It’s May and that means its the time for high school seniors to start winding down their options for their college decision. For many schools now, getting in is harder than before. As times change so do colleges. With standardized tests such as the SATs and ACTs being must-do for students, some schools are now creating stricter cut-off points, rejecting students only based off a simple test score, regardless of what their true profile holds. On top of that claims have been madethat admissions counselors accept students on other facts such as race or background. With that said, does being “A” students even help with this day in age of making the cut into college? Let’s take a look.

Starting out with standardized testing, these exams have brought lots of bias with college admissions. With the SAT, for example, students are expected to be judged by a four-hour test. College Board claims the SAT was made to  “to assess your academic readiness for college” and for “measuring the skills required for success in the 21st century.” Despite its claim though, you can take the SAT as many times as you like until you receive an acceptable score. Although this fact allows students to have a score that better reflects themselves rather than receiving one score to judge their whole self academically, others ridicule the College Board for creating a test for the sole means of making profit. As Charles Murray, a political scientist and a graduate of Harvard University. says,“If you’re rich, you can buy your kid a high SAT score.” If this is true, it seems that those students coming from a lower income might have a harder time relying on less attempts and practice material for the exam than those of wealthier status.

A second form of bias is the “holistic” system of college admissions meaning that besides test scores, such as the SAT, colleges also look at a student’s individual grades and personal background. There have been claims, for example, that races, such as Indians, Asians, and African-Americans possess an advantage in getting into colleges over other applicants, especially with Ivy-League schools. The main purpose of this is that colleges are trying to diversify themselves. Take Harvard for example, who said, “a class that is diverse on multiple dimensions, including on race, transforms the educational experience of students from every background and prepares our graduates for an increasingly pluralistic world.” Basing a student only on race is not the best way of choosing who gets in. If colleges say they do a fair holistic process, they should actually follow through and not base their standards on one factor.

As for my personal views I feel that colleges do not, as a whole, give students fair status when applying. Another example not mentioned above is scholarships. Say a student is accepted into a college under the assumption that he/she is a fantastic student, a general merit-based scholarship might offer a half-ride whereas a student entering after signing to play for one of the school’s sports teams can receive up to a full-ride. The reason is that sports sell, academics don’t. All those lost hours of sleep while studying mean only half the effort of the athlete. Even though this is just an example, it shows how narrowly focused some schools can be. I don’t have any hate for certain colleges, races, or athletes by any means, but I feel that by having a better system for the future, students of any background can get the fair treatment they deserve.

In today’s era there are some measures, new and old, that relate to the idea of fair treatment. The first one is the new SAT. The SAT recently changed its system and now has the exam at a lower cost, $26, as opposed to the previous price of $50 making the exam more affordable for families. In addition College Board has teamed up with Khan Academy to create free resources for practicing for the test, exposing students of all financial backgrounds to excellent how-to videos and review sheets. Finally, this one is a classic but by taking an interview in addition to sending your profile to your college, you allow college counselors to really see who you are rather than being confined to a paper application.

How do you feel about the college admissions system in 2016? Leave a comment below!