Essay About College Admissions

The winter and spring of your senior year in high school are filled with excitement, disappointment, overwhelm, and all the emotions in between as college application results come in. As these precious emails and papers arrive, dreams will be made, hearts will be broken, and futures will be decided. The pivotal months between December and April determine the future for millions of impressionable seniors across America. Along with all the emotions experienced throughout the college admission process, also comes the question, ‘Are college admissions authentic?’ In  2019 this question became more apparent due to the high-profile Operation Varsity Blues scandal. The orchestrator, former college counselor Rick Singer, inflated, fabricated, or created false college applications, mostly by using the ‘side door’ method. Parents wrote large checks to Singer’s business, to hide the fact that they were bribes. These payments were distributed to college coaches and administrators, ensuring a college placement for the graduating students. College admissions need more authenticity to even the playing field for applicants (focusing on the SAT and ACT), prevent admissions scandals, and create a more transparent application process.

Many people believe the SAT and ACTs are the best way to determine academic and future paths. According to the New York Times, article Should Students Be Required to Take the SAT and ACT to Apply to College? “The tests provide important information beyond assessing achievement. Some studies have shown that SAT and ACT scores, combined with a student’s grade point average and other factors, can help predict a student’s success in college, especially in the crucial first year” (Doyne). As painful as these tests are, the research shows that taking the SAT or ACT demonstrates college-related skills that may not be reflected in high school grades. The Stanford Review has similar opinions. “Students from poorly-performing public schools need the SAT to prove that their grades are meaningful. Unlike students at schools like Exeter [a high-class college preparatory private school], which have well-known academic programs and strong relationships with elite schools, these students will not get the benefit of the doubt without quantitative scores” (Barry). Not only do standardized tests help capture strengths that grades cannot, but they also help students from underfunded schools validate their grades, extracurriculars, and overall high school transcript to prove their college potential. For the last 100 years, these tests have been the standard admission tool students provide colleges to capture their capabilities. However, a new study from The Wall Street Journal showcases a student who earned a near-perfect SAT score and was still rejected by multiple top U.S. colleges. Recent reports like these show how unhelpful standardized tests are in the college application process.  The SAT and ACTs are one of the main biases in admissions.

For young Americans, test preparation begins months in advance, with most upper and middle-class students meeting routinely with SAT/ACT counselors.  As months of studying come to an end, you nervously walk into the cold testing room and the pressure is overwhelming. The continuous and stressful test preparation to do your best leads many students to get private tutors or counselors to help them study. However, these resources are far from affordable, meaning mostly upper-class students have access. “Socioeconomically disadvantaged test-takers simply cannot afford the benefits of SAT preparation services in the form of private tutors or classes that cost thousands of dollars” (Aspegren). The unfair advantage that upper-class students have over less privileged students means these tests are not “standardized” and the playing field is often far from equal. Another inconsistency within standardized testing is the SAT’s racial bias. “A new study… [shows] that the average test scores of black students trail those of white students not just because of economic disadvantages, but because some parts of the test result in differential scores by race” (Jaschik). The confirmation of this racial bias has severely affected the validity of the test. If there is this much bias within a test that is considered standardized, is it fair to use such an unreliable tool? This is especially frustrating when better options exist to craft more authentic applications.

Since the 2019 Operation Varsity Blue scandal broke, some schools have controversially taken the necessary extra measures to ensure the validity of their applicants' applications. One of the most affected areas by admission scandals in athletics. Previously, parents used bribes to ensure their child would get a spot on school athletic teams; it's much easier to create the appearance of an athlete than a math genius. According to the Time magazine article called “A Year After the College Admissions Scandal, Here's What Has (and Has Not) Changed,”  “The University of Southern California—where three former coaches and a former senior associate athletic director were accused of helping students gain admission in exchange for bribes—said it had strengthened its process for reviewing student-athlete applications, requiring that three athletics officials review each file before sending it on to admissions officers. The university will also audit athletic rosters twice each year and cross-check it against admissions lists” (Reilly). New processes, like triple-checking athletes’ transcripts at The University of Southern California, prevent fraudulent applications.  Laurel Gift, a former prosecutor, is One professional who has taken a stance since the Varsity Blues scandal. According to Operation Varsity Blues: Insights on the College Admissions Scandal from a Former Prosecutor “universities should consider an audit of their admissions procedures to identify any potential weaknesses or red flags. One type of admissions audit can involve randomly selecting applications to verify and confirm the information contained in prospective students’ files, perhaps emailing and calling some students” (Gift). By randomly selecting student files to confirm their information, colleges can prevent fraudulent or inflated applications, ensuring that deserving students get in.

As the college application and acceptance season comes to an end, emotions run wild. Some teenagers are locked in their rooms, crying themselves to sleep; others are rejoicing with their families while they sign scholarship papers for their dream school. Colleges must keep in mind the need for a more fair and authentic application process by preventing further admission fraud and creating a fairer application field. In the coming months and short years, imagine the euphoric feeling of knowing you belong at your chosen schools, instead of the guilt-ridden one of knowing you don't deserve to be there.