<p>Hobart has made SAT scores optional. Anybody know what motivated them to do so?</p>
<p>What's the downside to SATs?
SATs are the single most meaningful index of quality.
Average SATs are good predictors of graduation rates.
SATs are standardized so you can compare students from different high schools.
Separate math, verbal, and writing scores are useful.
When admissions officers review an applicant's entire file, it is easy to see whether the SATs are consistent with other facts. You can ignore SATs if you want.</p>
<p>Possible reasons for waiving SATs:
Without SAT scores, it will be difficult to assess the quality of Hobart and compare it with other colleges.
Hobart may be able to dip lower into their applicant pool without hurting their reputation. Boost enrollment, make more money, appear just as selective.
Hobart may be able to enhance their standing in rankings by only reporting the best SAT scores.
Hobart is catering to applicants who are unhappy with their SAT scores.</p>
<p>Any other thoughts?</p>
<p>Any other thoughts.</p>
<p>there are many reasons for a school to opt for SAT optional--some transparent and some hidden.<br>
If you look at all the kids who get rejected even with perfect scores and those who get admitted to stellar schools even if they're idiots (in your opinion), doesn't it make you wonder what is up with the admissions department?</p>
<p>The current theme in admissions is "creating the community". Many a school will completely disregard a standardized 4 hour test score and admit an interesting person to complement the BWRKs that were admitted and have reached the desired number. What better way to create a community than to toss the SAT out the window--you now have the freedom to social engineer without the fine veneer of making the test mandatory (which admissions disregarded anyway if they felt like it) and you can draw from the dregs of your applicant pool to achieve the diversity objective if so desired. (I hope you recognize I'm being very sarcastic but the general premise underlying my comments is true...the school is free of burdensome SAT minimums which interfered with community building and now you don't have to memo any bureaucrat educator above your level and tell him what you did---cya memo).</p>
<p>Another major objective of this college business is MONEY. This SAT optional idea is like a godsend for schools slowly withering from lack of interest. Even schools stuck in a god forsaken location can use it to: raise revenue from app fees (minimal impact although nothing to be sneezed at); parse the scholarship money that had been used to attract top candidates. Further, you can manipulate the USNWR data to maximum advantage.</p>
<p>I could go on and on but my A D D is kicking in and I'm bored with this topic. There are more schools coming down the pike who are going to be doing this. It's a win-win for cynical parents, cynical students, colleges, and those who think there's more to life than grades and SATs.</p>
<p>because you heard about it.</p>
<p>Seriously. It made national news, and people involved in the college app process have heard about it. The splash of publicity isn't going to do their number of apps any harm ;) And the truth is, most colleges outside of the 100 or so in highest demand admit the majority of their students and there yield is consequently low. Hobard is one of these, and these colleges know that kids have many more choices than they realize. If they can get some kids with perhaps lower test scores but good grades (pretty much just as good as a predictor of success) to apply they don't give up anything and boost their ability to pick full-freight kids or whatever else they want.</p>
<p>Would we be talking about Hobart and William Smith Collge now on CC, if it wasn't for this change in policy?</p>
<p>Remember too that students can still submit their SAT scores as part of their application. Since the only students who will submit scores are those who did reasonably well, then the general SAT stats for the college should go up, which could only help them. </p>
<p>The college is in the top 100. It is currently listed as #61 among LACs, tied with Beloit. Its acceptance rate is listed at 69%. Its average score is shown as 24-29 (ACT). If they can encourage more apps, the ACT average would presumably rise and the acceptance rate fall a bit. From the college's perspective, this has to be a plus.</p>