<p>
</p>
<p>Bowdoin and Bates, just to name two, are not “fringe.”</p>
<p>The real reason why schools are “scores optional” is up for debate, of course. Since only students with good scores submit them, it enables the insitutions in question to present higher average scores for ranking purposes. Few have the intestinal fortitude to opt out of USN&WR.</p>