Interesting opinion article on admissions policy

arador
Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:15:43 +0000

Not even the collegeboard really claims that the SAT measures ‘merit’ or ‘intelligence’ or ‘scholastic ability’ any more. Some test…like chemistry tests, ro subject specific ones, are quite a bit better. However, I personally believe that a single standardized test for an entire nation of ~300 million people is bound to have built in expectations for a subject’s upbringing and culture, particularly in verbal sections, as math is more concrete.

If there was an accurate way to measure ‘merit,’ then by all means, please use it. however I do not believe the SAT is in any way a measure of merit.

And just because some people can change their socio-economic status does not mean any one could. Very few Americans see the massive class-changes that athletes achieve. The Horatio Alger stories are largelly mythical.