<p>It remains to be seen what colleges will do but I would think there are concerns with having pictures of applicants beyond verifying racial identity. Several psychology studies show that people have a subconscious bias toward the physically attractive. They are more likely to rate them as friendly and smart based on pictures. I would think colleges would be very reluctant to bring that element into admissions, which would surely be highly criticized and possibly legally challenged.</p>
<p>Those few colleges that do interviews for admissions already do get exposed to the applicants’ physical appearances (and racial/ethnic shenanigans on the colleges’ part are theoretically possible already for those colleges).</p>
<p>Seeing the photo could introduce such factors (even if unintentional) into the admissions processes of schools which do not currently do interviews.</p>
<p>True, but I don’t think it is quite the same thing because a) alumni interviews apparently have little effect on outcomes unless they go really badly, and b) the applicant has the chance to overcome any initial subliminal bias with their personality in an interview, not so in the case of admission officers looking at a picture. (I would make sure my kid smiled nicely in the picture just in case).</p>
<p>I just registered for the Oct SAT (International) and I didn’t see a skip button.
I don’t get how you can have someone else take the SAT for you. You need a Government issued ID or a passport with your name on it. At least where I live, you can be charged legally for forging one of those (plus, how the hell do you forge a passport?) And if your ID and your Admission Ticket don’t match, you don’t even get to do the test.
Btw did anyone notice that during the registration it was written that you cannot upload a photo of an animal or sth like that? Who is so dumb to do that? :D</p>
<p>Wrong information, the policy goes into effect 2012-2013 school year. For students taking the exam in October, it is not optional, student must upload a picture.</p>
<p>Since the scores, pictures, will be going to the schools, most likely the GC/College Counselor/AP (if the school has one), even if the GC does not “know” all of the kids, it is not hard to compare the college board picture to the picture on file in CAASS (Comprehensive Attendance Administration and Security System) or other security system that the school has in place.</p>
Who is so dumb to do that? :D</p>