Standarized test really aren't so standard. I have taken many of these tests. State tests, ACT, SAT, and 4 Ap Tests, and it's Crazy!!! I don't really think that these test are really that reliable. How can these tests tell your high school or colleges you apply to how smart you really are??? The thing is THEY CAN'T!!! I take all honors classes, maintain above a 4.5 GPA, I'm in several community volenteer projects, play two sports a year, and I've committed myself to almost every club/committe my school has to offer. I'm the IDEAL college canidate. They only thing is I scored low on both the SAT and ACT. In no way does those test reflect how smart I truly am. It's because of my low score that I got rejected from my number 1 college. I think we should do without these test. The sad thing is that although I'm smart and my GPA proves it, and I'm dedicated, there were kids that had a 3.2 GPA and got into that college because they did well on the tests. What do you think??? To Standardize test or not to standardize test???
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Actually, 3.2 is pretty low for a high school GPA.
Exactly 3.2 is super low for high school and that's why it's so ridiculous that they got into the same college that I wanted to go to just because they did better on the ACT
~Shanelle~
You could always convince yourself that college is overrated anyway.
What college did you want to go to?
And college really is overrated. You've heard the saying, "College isn't for everyone." It's true. Don't beat yourself up. You might end up having a better experience at your alternative choices. I'm going to the school that I had as #1 and the only one when I was in high school and it sucks.
LOL I like your way of thinking.
~Shanelle~
no studieshave foudn they are not
I bet you had a tough time with the spelling part of the test.
"no studieshave foudn they are not"
My spelling skills are miserable too. The spell checker makes me look smarter than I am.
Well, even though you have a high GPA, maybe your classes did not teach you enough? Even if it's honors, maybe your teacher was easy? Not saying that you are not smart, but if you were not given the opportunity to learn the material, than you can't pass. I know about bad teachers, but also ones that prepare you.
I think we should standardize tests. There has to be a way to find out who is ready.
A 4.5 GPA? The highest it goes is 4.0 so you must be magic.
I think these tests are a fairly accurate reflection of a person's abilities and I think it's good colleges dont only rely on HS grades.
I'm not magic. Our schools have an accelerated scale for advanced students. The highest GPA you can get at my school is a 5.2 ~Shanelle~
I do believe the tests are standard and I do believe they serve a good purpose to an extent.
I do not know how your high school is structured. At my high school, the GPA was based on a 4.0 scale, and tests were every where. There was actually a required orientation course of six months every Freshman had to go through that basically taught us how to take tests. Even our Band and Choir classes had written tests that you had to pass to stay in that class. I know of plenty of people that are really smart and can recite facts like nothing, but just cannot seem to prove it when taking a test. Perhaps your own teachers did not spend enough time on this.
Also, again, I don't know how your school was structured, but requirements for high school graduation do not always meet the requirements for college entry. For example, there is a school out here that does not require students to take algebra, which is a large part of many of these standardized tests. Those students who take basic math might get a high GPA based on the courses they take, but will get a low SAT or ACT score simply due to a lack of exposure to certain subjects. Again, perhaps your teachers neglected to teach you something in particular that was on the test.
And, in my experience, there are many other factors that are taken into consideration by college entrance committees. I'm not sure which college you were trying to get into, but they might have been looking for someone with a lot of extra-curricular activities as you were involved in, or perhaps someone that exerted leadership skills more than just test scores. You were in sports, but were you involved in anything that would portray real leadership skills? I have an excellent GPA right now, 3.98, but that is not all that makes me a good college student. I don't know much about what this other student did that you did not do other than her GPA, but she must have done something that impressed them.
Why not ask him or her? Sometimes it's so much easier to see something if an outsider points it out first.
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/user/fanaile-drupal-org
What you say makes sense. Thanks for your input.
~Shanelle~
I believe that standardized tests are here, and they are definitely here to stay. However, there certainly is evidence that these tests have morphed into an extremely critical component in the college admissions process. A morphing that, I believe, the test makers and colleges originally did not intend for the test. The original purpose of the test was to set a raw score of student's ability to critically think in a shortened amount of time. (If you do not believe this, ask your parents how many times they took the ACT or SAT before they went to college. Most likely, their answer will be one or two times.)
Regardless, the validity criterion for the ACT and especially the SAT is intellectual ABILITY, not intellectual ACHIEVEMENT. However, colleges, especially selective colleges, now heavily rely on these tests to validate how well a student will achieve in the classroom. This validity, as far as I know, has not been proven and was certainly not intended to become the biggest indicator of potential college ACHIEVEMENT.
In other words, I believe that standardized college-entrance exams need to receive less emphasis from colleges and universities for admission. The test was only established to give colleges a raw indicator of a student's ability to think fast and superficially, and it was never intended to become a test of a student's achievement or potential achievement in college.
On a personal level, I have not found the ACT or SAT to be a fair way of validating a person's potential in college. I am currently making a 5.0 weighted G.P.A., I am ranked 4th in my class unweighted and around 11 or 12 weighted. I am in a plethera of extracurricular activities, including Swimming, Cross Country, Mock Trial, Key Club, and National Honor Society. I have received nominations to attend two major service academies. Yet, my ACT score is a 29, and I have only managed to obtain a score of 24 in Math. A score which the Air Force Academy (for which I have a nomination to attend) informs me is not competitive for admission. Apparently, a score of 26 is competitive. A two point difference on a standardized test now rests between me and my dreams. A two point difference on a test that was supposed to indicate raw ability. (Raw meaning taken without preparation or study, which is almost unheard of for the "standardized" tests of today).
Anyone else agree that these tests unfairly may have become too emphasized in the college admission process? I know I sure do.
College Admissions try to take lots of things into account but most of what they are trying to evaluate is pretty subjective. It is easy to pad an application with community and extracurricular activities that a student may have joined but really did not participate in. Grades from most high schools are ridiculously inflated. If a student isn't carrying very close to an A then they aren't college material. Grades are useless as a basis for comparing one student to another particularly from different schools but even within schools some kids take hard classes and others don't.
Tests are about the only objective measure that colleges have for comparing students against each other. They may not be completely fair but if I were a college admissions person and I had two promising kids with otherwise fairly equal college applications I would pick the one with the higher test scores every single time.
Anything less would be terribly unfair to the kid with the high scores. How could you explain that to them? They would be blogging here that they had a great grades, great extra-curriculars AND great test scores and they got passed over for someone who did not test as well.
I agree that standardized tests are deeply flawed... I would, however, be intrigued to know how you managed a 4.5 GPA.