College Education? Whatever.
Some Ga. colleges waiving SAT, ACT requirements
I’m not sure what to make of this article from Macon.com but, I have a feeling I don’t like it.
S.A.T., A.C.T., I don’t care, but, at least try…
My S.A.T. score was great! I studied my hot young ass off in high school, finished all my class requirements and graduated in the 11th grade; then, went right into college. Hard work. AND I NEVER GOT A BREAK!
I don’t know anything about the validity of the S.A.T. Whatever. But, now:
Come on IN! Screw the S.A.T. If you got a G.P.A. that’s, hmm, something above a C++++, then go to college.
“…Georgia is looking to lure more high school students into college with a pilot program that waives SAT or ACT scores as a requirement for admission to many of the state’s two-year and smaller four-year colleges…”
“…Though the program was announced in April, some Middle Georgia school counselors say they got the message just weeks ago and are hustling to get the word out to students. The experimental program was spurred by three developments, said Daniel S. Papp, the University System of Georgia’s senior vice chancellor for academics and fiscal affairs…”
Please note the words, “fiscal affairs”.
Yeah, the people who were suppose to get the word out may not know how to spell. But, I digress.
Apparently, the Board of Regents thought this would make access to a two-year collage more accessible – to, well, “publicly educated students”. Oh dear, what to contemplate next?.
“…High school counselors say they welcome the program because it opens up college to many students who would not otherwise attend…”
Or can’t get in. Okay, just ignore me and my diatribe….. read the article above and you decide.
Silver linings in SAT clouds. Georgia’s score rises, but still tied for last (AJC.com)
Look, I too had a great SAT score. However, this new policy is not aimed at the types of students you and I were. It’s aimed at those kids that are marginal. They’re hard workers, but just don’t have the background in their family of going on to college.
I agree with the article that SAT scores aren’t the best indicator of college perfromance. Those that worked hard in High School will continue to do so.
The other up side to this is maybe it will discourage administrators from pushing too many students to take the SAT. What many people do not know is that a contributing factor to Georgia’s low scores is that a much higher percentage of students are encouraged to take the test, including those that really aren’t prepared. Many states in the mid-West discourage those type of students from taking the exam, and their state averages are much higher.
Obviously, this is not the only reason for Georgia’s low scores, but it does contribute to our low ranking.
Evidently, I have rendered much of my argument useless by not proof-reading. Next time, I’ll be more careful before I click “post.”
(Man, why can’t you guys add an edit button?)
Hi Eric. Thanks for the comment. What you say makes good sense. I’ve just grown tired of all my teacher friends moaning and groaning about testing, scores, SAT’s, ACT’s and etc. Sometimes it hard to really understand what the true issue is. I appreciate your comment. P.S., sorry for the lack of an edit button.
Why should you care if someone gets accepted into Clayton St College or for that matter – Georgia St University, my alma mater? We’re not talking about colleges that already have a strict policy & limited resources, such as U of Georgia or Emory accepting as you assume ‘dumb people’. We’re basically talking about people, not that different from me, that didn’t do well in high school (but just good enough) but chose not to limit their professional career to just Walmart.
No one is trying to rain on your high scoring SAT score parade by just wanting to go to college.
The state of Georgia has the lowest SAT scores.
Why?
It’s very simple. The school boards in this state encourage college education for everyone. The school boards want everyone to take the SAT.
We have more people taking the test AND more dumb illiterates taking the test. Therefore, we have a lower average because we have people that shouldn’t take the test, taking the test.
But they won’t show the test scores. Only an average. They won’t show how many abysmally low scores ther actually are: they cover this up.
Other states do not do this, rather they encourage non-academic and illiterates to stay home on test day.
OH, i didn’t read the other comments before I posted. Seems someone else knew this, too. Ciao.
I think the bottom line is this: Test scores do show a little bit of intelligence, but some of these tests aren’t the best judge of whether or not someone is going to be successful, either in educational environments or work-wise. But, alas, you have to play by the rules.
Cully Perlman (GSU Graduate Alumni)
President
Degreedate.com
http://www.degreedate.com
Waving SAT requirements for Junior Colleges–brilliant idea! For the determined, give em a shot at college; get out of their way. Let success or failure be on them.
My hat’s off to people who score 14 hundred on their SAT. That’s a milestone out of reach for a lot of us. Please accept the praise; sorry you never got a break.
There is nothing wrong with making education available. Why can’t it be a win-win for everybody? This is, after all, a founding principles of American self-government.
Hi Gregory. You just used the “American Self-Government” magic words! Right you are! That is a perfect perspective. I’ve always believed in self-government and personal responsibility (as I’m a good Libertarian) Lot’s of my posts are to gain personal insight into a situation I don’t know enough about. (even though I come across a little rough some times).
I think it is very important that people understand that test or no test or 100 tests… if you want to achieve your personal educational goals, you can if you are determined.
While I am not a big fan of the public education system, I do believe those who attend it, and I did, can certainly achieve, and have achieved, great things if they self-govern themselves and take personal responsibility above anyone else. Thanks for your comment. Steve Beville
As far as I am concerned, the public school system places too much emphasis on college, when many students are not college material.
Georgia Tech, GSU, UG-A, and Emory have very, very bright students, but I question the value of a college education at some small state colleges.
Technical school education is largely ignored, as the major emphasis is on Plato, science, and the romance languages. Yeah, these pursuits are ok for the academically gifted students, but how many students are academically gifted?
Each person has natural gifts and talents, and these tests don’t always reveal one’s natural abilities. For example, salesmanship is gift that not everyone is blessed in abundance. Bill Gates may have an IQ of a 1000, but he would fail miserably in sales.
Sadly, the job market is now brutally competitive. Thankfully, it will be a short-term thing–maybe for another 10 years. As the boomers start to retire, many jobs will go begging.
In the past, a job interview was usually a one-time thing. Now college graduates are facing not one interview, but two interviews, and sometimes three interviews. The potential apllicants are grilled endlessly to weed out the ones who are not in the top 5%.
Many companies have patterned their job performance ratings with the model of GE, and Jack Welch’s philosophy: “An employee is dead weight if you’re not in the top 20%.
All I can say is work for yourself if you can.
Chad