News-Record.com

Steps to college: Study hard. Make good grades. Excel in extra-curricular activities. Take the SAT.

But wait, that last step might not be necessary in the journey to get into the college of your dreams.

Many college-bound students might be surprised to learn that some colleges and universities have decided to make standardized tests, such as the SAT or ACT, an optional part of the admissions process. In May, Wake Forest University joined the likes of Bowdoin College, Connecticut College and Smith College and many others who have made the tests optional for incoming freshmen.

With the recent announcement from Wake, the much-debated topic of optional standardized testing hits close to home. As a student who had not been introduced to the idea of making these tests optional, I found it a bit mind-blowing. After all, taking the SAT falls on the path most students follow to get from high school to college - much like going to prom or getting yearbook pictures made.

Then, I started to really think about it, and I too began to question the real importance of these tests. Is the test fair for everyone? Who really benefits from the test? And why is one test so important?

Upon considering these questions, I had to dig deep just to find my own stance on the subject. In the end, I agreed with making the scores optional. But before justifying my position, let's take a look at what the SAT intended to do.

The Official SAT Study Guide describes the test as "a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college." There you have it.

Whether the SAT actually does this is not so clear-cut.

Many studies have indicated that high scores are more closely related to socioeconomic status than to how well a student will perform in the collegiate atmosphere. These studies have been so compelling that they have drawn the attention of scholars such as Joseph Soares, an associate professor of sociology at Wake.

"We need to keep admissions tied to what youths do in high school," Soares said, "not to what they do in four hours on a test that weakly predicts college grades but strongly correlates with family income and race."

The close correlation with income is, in part, because the SAT preparation usually comes with fees. That automatically draws a line between households that can afford the costs and those that can't.

The new policy will go into effect for the freshmen class of 2009 at Wake. Benefits Wake officials hope to gain include a wider pool of applicants and a more diverse campus.

In essence, the SAT brings students from across this nation and beyond to the table to perform the same task, but some have been given a pencil and others haven't.

You might ask, as I did, what criterion should be viewed if the SAT is to be omitted. According to Soares and others, high school GPA is the best indicator of academic success in college.

Not having SAT scores will make the admissions process harder for college officials. They will not be able to eliminate applicants by taking one glance at scores. Admissions officers now will have to look more closely at GPAs, rigor of curriculum, school involvement, and other criteria.

When that takes place, students who have been committed to their studies get the time and attention they deserve.