Well, you would think, but quite a few Maine kids had their tests cancelled on 10/28 due to the mass shooting and a lot of them were counting on that as their final stab at a good score. But otherwise agree.
I absolutely agree that in a case like that, or natural disaster for example the schools need to be flexible. I am just referring to making a blanket statement that gives the perception that someplace is TO when in fact it really isnât. We visited AU in person and our AO was very clear that they are not TO but might have read/interpreted test preferred to mean optional if we hadnât heard it directly from them at our visit.
When we did the admissions tour last Spring for S23 the person giving the presentation did suggest âweâll be TO next year and the following year expect to go back to test requiredâ.
What was interesting was 2 days later we toured Virginia Tech and their message was âweâll be TO next year and the following year expect to not accept test scores at allâ. Completely the opposite direction.
The different approaches are certainly interesting. Some schools swear by the correlation (which to be fair correlation is of course statistically valid so obviously that makes sense), while others know that every human brain is different and learns at different rates. Wake Forest for example long ago went test blind. I for one do not believe that SAT/ACT/CLT scores adequately reflect grit, determination, and the general ability of the human brain to constantly adapt, mature, and learn. Some people are born with an innate ability to ace exams. This is anecdotal, but I did terrible on the SAT 30 years ago, and when I say terrible, I mean that I was lucky that I was accepted, it was that bad. I graduated with a 3.43 GPA in chemical engineering from one of the New England state flagships (one of the higher ranked ones not to be too specific). Five years later, when I took the GMAT for graduate school, I received a nearly perfect score. What changed? Probably maturity had the most to do with it, and transitioning from a discrete topical learning to applied learning. I find Auburnâs approach too myopic to be frank. They are missing some hidden gems that otherwise would shine. But it doesnât matter because they can afford to take a solely statistics driven approach.
Are you sure? Wake went test optional in 2008. Donât see anywhere that say it is test blind.
Sorry, I meant test optional.
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I think you can still send scores but what is the score cutoff of where you should remain TO?
Your sonâs application has been acted upon though, with the deferral, so not sure they will allow submission of tests now (see FAQs linked above).
Itâs worth the time for him to contact his Auburn AO and ask if he could submit a test now that heâs in the RD round, and also ask for guidance on what score he needs. Based on the data from the last few years, applying under the TO pathway to Auburn makes the school a reach. Has your S taken a test? If so, what is his current score? (and technically if he has taken a test he doesnât qualify for Auburnâs TO pathway)