Thursday, November 29, 2001

SAT scores are a necessary part of the college admissions process
Commentary by Chrissy Braden
Skiff Staff

This year the president of the University of California announced that the UC system would do away with the SAT for admissions to all of its schools. UC President Richard Adkinson made the recommendation to discontinue the tests because he says the test has little correlation with success in college and is weighted too heavily.

However, Jim Atwood, TCU’s chairman of freshman admissions, said the university has no plans to eliminate the test.

“I doubt if it would happen in the near future,” he said. “It would be wrong for us not to ask for a blanket indicator. The SAT is just one factor among many considered for admission.”

The SAT is a very necessary blanket indicator and an important part of the admissions process.

William Bowen, the former president of Princeton University, and Derek Bok, the former president of Harvard University, show some of the weaknesses of the SAT in admissions in their 1998 book “The Shape of the River.” Their studies found that those who had SAT scores in the highest percentages were not the most likely to graduate from college.

However, Bowen and Bok are not arguing against using SAT scores in admissions.

They use their studies to show that academic performance should not be the only factor considered.

Bowen and Bok show a need for the SATs to divide the pool of applicants into those who are capable and those who are not capable of doing the curriculum at a school.

The SAT is necessary to compare college applicants easily and procedurally to each other. Characteristics like geographical location, hobbies and challenges students have overcome in their life are also important to consider in admissions.

However, Bowen and Bok say that these factors come into consideration only after the SAT has determined a pool of capable applicants.

The University of Texas system admits the top 10 percent of high school classes without considering SAT scores. This new method gives those who were unsuccessful on the SAT for various reasons but proved academic capability through high school performance an opportunity to enroll. It has shown little change in admissions.

The results of eliminating the SAT have yet to be determined. The UC system may show that the SATs are not an effective factor for admissions.

However, Atwood and TCU have made a wise decision to not follow that example.

Studies show the importance of multiple factors, including the SAT, for admissions.

Until the UC system can prove otherwise, TCU and other schools must continue to use the SAT to determine the capable students.

Chrissy Braden is a junior news-editorial journalism major from San Antonio. She can be contacted at (l.c.braden@student.tcu.edu).