Toward More Humane College Admissions
The Washington Post described the decision as a “watershed.” One industry expert quoted in the Wall Street Journal considered it “breaking the ice.” The Chicago Tribune simply called it “a big change.” Whatever name you give it, the University of Chicago’s decision to allow American students to apply for admission without standardized test scores is part of a transition. A big transition.
The University of Chicago’s policy change is not the first of its kind, but it is the first from a top-ranked national university. Just two decades ago, applying to college without test scores was unheard of. Now, as the number of annual college applications soars, test-optional is slowly becoming the norm. This shift in college admissions policy is beneficial, both for American colleges and, more importantly, American students.[su_pullquote]This shift in college admissions policy is beneficial, both for American colleges and, more importantly, American students.[/su_pullquote]
Test-optional policies create opportunities for students who would not otherwise have them. Numerous studies have shown that standardized test scores track more to socioeconomic status than to any measure of academic performance. Therefore, emphasis on these scores can harm underprivileged students. Test-optional policies address that dilemma. According to an April study from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), students typically underrepresented at colleges (including those receiving Pell Grants, first-generation college applicants, and African Americans) applied to test-optional schools without test scores at nearly double the rate of other student groups at those schools. As Paul Sackett and his colleagues found in a 2012 study, the main barriers to college admission for students of lower socioeconomic status were those that prevented them from even applying to college—admissions rates in the study were constant between those students and their wealthier counterparts. As test-optional policies encourage higher application rates, they are a major step towards solving this problem.
Since students admitted through test-optional admissions policies achieve similar academic outcomes to those who submit test scores, changes like the University of Chicago’s allow schools to increase diversity while maintaining their prowess. According to the NACAC study, students who applied without test scores graduated at the same rate (if not higher) as those who had submitted test scores. The study also found that for their sample of students who did not submit test scores, “high school GPA correlated more strongly than the SAT, with success in college, in terms of both college cumulative GPA and graduation rate.” This finding did not hold true for those who submitted test scores, suggesting that while standardized testing serves as a valuable and important metric for many students, it should not be used as the defining feature of college admissions. In many cases, test-optional policies can provide well-prepared students who lack high test scores with the confidence they need to apply to selective schools.
A school’s admissions process says measures about the institution’s values. Ivy League schools like Yale and Princeton recommend or require that students complete an interview with alumni, reinforcing an image of prestige. Meanwhile, Pomona College, a small liberal arts school in California, emphasizes a list of traits in its applicants including “evidence of risk taking and adventurousness” and “grit, kindness, diligence, or serving others.” By adopting a test-optional policy (and creating an optional two-minute filmed student introduction), the University of Chicago sends a message to students. The decision demonstrates that the school actually wants to get to know its applicants—the school no longer sees its applicants as numbers. Now, they are people.[su_pullquote align=”right”]Other schools should take note of the University of Chicago’s change and consider how their applications reflect institutional values.[/su_pullquote]
The University of Chicago is not alone in its desire to develop a truly holistic admissions process. In August, Stanford University announced that it would no longer release its admissions rate, citing its desire to reduce “the outsized emphasis placed on the admission rates at U.S. colleges and universities.” Here at Washington University, the process is becoming more personal this year, with a new mandatory supplemental essay that will reduce the school’s reliance on numerical data. These are all positive developments in achieving more equitable college admissions.
Other schools should take note of the University of Chicago’s change. They should consider how their applications processes reflect institutional values.How much worth should be afforded to tests that students can pay thousands of dollars to game? What role should supplemental essays play in assessing an applicant? Does a given admissions process actually aim to understand students’ lives? These are the discussions that admissions departments should be having this fall as they hold thousands of students’ lives in the balance. College can be a ticket to success. Let’s make it a fair one.[su_pullquote align=”right”]College can be a ticket to success. Let’s make it a fair one. [/su_pullquote]
Matthew Friedman, ‘22, studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at matthewfriedman@wustl.edu.