It’s official! Harvard released an announcement stating that not only are SAT Subject Tests optional (which they announced in March) but now SAT and ACT scores are also going to be optional for this upcoming application cycle. In their introduction, Harvard states that due to elevated levels of anxiety and uncertainty, that they are making this adjustment because they: “want to be helpful in any way we can.”
Ooooookay? A little heavy-handed in our opinion, given that they are the last Ivy to announce (and one of the last schools in general) that they’re waiving the ACT/SAT requirement. If they *really* and truly wanted to be “helpful,” they’d have waived this requirement a long time ago, and permanently. But before we go into that, let’s take a look at their official language. We’ve underlined the key takeaways.
Harvard College will allow students to apply for admission to the Class of 2025 without requiring standardized test scores. We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable challenges in scheduling tests for all students, particularly those from modest economic backgrounds, and we believe this temporary change addresses these challenges.
Consistent with Harvard’s whole-person admissions process, standardized tests are only one factor among many. Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years – including community involvement, employment, and help given to students’ families are considered as part of our process. However, students who find themselves limited in the activities they can pursue due to the current coronavirus outbreak will not be disadvantaged as a result, nor will students who are only able to present pass/fail grades or other similar marks on their transcripts this spring.
Students who do not submit standardized testing this coming year will not be disadvantaged in the application process. Their applications will be considered on the basis of what they have presented, and they are encouraged to send whatever materials they believe would convey their accomplishments in secondary school and their promise for the future.
Alright -- here’s the deal. Not a lot of new stuff here, and you should definitely familiarize yourself with other similar statements released by nearly all of the other Ivies. It’s unavoidable that Harvard will certainly still take a peek and consider your test scores should you submit them. They can and will help you. But their whole language is about how those students who don’t submit them won’t be disadvantaged. Hard for us to believe that that’s entirely true, but we’re going to give Harvard small props for explicitly stating that work and/or contributing to the family unit’s well-being during this time are valuable and will be considered as a part of their extracurricular profile.
Harvard’s additional mention and acknowledgment that COVID-19 has impacted students from “modest economic backgrounds” more so than students from “not-so-modest economics backgrounds” reinforces our belief and call for schools like Harvard to go test-optional permanently. Because, newsflash, this is the case in non-COVID-19 times as well. Test scores are merely a scorecard for wealth and access to resources like test prep tools, tutors, extra time, etc. Poor or middle-class students just do not have the same resources as do kids from upper-middle and wealthy backgrounds, and as a result, their scores are not as high. The SAT and ACT are not a measure of raw intelligence or merit, full stop. They are a measure of how easily you can access the resources that help attain higher scores.
We challenge the Ivy League to take this time to reflect on their testing policies and we urge them to extend their test-optional status indefinitely. That would really shake things up.
If you want to chat more about testing, or anything related to your college applications, don’t hesitate to call or email us with questions.