Test-optional. Test-flexible. Test-blind. The terms themselves are confusing, and recent shifts in colleges' policies are even more so. If you're a high school student, or the parent of one, you may feel like you're experiencing whiplash in trying to keep up with the ever-evolving test requirements at U.S. colleges. Before [...]
Guest blog post by Scott Moser, Moser Educational Services The considerable growth in the number of colleges offering test-optional admissions has led many students and parents to question whether the ACT/SAT are necessary or relevant. Unfortunately, the answer is not simple, and whether a student should take these tests and [...]
With the majority of colleges continuing to be test-optional this year, many students are wondering whether or not to submit their scores. When advising students on this, I look at specific colleges' data. Colleges typically publish the middle 50% of scores for either admitted or enrolled students, meaning that 50% [...]
It's been a difficult year for high school seniors: going to school online, dealing with the cancellation of sports and activities, and not being able to see friends are just some of the challenges they have faced. But, as the school year winds to a close and seniors prepare to [...]
On March 8, Inside Higher Ed reported that through February 15, only 44% of students who applied to college with the Common Application had submitted ACT or SAT scores. In contrast, 77% of Common App users submitted test scores last year. As discussed in a previous blog post, the pandemic [...]
A few days ago, I was telling my parents that some of my seniors likely will have to decide which college they're going to attend without having visited, as the pandemic has upended college visits for the past year. My dad commented that he didn't visit any colleges before deciding [...]
Although the 2020-2021 college admissions cycle is far from over, we can learn a great deal about the pandemic's effects on admissions from early action and early decision outcomes. Consider the following: Applications to highly selective colleges increased significantly: early applications were up 22% at Brown, 38% at Yale, 49% [...]
Recently, several high school juniors and their parents have asked me whether they should prepare for and take the ACT and/or SAT. As described in another blog post, due to COVID-19, multiple test dates were canceled during the spring and summer, leading more colleges than ever before to become test-optional. [...]
The college admissions process has always been stressful: after spending 3+ years working to get the best grades possible, participating in activities, pursuing leadership positions and other achievements, and studying for standardized tests, students have to figure out how to communicate all of their accomplishments to people they may have [...]
For this year's high school seniors, taking the SAT and ACT has proven to be even more challenging than expected. Beyond the difficulty of the tests themselves, the cancelation of multiple test dates in the spring and summer has added to students' anxiety. Some seniors took these tests for the [...]
