic one so this is a bit new to me.

No one does paper apps any longer! College far prefer electronically submitted applications as they tend to process everything on computer these days!

6. As long as we keep saving the info we fill out it’s ok, correct.

YES — most applications do not have to be completed in one sitting. That is, a student can work on an application, save it, and return to it later, just as he can when he’s writing a paper using MS Word. Nothing goes until we hit submit, correct? That’s correct!

American University has initiated a test-optional pilot program targeting its Early Decision applicant pool. If a student chooses to apply Early Decision for fall 2010, the student will not be required to submit a standardized test score as part of their application. I’m very interested to see how this turns out.

We’ve just started our own youTube channel, stay tuned for informative videos about college planning, the SAT, college admissions, and much more! Our first videos will be up shortly, they will be an interview conducted with the company’s founder, Judi Robinovitz, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/scoreatthetop