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They’re still only marginally useful because the SAT is too easy. Harvard has enough applicants with 99 percentile scores to fill their incoming class multiple

They’re still only marginally useful because the SAT is too easy. Harvard has enough applicants with 99 percentile scores to fill their incoming class multiple times over.

function_seven 3y ago
But if they're not looking at test scores, then they start admitting 80th-percentile applicants without knowing it. Applicants that got help writing their personal statements, or padded their time in high school with the "right" extracurriculars. The ones who have a 4.5 GPA because grades don't mean shit anymore. Plenty of high school graduates have the 4.5 GPA and a snazzy personal statement and all the right "add-ons", but aren't actually equipped to succeed at Harvard. The SAT is plenty useful to evaluate that.
- chatmasta 3y ago
  Agreed. That’s why I called them “marginally” useful - they’re an additional datapoint but not useful as the primary discriminator (pun intended).
ausbah 3y ago
maybe these gigantic institutions with billions and billions in endowment and reputation should use those resources to expand access to their school instead keeping access as low as possible
- ghaff 3y ago
  You mean like MOOCs? And there's the Harvard Extension School. But many people want the "real" degrees.
- gottorf 3y ago
  > keeping access as low as possible That's a feature, not a bug. If everyone has a Harvard degree, nobody has a Harvard degree. A lot of the worth of one derives from its exclusivity, and the cream of the crop you meet there because of that exclusivity. I'd posit that the difference in the quality of the education itself received between Harvard and a good state school isn't worth talking about.
IncreasePosts 3y ago
Not really - ~8500 people got 1550(99th percentile) or better on the SAT last year. Harvard freshman class size is 1700, but there are also a number of other schools at the same tier of Harvard (off the top of my head, Princeton, MIT, U Penn, Stanford, Yale)

They’re still only marginally useful because the SAT is too easy. Harvard has enough applicants with 99 percentile scores to fill their incoming class multiple times over.

function_seven 3y ago

But if they're not looking at test scores, then they start admitting 80th-percentile applicants without knowing it. Applicants that got help writing their personal statements, or padded their time in high school with the "right" extracurriculars. The ones who have a 4.5 GPA because grades don't mean shit anymore. Plenty of high school graduates have the 4.5 GPA and a snazzy personal statement and all the right "add-ons", but aren't actually equipped to succeed at Harvard. The SAT is plenty useful to evaluate that.

chatmasta 3y ago
Agreed. That’s why I called them “marginally” useful - they’re an additional datapoint but not useful as the primary discriminator (pun intended).

ausbah 3y ago

maybe these gigantic institutions with billions and billions in endowment and reputation should use those resources to expand access to their school instead keeping access as low as possible

ghaff 3y ago
You mean like MOOCs? And there's the Harvard Extension School. But many people want the "real" degrees.
gottorf 3y ago
> keeping access as low as possible That's a feature, not a bug. If everyone has a Harvard degree, nobody has a Harvard degree. A lot of the worth of one derives from its exclusivity, and the cream of the crop you meet there because of that exclusivity. I'd posit that the difference in the quality of the education itself received between Harvard and a good state school isn't worth talking about.

IncreasePosts 3y ago

Not really - ~8500 people got 1550(99th percentile) or better on the SAT last year. Harvard freshman class size is 1700, but there are also a number of other schools at the same tier of Harvard (off the top of my head, Princeton, MIT, U Penn, Stanford, Yale)