Denison joins "test optional" admissions trend

Colleges and Universities A-Z Denison University
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<p>FYI</p>

<p>N E W S R E L E A S E</p>

<p>Contact: Jack Hire, Interim Director of Public Affairs
Phone: (740) 587-5698
Fax: (740) 587-6364
E-mail: <a href="mailto:news@denison.edu">news@denison.edu</a> </p>

<p>Edited: March 9, 2007 </p>

<hr>

<p>Denison to Offer Leading-Edge Standardized
Test-Optional Admissions Alternative</p>

<p>Denison University, a highly selective liberal arts college enrolling students from all 50 states, has announced it will begin giving applicants for admission the option of submitting standardized test scores or choosing not to include SAT I or ACT test results as part of their application credentials. The decision to make Denison admissions "test optional" beginning with applications for the 2008-09 academic year was approved by a vote of the general faculty of the college on March 1 and places Denison at the forefront of a trend among the nation's leading undergraduate liberal arts colleges. Heretofore, standardized test scores were required of all applicants to Denison.</p>

<p>The success of this new admissions procedure will be measured by its ability to help Denison achieve two key institutional enrollment goals. One is to sustain the college's momentum in enrolling a student body with exceptional academic qualifications. The second is to recruit and retain men and women who bring diverse backgrounds and experiences to enrich Denison's participatory learning environment. Colleges that have previously adopted a test-optional strategy have realized striking gains in both areas. Encouraged by the opportunity to present the package of credentials that best demonstrates their readiness for college success, a larger number of students representing a broader slice of college-bound men and women complete the application process. Already attracting more than 5,000 applicants annually for its incoming class of about 580, Denison expects to have an even greater opportunity to select young people who are in the best position to take the fullest advantage of the college's educational resources.</p>

<p>Describing the motivation for this innovation in admissions processing, Denison University President Dale Knobel said, "Many students believe that their preparation for college is best represented by their actual academic record in secondary school, supplemented by letters of recommendation and evidence of school and community leadership, while others believe that this information plus standardized test scores is the most accurate indicator of their college readiness. Denison will now give students the opportunity to choose which materials they believe best show their individual strengths. Standardized test scores, which are suspected by many in and out of higher education to be affected by socioeconomic and cultural biases, should not stand in the way of strong students who want to put their best foot forward in the college admissions process."</p>

<p>Knobel continued, "The goal of this approach to admissions is to give Denison the greatest opportunity to acquire a holistic reading of an individual candidate for admission. We are a place that strives for the education of the whole person, and it is only fitting that we ask an applicant to provide the portrait of him or herself that best captures their strengths and the attributes that they believe could strengthen our college community."</p>

<p>Commenting on a growing body of research that questions whether standardized tests add much to the documented record of academic achievement that a student brings from high school, Knobel observed, "Many in the higher education community have become anxious about the ability of standardized tests to accurately reflect, in a culturally-blind and socioeconomically neutral way, actual student readiness for college. We seek first and foremost to enroll students of all backgrounds who have demonstrated through their hard work in the classroom that they can achieve at Denison. The alternative of reviewing test scores or not as they are submitted by the student applicant gives us the flexibility to make even better admissions decisions and to achieve greater social equity."</p>

<p>Vice President and Director of Admissions Perry Robinson adds, "This option will make the Denison admissions process more accessible to bright and talented individuals coming from all segments of the population, including students of color, first-generation college-goers, and young people from less privileged socioeconomic backgrounds." Robinson added, "It essentially 'levels the playing field' for strong students who may not have had the opportunity to take standardized tests numerous times, pay the tuition for a private test preparation course, or have access to test preparation tutors at their secondary school."</p>

