4 ms·

Doesn't it signal to prospective students to submit their best application and be judged holistically? Supposedly that's what all universities claim to do. It'

by zahma 4y ago

Doesn't it signal to prospective students to submit their best application and be judged holistically? Supposedly that's what all universities claim to do. It's easy to start quantifying application success based on several indicators like GPA, SAT/ACT scores, number and volume of extra-curriculars, and may some others. However, there are circumstances and other factors that are not quantifiable that universities claim to take into account. Sure a good SAT score works to your advantage, and everyone will know that until society's worked out something better. But an SAT shouldn't be the golden standard, and supposedly with holistic admissions it isn't. I can see how masking the SAT score data might look duplicitous, but it may be an earnest attempt to encourage prospective students to see themselves as more than a matrix of numbers.

prepend 4y ago
I don’t think so. I think it signals a secret level of expectations and information asymmetry as the average sat score is still available to admissions people. It will be interesting if this leads to higher or lower mean and median scores. I expect that scores will go up as the assumption by applicants is that only super high scores will result in admission. Part of their “holistic” process includes SAT so the score does matter. I consider “holistic” BS marketing speak as of course everything in the admin packet is used and there’s never been a situation in my lifetime that a specific score meant automatic admission.
- olsonjeffery 4y ago
  There’s actually another, simpler explanation: they’re doing exactly what they’re saying. Not releasing SAT scores of admitted students might mean that their experiments with “holistic” admission results in lower average SATs. Hence their de-emphasis of test scores.
  - prepend 4y ago
    Perhaps, but that seems stupid as test scores are very useful for determining if someone will successfully complete college, and many other factors. If their goal is to de-emphasize SAT scores then they should be cool with releasing SAT scores to emphasize that their de-emphasis approach has changed the patterns in SAT.
buscoquadnary 4y ago
People that remove objective transparent measures often do so because they are preventing them from doing they want to do that are contrary to those measures. The more objective, open, and clear the measures are the better everyone can understand what is required, when you change to a "Holistic" measure it suddenly goes to whatever the admissions officer wants to do or feels like doing. Remember the opposite of objective is arbitrary.
- glitchc 4y ago
  Hit the nail on the head, you did. Princeton is moving to a more exclusive admissions model where the top SAT score does not guarantee acceptance anymore. Luxury Brand indeed! For shame.

by zahma 4y ago

prepend 4y ago

I don’t think so. I think it signals a secret level of expectations and information asymmetry as the average sat score is still available to admissions people. It will be interesting if this leads to higher or lower mean and median scores. I expect that scores will go up as the assumption by applicants is that only super high scores will result in admission. Part of their “holistic” process includes SAT so the score does matter. I consider “holistic” BS marketing speak as of course everything in the admin packet is used and there’s never been a situation in my lifetime that a specific score meant automatic admission.

olsonjeffery 4y ago
There’s actually another, simpler explanation: they’re doing exactly what they’re saying. Not releasing SAT scores of admitted students might mean that their experiments with “holistic” admission results in lower average SATs. Hence their de-emphasis of test scores.
- prepend 4y ago
  Perhaps, but that seems stupid as test scores are very useful for determining if someone will successfully complete college, and many other factors. If their goal is to de-emphasize SAT scores then they should be cool with releasing SAT scores to emphasize that their de-emphasis approach has changed the patterns in SAT.

buscoquadnary 4y ago

People that remove objective transparent measures often do so because they are preventing them from doing they want to do that are contrary to those measures. The more objective, open, and clear the measures are the better everyone can understand what is required, when you change to a "Holistic" measure it suddenly goes to whatever the admissions officer wants to do or feels like doing. Remember the opposite of objective is arbitrary.

glitchc 4y ago
Hit the nail on the head, you did. Princeton is moving to a more exclusive admissions model where the top SAT score does not guarantee acceptance anymore. Luxury Brand indeed! For shame.