Test scores just a piece of college admissions puzzle
Published 11:05 pm Tuesday, October 25, 2011
High school juniors and seniors who are uneasy about taking the SAT and ACT exams can take a deep breath.
Most college admissions focus on more than just exam scores before deciding who to accept, said career counselors at Edmonds School District high schools.
“The most important thing is to relax,” said Jillian Wellington, school-to-work coordinator at Edmonds-Woodway High School. “You should never rely on one piece of your puzzle to be the clinching factor.”
Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds-Woodway high schools, for example, offer websites, Facebook pages and bulletin boards exclusively listing resources to guide students.
Students have access to dates for when colleges are visiting, application deadlines, links to scholarships, information about apprenticeships and the military, events to help students draft college admissions essays and dates for college exams.
The schools also offer the PSAT, a practice test for the SAT, to juniors and sophomores, on a space-available basis to help them become familiar with the exam.
Students should plan to take the SAT or ACT at least once during the spring of their junior year, advises Erika Spellman, school-to-work coordinator at Mountlake Terrace High School. It gives students enough time to prepare to test once more during the fall of senior year.
Colleges look at both test scores and take the highest math and verbal scores from each try, she said.
Spellman said some stressed students have told her they’re not going to college because they did poorly on the exams. She encourages them to try again if they can afford it and remember it’s one of many factors admissions staff consider.
“We explain that it’s a one-time test that helps assist colleges in making a decision,” she said.
On the West Coast, most colleges favor a holistic approach when sorting through applications, the counselors agreed.
Admissions departments look at GPA, personal statements and essays, community service and extracurricular activities, and the rigor of the classes applicants have taken, in addition to SAT and ACT scores.
“Colleges recognize that test scores are a reflection of a student during a test administration on a particular Saturday,” Ann Nault, a counselor at Meadowdale High School, wrote in an email. “If the student has strong grades in the academic core, strong writing skills demonstrated on the application, and if the student is able to and submits academic letters of recommendation, the test scores will be more the anomaly than the accurate reflection.”
East Coast schools do place a stronger emphasis on GPA and test scores, however.
“With the holistic review process students shouldn’t feel crippled by their scores,” Wellington said.
Based on the National Association for College Admission Counseling 2011 State of College Admission released in October, test scores continue to be one of the top factors in admission, Nault said.
“This being said, when one looks at all the factors considered, overall GPA, strength of curriculum, test scores, writing samples, recommendations, and involvement in school and community, test scores often are not going to be the determining factor for admissibility,” she wrote.
Edmonds-Woodway’s International Baccalaureate program has helped students stand out at colleges. University of Chicago officials, for example, have said students were prepared thanks to the IB program, Wellington said.
Wellington encourages students to write a top-notch admissions essay and showcase their extracurricular activities.
“It tells the rest of the story through other pieces of the puzzle,” she said. “It’s a person being admitted, not a test score.”
That’s not a pass to blow off the exams however.
“It’s still important to take them seriously and prepare,” Wellington said. “You want every piece to shine.”
More info
Edmonds School District high schools offer websites dedicated to helping students choose their path after graduation:
Edmonds-Woodway
http://tinyurl.com/ewcareercenter and on Facebook at “EWHS Career Center”
Mountlake Terrace
http://tinyurl.com/mltcareercenter and on Facebook at “MTHS Career Center”
Meadowdale
http://tinyurl.com/mhscareercenter
Lynnwood
http://tinyurl.com/lhscareercenter and on Facebook at “Lynnwood High School Career Center”
Scriber Lake