<p>This important decision places Denison in some respected academic company. Several independent New England colleges, including Middlebury in Vermont, Bowdoin and Bates in Maine, and Mount Holyoke and Holy Cross in Massachusetts, have been pioneers in the movement. With this resolution, Denison becomes the first U.S. News Top-50 college west of the Appalachians to institute such a policy. In doing so, Denison also joins Hamilton, Bard, and Union Colleges in upstate New York and Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson colleges in eastern Pennsylvania in offering some form of test-optional admissions alternative.</p>

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<p>I personally think this is a mistake on the part of Denison. But, can you imagine?! they didn't ask me! ;)</p>

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<p>I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about why this is a mistake. Obviously, we know from the press release why Denison believes it's a good move!</p>

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<p>I think if they look beyond GPA it should work. They should look at the person as a whole. My S also applied to Middlebury who doesn't want your SAT's. They did indeed look at the whole person. The interview was extremely important. It never felt like wasted time. The admissions officer talked to him for an hour. Came out really seeming to get a feel for him ( he was accepted). While his GPA and SAT's were high it seemed important for them to know what kind of person he was and go beyond the application. I think more universities should look beyond their numbers whether high or low there is always more to them (both positive and negative).</p>

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<p>Well, I have to say first off that I do despise the strangehold that College Board has on the whole application process. And it clearly is "unfair" that some kids can afford expensive tutoring for the exams (of course these are the same kids who can afford all the things that make them better applicants - private schools, music lessons, summer camps, etc).</p>

<p>But I worry about the kid that attends a high school with grade deflation. (We have this problem.) For some of these kids, they shine on the SAT, with a B or B+ average, while if they attended the public down the street they'd have a 4.5 GPA (or some crazy thing like that). This hurts even more if your HS doesn't weight grades, so the kid with all APs is compared with the kid who takes all regular courses.</p>

<p>Of course, I know it is "optional," so, in theory, this kid could send in their SAT scores. But now it feels unclear about how they will evaluate that.</p>

<p>Also, the idea that kids can be interviewed and the admissions office will "know them well" seems to really discriminate against kids who can not afford to be traveling all over interviewing. </p>

<p>In some ways, this almost feels like it adds an extra layer of confusion and ambiguity, and almost competitiveness (who can "sell themselves" the best) to an already annoying process.</p>

<p>I also worry that schools do this to simply increase the number of applications they get, thereby looking more selective. Since they don't have to report how many non-SAT applicants actually get admissions offers, who can say what it means?</p>

<p>Anyway, those are my concerns. Do they make sense?</p>

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<p>I completely agree weenie- I'm one of those students you describe with the deflated grades and nice SAT score. I'm interested to see if Denison gives me any kind of merit aid with that combination.</p>

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<p>I agree and yet disagree. It seems that no matter how the colleges try to evaluate kids, somebody learns how to game the system. So in general, I think I'm in favor of schools who request as many pieces of the puzzle as possible, then look at the applicant as a whole.</p>

<p>When schools first started requesting ECs, it was to try to get a fuller picture of the student as a whole. Now we all know people who do activities and jockey for positions only to spruce up their applications. Then the schools ask for recommendations, but most are a joke - the student finds someone who will write effusively, and the recs all sound the same. (It would be fun to read a bunch of recommendations from a single school, and make teachers or students match the rec to the student. Could they do it?) In the "olden days" kids took the SAT to provide another piece of info about their ability. Now kids take practice tests, courses, multiple re-writes (which, of course, the company encourages) and the test ends up favoring those with money, time, and test-taking skills. </p>

<p>So I think schools - or some, at least - are trying to get a clear picture of the applicants, but things only work for awhile, till students figure out how to maximize that factor. Each of these evaluative pieces becomes less meaningful over time.</p>

<p>My frustration with my d's application process has been the schools that make an effort to evaluate her by numbers - of any kind. Grades, SATs, whatever. She was educated grades 9-11 in the German school system, and her grades are skewed because of it. Her US school tried to translate them as best as possible. She ended up with 21 credits going in to senior year, but only a 3.6 GPA. Many schools frown on her GPA or class rank (12%), without taking into consideration that she has way more credits than her peers and she was studying in a foreign language and her GPA and class rank are random! (Put a bunch of her peers into a German school system for 3 years, then let's re-evaluate.)</p>

