According to this piece in The New York Times, Smith College and Wake Forest University are the latest universities to drop the SAT and ACT requirements for admission. Of course, there are several hundred other schools that have already done so, but this bodes well for the future as more top schools see that dropping the SAT/ACT requirement actually results in greater diversity of applicants and does not result in a reduced level of academic performance among admitted students.
Plenty of colleges are making this move and relying upon high school curriculum, classroom performance, writing ability, extracurricular activities and evidence of character and talent to help them select members of their incoming freshman class.
Newer trend: there is an increasing number of colleges that are no longer accepting AP scores for advanced credit, so don’t think that filling your schedule with AP courses is the best option. There are a number of better ones (wait until you read the stories in my book from students who are doing things differently and blasting ahead of their peers!)…
Old school…or bold school? You get to choose. Those who are playing the old game are going to be unpleasantly surprised when they discover that the rules have changed and their approach is no longer relevant–or strategic.
Bold schoolers know better–they’re already moving forward by seeing that the head-down path to college is limiting, stressful, expensive, and terribly unimaginative.
Smart? Good.
Smart and Creative? Better.
Smart, Creative and Bold? Stellar.
