Tag / SAT
-
![]()
(Con)Tested Identity
Before I even got to the main portion of the SAT, a question stressed me out. “What is your race/ethnicity?” jumped out at me, taunting me with the simplistic responses underneath. Filling out “white” would feel like denying my heritage, claiming that my dad’s side of the family was irrelevant to who I am, but…
-
![]()
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…
-
![]()
Clashing Sensitivities Across Cultures
China has now become a de facto superpower, second to only the US through its great sway in world economics. However, China achieved this by developing a unique economic and political structure very unlike that of the US or many other Western countries. Needless to say, the authoritarian communist government has attracted the most attention…
-
![]()
Affirmative Action and Asian Americans
Since the Department of Justice announced its investigation into the effects of affirmative action on Asian Americans, there has been renewed attention on Edward Blum’s case against race-based admissions at Harvard. I’ve grown increasingly troubled with the fierce discussion that has erupted over this news. I could easily be a plaintiff in Blum’s case: first-generation…
-
The Misunderstood SAT
BY NICOLAS HINSCH No obstacle along the college admissions gauntlet attracts so much criticism as the SAT. Scores on the SAT or ACT are second in importance only to grades in determining college admissions decisions, and by the time students take the test, there is little they can do to dramatically improve their performance. It…
