And all of the student’s who “don’t test well” breathed a sigh of relief…
A liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, made the unprecedented move last year to ditch SAT and ACT scores on their applications, and one year later, they are calling it a major success.
“We can look at the whole student instead of just scores and grades,” Johnathan Lash, President of Hampshire College told MONEY.
Hampshire reported that their applicants–sans standardized test scores–were overall better qualified and more diverse. Their overall number of applicants fell, a fact that could be attributed to the fact that in lieu of test scores Hampshire asked for more essays. Yet their share of admitted students who enrolled shot up from 15 to 26% and the freshman class was over-enrolled, reported their admissions office.
The move to look at other factors besides the scores from one day of testing was met with praise from high school guidance counselors and parents, who have long carried the banner against the tests and their poor reflection of the whole student. Hampshire recognized this, citing that in their past admissions processes, they found the essays and recommendation letters more telling of a student’s potential. They also cited the bias that test scores have against low-income students.
“Ultimately, we hope that begins to create a little less pressure in high schools, to say to students that everything isn’t about testing, testing, testing” Lash said.
This somewhat experimental move at Hampshire is catching wind in the world of education, but only time will tell if their unique success will spread to the majority of admissions processes.
In the mean time, keep studying.
