On April 12, 2023, Oswego High School Juniors will take part in the controversial SAT. Over the past couple of years, more doubt has been raised on the effectiveness of a standardized test’s ability to sum up a student’s vast academic career into a single test.
The SAT is not the important tool it once was when making college decisions. The ultimately outdated test places an overwhelming amount of pressure on the students participating in it.
“ think it’s worth the stress,” junior Sophia Clinton says.
When asked the same question, another junior, Addison Gerwig, says, “They’re a waste of time, and no one takes them seriously.”
Met with the same response from various students, we can confidently say the SAT does more damage than good, and many of OHS’s students are in agreement. After COVID-19 shifted the requirements of college applicants, an increasing amount of high school students will not attend traditional universities.
The SAT’s grasp on administration boards around the country seems to be slipping.
Over 1,800 universities will be test optional for first-time applicants for the fall of 2023, including some of the most prestigious schools like Harvard, Brown, and Columbia. If some of our most highly viewed universities are getting rid of this outdated measure, why wouldn’t we look to follow their lead?
“Probably not even going to take it”, until she realized she has to, even though “the college going to is test-optional,” according to OHS junior Marissa Moffet.
Despite the rising number of students that will decline submission of their test scores, some are taking measures to prepare for it– either by choice or by force of parents.
“ is making me go to the library and get books to study,” Gerwig says.
Others take a more intense route, like OHS junior Danielle Ditellia who, “go to tutoring twice a week”.
Regardless of those who are studying, these efforts are futile to some after taking the test.
OHS Senior, Molly Waldron further reflects on her experience taking the SAT, and when asked what she did to prepare she said, “took ACT/SAT prep class, but it didn’t do anything”.
Waldron supported this by stating she would have “not taken it” if given the opportunity.
So, if you are still encouraged to study for a standardized test, there is no shame and we praise you for following through with ambition! Take a Khan Academy course, or go get tutoring to help you study and do your best. With all this in mind, it is crucial that districts take steps to ease the pressure of the SAT on students and realize the consequences that could arise from bombarding kids with the exam. Mixed situations and lack of care from many make the SAT feel less important by the hour, and OHS students still being required to take part causes immense panic and wastes time for students whose future lives it might not impact that much.