<p>Her SATs are good but not great (running around 700 +/- for each). Again, do they consider that she took an American test in Germany, after studying German style? No. The colleges where she's had the most success with her application are those that have looked at her as a whole. Funny, though. The schools that have looked closely are not necessarily the schools we would have expected to.</p>

<p>We don't have Denison's results yet, so I don't know what they'll do with her. I think her application was strong, her references were incredible. But when she interviewed, the rep seemed confused and underwhelmed. He was young, and I think this is the first time he's encountered someone so far outside the little boxes.</p>

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<p>Great post, binx. </p>

<p>The whole process just feels so, well, processed!!!</p>

<p>Somehow it sure was a lot easier when kids just submitted grades and test scores and called it a day. And I'm not at all sure the college experience itself (from either the kid's viewpoint or the college's) was really any different.</p>

<p>Good luck to your D, binx. Even if her German experience makes college stuff more confusing, she's had an experience that simply can not be surpassed.</p>

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<p>Many thoughtful observations, posters. </p>

<p>On the plus side, at least students have the option now, so those whose scores don't match their classroom performance can choose not to send scores, while those whose high scores "add weight" to GPA from a tougher high school can choose to send them. </p>

<p>Here's another thought -- SATs might be valuable as a measure of an applicant's high school GPA/curriculum, even if an applicant chooses not to report individual scores. When a high school shows that the avg SAT of the last five graduating classes is 1250, for example, this may be weighed as evidence of the school's college preparatory rigor. For applicants from such a school, the SATs might help colleges give heavier weight to a 3.6 GPA from that school. It's another way to calibrate GPA without relying entirely on the student's individual test score. </p>

<p>As for interviews and individualized consideration, these are what I consider to be perks that distinguish LACs from bigger institutions - part of the more personalized experience that attract students like my sons. As S#1 went through the admissions and scholarship process at six different universities and colleges, we came to value the interviews for the connections that he experienced -- and those he did not as well. I can honestly say I saw the same thing happen during S#2's day at Denison, which included informal "interviews" (really just one on one conversations that occurred throughout the day) with admissions, coaches, and students. His comfort and enthusiasm for the school increased with each conversation -- and we cannot say the same for his experiences at other schools. So interviewing can be a valuable part of the "gut check" approach to college selection, in my view.</p>

<p>But as the no. of applications goes up, some schools have eliminated or limited the interview. Denison already has 5,000+ applications each year. How Denison will handle an increase in applications while honoring its commitment to an individualized consideration will be interesting to watch.</p>

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<p>I think that the real reason behind the decision to go SAT optional is to place higher in the USNWR ratings. Those who submit SATs will probably have higher SATs on average than the average applicant before the college went SAT optional. This will help boost the school's USNWR rating. Because applications will go up (at least at first), the school will also be able to increase its yield, also a big factor in the ratings game. </p>

<p>On balance, the change will favor those students who attend high schools with grade inflation and lower average SAT scores.</p>

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<p>^ Oooh. I never thought of that. Interesting strategy.</p>

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<p>My advisor used to tell his students, "You have to stand somewhere to look at anything."</p>

<p>For years part of the standing was to view these scores. I'm no particular fan of them, but to suggest that admissions staffs have some insightful methodology to find the real "truth" about students is laughable. What it means is that the admission process will increasingly mimic the tenuring process as those already in the tree house ponder if this one or that one is sufficiently like us ... or unlike us presumably ... to allow them into the clubhouse. </p>

<p>He also said, "Gotta pick your poison." At least with the testing gig, there is one level playing field, or perhaps everyone knew where the hemlock was hidden. Ah, who to put our faith in ... THAT is the question.</p>

