USD Magazine, Spring 2002

' 'We're all pretty stressed out

by the SAT, and it's even worse

when we see seniors who

worked so hard and scored

really well get turned

down by colleges?'

by Michael R. Haskins

AKE A FEW SECONDS AND PONDER THIS: Did che SAT ruin your life? Have you ever been turned down for a job based on your SAT score? Are you now less successful or fulfilled chan che kid who, years ago, scored 50 points higher on the SAT than you did? Ridiculous questions, aren't they? Yet, as you read this, thousands of high school scudents nationwide are anxiously awaiting their scores from the March 16 SAT, wholly convinced chat the three hours they spent on a Saturday morning caking the rest could make - or break - their fucures. In recent years, a cul cure of panic has sprung up around che SAT, a once-innocuous rest designed to help college admissions officers predict a scudent's first-year college performance. Fed by highly publicized college rankings that showcase stellar SAT scores, hyped-up media reports on the supposedly ultra-competitive university admissions process, and the public relations efforts of colleges themselves, scudents and parents have been led to believe that a stratospheric SAT score is viral. A high score, they believe, is the key char will unlock admission into che hallowed halls of the few elite universities chat can magically guarantee a successful life. With this notion in mind, students now pay an inordinate amount of accention to SAT scores. Some begin preparing for che cesc, taken in che junior or senior year of high school, in the seventh grade. By the time they sic down co cake the SAT, it's not unusual for students to have taken dozens of practice cescs and paid hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars to cesc preparation agencies and tutors. Others cake the SAT as many as a half-dozen rimes in an effort to bring up their scores. They may well have studied hundreds of hours for this one test, at the expense of pursuing ocher activities and interests. Ir's a not a private thing, either. When the SAT scores scare arriving in the mail, you can bee that che first question kids ask each ocher in home– room will be, "What did you gee?" "Every kid I meet is so stressed about getting into college chat SAT preparation rakes away rime from enjoying che rest of their lives," says Ali Norman, a USD graduate counseling student who works pare-time at San Diego's Kearny High School. "With chat much pressure, some worry to the point chat they gee sick during che cesc." And ic's hogwash. Yes, a decent SAT score is an important pare of a high school student's college application package. But lee's add some per– spective. There are about 4,000 colleges and universities in the country, all of which produce successful, well-rounded and intelligent graduates. Beyond the top-ranked 100 or so schools - the ones that reject more than half che students who apply - che SAT score isn't among che most important considerations in an admissions decision.

IS

SPRING 2002