I’ve decided that for the rest of my high school career I will not be giving any more money to the college board. I find their privatization of and monopoly over the education system very unsettling. While it is a non-profit, its executives make millions and it generates a huge profit. Anyways, I will still be taking many AP classes because I need to be challenged, but will not be taking the AP exams or SAT (I’ll likely take the ACT). Am I shooting myself in the foot for college admissions?
It depends. Do you want to earn college credits from AP tests? Do you want to possibly be able to place out of Intro level courses at all kinds of colleges, even very selective ones? Are you at all interested in applying to foreign unis that require AP test scores? If so, then, yes, you are.
I think you are. I agree with you on how disgusting it is that they charge so much to take tests that are a requirement for a lot of colleges and it is a monopoly. However…
- A lot of colleges require the SAT. It provides a standard that they can judge applicants on equally. Some colleges allow you to choose SAT or ACT, but most prestigious ones require both, some even requiring subject tests.
- (depending on the college) AP Tests can be an invaluable resource if you do well on them. I have 32 college credits from my AP Tests, allowing me to essentially skip my freshman year of CC.
Most of the schools I’m interested in have pretty stingy AP policies, and a lot of them are test-optional (my first choice right now is Smith). I don’t know of any college that requires the SAT over ACT. I’m more wondering about how it will affect my chances of actually getting in.
At my D’s school, they require you to take the AP exam if they offer both AP and Honors level of the same course. If you choose not to take the test, you’ll only have the Honors level on your transcript. You may want to talk to your GC to understand if your school has similar policies.
That sounds like colleges to me, but I am sure that you won’t be boycotting colleges anytime soon.
I used to like Bernie too (and still do to some extent), but I’ve learned to accept the system of society (maybe it’s just me getting tired and burned out).
Anyways, don’t let your political idealism shoot you in the foot, that’s just my 2 cents.
I assume that the college you attend charges tuition and other fees, that the professors are all paid, that someone is working a job for profit to pay for your education, and that one of your goals in attending college is to eventually earn a gainful living. This seems like a misguided rebellion.
If you apply to any schools that use the CSS Profile, you’ll be dealing with the College Board for that.
No place requires both the SAT and the ACT. Every place that requires a standardized exam accepts results from each of them - if you only take the ACT that will be OK. Some places specifically require SAT II exams. Some places accept ACT scores in lieu of SAT II, so you can save money and time just taking the ACT. You have to check each place to verify the specific policy.
Test optional is great. For a current list, see fairtest.org
If you aren’t going to get credit for the AP exams and your high school doesn’t require that you take them, then there is no reason to expend your time, energy, and money on them. If you do end up at a place that awards a lot of credit for exams, check out the CLEP exams. Yes they are owned by the College Board too, but they are shorter, a bit easier, and can be taken whenever it is convenient for you unlike the APexams.
Note, however, that some schools give no credit for AP exams but do use them for placement.
Also, be sure to check the AP policy of your safeties. You have no assurance of getting into any of the “top” schools.
As the saying goes, don’t cut off your nose despite your face.
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Some people do better on the ACT, others on the SAT. Take the test that suits you best. (Do you really thing the administrators of the ACT are that different from the College Board?). Test optional schools are great and there are many options, but I would not limit yourself to only applying to test optional schools.
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Check to see if taking the AP test is required for your HS AP classes.
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Consider if getting AP credit in college can help you down the line.
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I don’t think the president of the ACT is paid much differently than the president of College Board. Found this (a little old) in a two second google search. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/09/30/how-much-do-big-education-nonprofits-pay-their-bosses-quite-a-bit-it-turns-out/?utm_term=.5fa063510254
@happy1, in case it wasn’t a typo, it’s ‘to spite’ not ‘despite’. “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face” 
You’re sitting so high in the saddle that it’s quite possible.
I agree with @RMNiMiTz and most of the other comments: While I am VERY sympathetic with your dislike of the college board, I think that you might be hurting yourself more than you are hurting them.
In general, it is a lot easier to find fault with the current systems that run our country (or any country) than it is to find systems that work better. One problem is these things called “people”, who tend to mess up a lot of organizations. However, in most cases we need to live with the resulting imperfections, and hope to do better when we get a chance.
If you will be applying for financial aid at Smith (or many other schools), you will be required to file a CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA, which is yet another College Board ‘tool.’
Here’s the current list of schools that require the CSS Profile:
https://profileonline.collegeboard.org/prf/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet.srv
It is possible to boycott the College Board, as all schools that require standardized testing will accept either the ACT or SAT, and not all schools require the Profile. But you may indeed be shooting yourself in the foot if you’re looking to attend one of the more highly selective schools. Not taking the AP tests could be a problem, as your score on the test is what validates what you’ve learned in the classroom, which does matter to those schools with admission rates under 20 percent.
Either way, I think that if it’s well researched, your views on the matter might make for an interesting essay.