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The ability to do academic work should determine who gets into college, not race, national origin, sex, or any other immutable characteristic. Mike Gonzalez and Lindsey Burke write:
“Don’t lie to yourself about how much effort you’re putting in,” says Amisha, a student from New Jersey who scored a 1540 on her SAT, adding: “If you’re putting in minimal effort and telling yourself that it’ll be enough—chances are it very well won’t be.”
“Visualize yourself attending your dream college whenever you feel demoralized,” advises Rushil, an Abu Dhabi student who scored a 1570 on the SAT out of a possible 1600 after prepping for nearly 75 hours.
These two students put in hours upon hours of hard work and diligent study to be successful on the SAT. Yet, if they hoped to demonstrate their college potential next year to, say, the University of California, Berkeley, they’d be out of luck. That’s because a California court just eliminated one of the ways in which students can show merit: through the SAT and the ACT.
The public University of California System’s Board of Regents announced its decision as the outcome of a settlement agreement Friday that will prevent the UC System from considering SAT or ACT scores for admission and scholarship decisions through at least 2025.
[Mike Gonzalez and Lindsey Burke, "Whither Meritocracy? University of California Scraps the SAT," May 18]
