<p>In case anyone is looking for another optional SAT choice:</p>
<p>great news. this should help them get noticed outside of their traditional base but will it improve their yield?
other schools are rumored to be dropping the SAT also--if you google sometimes you can find faculty bloggers talking about staff meetings and the discussing of SAT optional.<br>
But it's not an altruistic decision. It is governed by several factors including economics and the need to get full paying kids to attend.</p>
<p>I like how the spokesperson parrots the party line as to a "not growing trend".</p>
<p>Similar to those who made buggy whips, cameras, copying machines, etc.</p>
<p>There must be a small panic starting in ETS land as the monopoly begins to crumble.</p>
<p>Not sure what ETS is but I get your point. So many bright kids are opting to go public, especially with the advent of generous merit and the "honors programs". Last years Kiplinger's did an article which basically questioned the rationale of spending 40k plus, per year, at a lesser known undergrad institution. I also read recently where the Dean of the U of Miami bumped into a renowned surgeon at a cocktail party. The surgeon was delighted with the U of Miami and told the Dean so. Apparently the surgeon's two children had attended U Miami on two (nearly) full merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Don't think ETS (Educational Testing Service...) is going to have a broken monopoly because of a few schools dropping out of the SAT. -- After all, they do rule the GREs, PSATs, CLEPs, TOEFLs, TOEICs, CPEs, and CAHSEES (the last one being mandatory).</p>
<p>This is a great step, though, toward a universal, holistic approach to university admissions.</p>
<p>"There must be a small panic starting in ETS land as the monopoly begins to crumble."</p>
<p>Before crowing about possible worries in Princeton, one might want to examine who OWNS The College Board. Gaston Caperton is probably praying for the next attacks on his empire to be as profitable and monopoly building as the UC "rebellion." After the Califonian morons were satisfied, the whole country got saddled with a longer and more expensive test that simply reinforced TCB's hegemony. </p>
<p>So, what will colleges that decide to further game their admission policies do? Rely more on the SAT Subject Tests or the APs? Kaching for Gaston and more expenses for the public at large! </p>
<p>I personally wish to see The College Board ban (from its membership) or blacklist the schools that engage in misleading tactics, and see TCB refuse to send such schools ANY scores. Want to drop the SAT and "revolutionize" admission? Fine, but do not play both side of the fence and PRETEND that is has anything to do with the students. </p>
<p>It's all about jockeying for the best position in the race.</p>
<p>count me among the skeptics of this marketing ploy. If H&WS did not want to consider SAT scores in an applicant's file, they can just ignore them during committee, and they likely have. BUT, accepting kids with below average test scores is not good for ranking, alumni bragging rights, nor departmental professors. Soooooo, we make the scores optional, and voila, our published test scores automatically rise, since the only kids submitting score reports will have strong scores. Moroever, kids with strong Subject Test scores will still submit them freely, knowing that their 1500 Reasoning test will be ignored (and not counted in the published stats).</p>
<p>Definitely NOT a trend, at least in the broad sense of highly selective colleges. It's only a trend for those lower-ranked LACs jockeying for position, as xiggi notes.</p>
<p>i'm sure there are a lot of americans who would be willing to pay up to $200 (or more)per college for holistic review of their sons/daughters' apps.
Money is as american as apple pie</p>
<p>I wonder if it does not save the lower tier LACs some money too, b/c now they do not have to offer as much merit money to those that score higher on the sats. Those that score well and apply can submit scores, and those that score poorly can just omit them. Score averages absolutely will rise, and they do not need to give considerable merit money for that to happen. LACs can focus their merit dollars to raise gpa averages, or on other types of students that they are seeking.</p>
<p>Hobart & William Smith fired a staffer last year because she gave out "outdated data" which hurt thier ranking. Will this boost thier ranking, drop it, or have no effect? Any guesses? It seems like a great campus... but remote.</p>