<p>And play out the DU desired scenario of wanting to generate more and more apps and admit ever-fewer, like this year's chest-beating announcement. Do you believe they will have the capacity or ability to personally, intimately evaluate each applicant. Only if one is among those segments from which the U desires to diversify its populace.</p>

<p>My cousin is admissions officer for one of the top 3 selectives, the model that DU and every other would love to "be like." He acknowledges how laughable it becomes after reading just a few hundred essays, let alone 10 or 15K. Well, take that "personal" process and multiply the variables and ...</p>

<p>Lastly, look at why DU claims to be doing this: 1. To attract students just like the U. has attracted in the past, and 2. diversify the student body. It's a sad surrender to the acacemic's notion that those in the campus minority cannot succeed in taking the SAT or ACT sufficient to please them, so let's look at other variables. I find that a very disappointing notion. And again, I'm no fan of the SAT or ACTs, espcecially the way they've dumbed down their tests to keep places like DU happy to this point. But again, whatever is on those tests, it's essentially the same for thine and mine. And requiring them does not disallow making exceptions for exceptionally diverse candidates. </p>

<p>I find this to be a CYA cop out by DU. So they can no longer be held to a standard by their consumers.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
But again, whatever is on those tests, it's essentially the same for thine and mine.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The tests are the same, certainly. But the ability to prepare for the tests is not. High schools are not the same. Not all families can afford review classes. And because it's generally admitted that standardized test scores are not the best predictor of college performance, I don't see a problem with colleges making them optional.</p>

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<p>It need not be the "best" predictor, merely one, which it clearly has been. But what it does mean is that one studnet can shoot the basket. The other cannot. Again, I'm no fan, but to eliminate a common scoring system in order to enhance diversity does those more diiverse the disservice of saying ... they can't make the basket where it is. We need to move it." And it gives Denison the out from having to acknowledge (and maybe prepare to do so?) that those admitted are gonna need help learning to shoot hoops because like it or not, hoop-shooting is the name of this game. </p>

<p>And it gives Denison the out from having to explain why the SAT scores (which will still be touted, we can be sure. Wanna bet?) are dropping. To the contrary, getting those who can't score out of that game will lend the appearance of INCREASING the U's scoring average. So the U'll look BETTER on CC, The Princeton Review, etc. Or the U. may continue to look the same on those measures when in fact they might have severely declined with the strategic decision to diversity the campus. In other words, the U. wants its cake and also wants to eat it. It will continue to hold up on one hand ... "Look, our SAT means are ever escalating." And on the other ... "Look we've now got so many more diverse students on our little campus." </p>

<p>This is a major copout ... UNLESS ... they admit without scores and without knowledge of individual diversity, i.e. those who are less equipped to be admitted on the basis of however diversity measures are determined. Rathe, the issue is of course... "We're gonna have multiple scoring systems. And it's NOT did you take the SAT or not." </p>

<p>Let me repeat. I've no opposition to doing so. Simply call it what it is. Some are less able to score on the test and they are still wanted on campus. </p>

<p>So, half of the stated rationale for making this move would seem to be understandable and agreeable. The other reason is pure smokescreen and university double talk and a sad insult to those more diverse. High schools may not be the same, but geometry and Shakespeare remain constant.</p>

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<p>The decision was made after considerable discussion amongst faculty and staff as well as admissions and administrative personnel. The primary concern was that resources (time and money devoted to SAT courses, etc.) correlate much more greatly with high test scores than actual performance in college. So students from affluent backgrounds typically have better board scores than students from less affluent backgrounds, even though that is not necessarily the case in actual academic performance at Denison. Since they are no longer seen by the university as indicative of academic performance, there was no real need for test scores as a required component of the admissions process.</p>

<p>Bowdoin and Middlebury kind of pioneered this logic, and they've actually seen their class academic profiles go up as a result -- students arriving at those schools are far more capable academically across the board than in the past.</p>