English 111 Johnson Blog

Narrative Project Portfolio Piece

laurajohnson90 — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:22:19 +0000

Laura Johnson

ENG112 Final Draft

5-1-10

“Peter what is going on?” That line was repeated so many times on the morning of September 11, 2001. I woke up to my mom watching ‘Good Morning America’, as usual. The show bored me so much, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer just annoyed me. They were the type of newscasters that made everything seem so perfect, and laughed at times when the joke was just not funny. But they didn’t laugh that day.

I was itching to know what was going on. My mom was my best friend and I felt like she was keeping a secret from me, like the kinds in Nancy Drew mystery books, my favorite. My dad just kept calling. He works down in the city of Chicago, doing something with the stock market, something like that. It was 7:00 in the morning, super early for her to be making all these phone calls, which really had me wondering. I woke up to watch “Two of a Kind” on ABC family, and I was going to change the channel and my mom yelled, “Laura turn channel 5 back on!” That’s when I knew something was wrong. I flicked through the channels until I saw this. . At the time I just thought maybe a pilot of a plane was a little tired and the plane accidently ran into a building, but I was so wrong.

My mom didn’t want to tell us what was going on, even though clearly I am the oldest and I could have understood whatever this was that was going on. I finished a S’mores Pop Tart, my favorite thing to eat for breakfast and my mom silently loaded Mark, Megan and I into the car to go off to Greenbriar. She didn’t talk at all in the car, and usually we can’t get her to shut her mouth. “Love you mom” she didn’t say anything back, and then I slammed the door of the Suburban and watched her drive away, she had no expression on her face. I went to go swing on the swings. Everyday we had Mom drop us off early so we would have just enough time to play on the playground before school, but not too much because otherwise it gets boring. I could hear kids around me gossiping about what had happened on the TV. My friend Ellie and I were talking about it too, making our own assumptions. Then the bell rang and I had to get into Ms. Shea’s classroom, I knew she would tell me what this was all about.

I was wrong. When we walked into class it was super awkward. I am the queen of awkwardness, so when I say something was awkward, it must be bad because I am that girl who creates awkward moments and thinks nothing of it. Ms. Shea was silent. She is an older women from the south who didn’t take anyone’s crap. She was known as the mean teacher for the fifth grade, and of course with my luck I got her for my last year at Greenbriar. For some reason though she seemed to really like me which was why I thought she would give us some kind of explanation as to why the adults were acting so strange this morning.

Everyone just sat in their desks silently, no one knew what to say. Then the announcements came on and we had a moment of silence. This is when I discovered a pilot had not just fallen asleep flying his plane, it was something much more serious than that. Right after the announcements, Ms. Shea told us to all sit down, and this morning she didn’t have to tell the rude boys in the back of the class to be quiet because everyone was scared to make a peep. She said, “students this morning there were terrorists that had plotted and succeeded to fly planes into major buildings in the United States, The World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the last one hit in a field.” This is when the tears came. Some of the girls in my class were so immediately scared about the idea of terrorists and planes crashing that they started hysterically crying. I just sat there. I didn’t know what to do or what to think. I was obviously so scared and sad about what just happened, but at that moment, tears didn’t come rushing out of my eyes like they did to some other girls. Once everyone got calmed down, we started our regular school day. Obviously it was awkward because no one knew how to act. Ms. Shea was so quiet the whole day I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

When I got home, my mom was the same way as when I left for school, quiet and sad. I asked her exactly what this all meant. She said, “Laura, many people lost their moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives and friends because of what happened this morning.” Then it struck me, and that’s when the tears came out. I thought of my dad, going to work in the city just like he does every morning at 5:30 A.M. I thought of how many other kids had been just as confused as me that day, and instead of coming home to their mom, the mom is just sat there crying because the dad was in one of those buildings.

My mom calmed me down and explained that our country and president were going to try very hard to keep things like this from happening again. I just kept thinking about how unfair this all was. How unfair it was that some people got on a plane, maybe to go see their friends or family, and never got to arrive at the airport to see the loved one with a big smile on their face awaiting their arrival. I thought about how unfair it was that some moms and dads went to work that day and didn’t come back. Then I started asking my mom why this was happening. “Why did people hate us so much to do this to people in our country?” “You’re too young to understand Laura.” “No I’m not Mom, you always tell me everything this is not fair you hate me.” “Laura I don’t hate you, you know that I just don’t think you will understand this, I barely understand it!” This upset me a lot, my mom had never treated me like a baby, I was the oldest in the family and by far the most mature. Then she got up, and left the room and I just sat there. I went to watch “Even Stevens” on Disney Channel, that always made me laugh, I loved watching the stupid things that Louis did. But because of everything I just found out, today I could not even laugh. To be honest, I really didn’t understand that kind of stuff anyways, so I shut off the TV to the slamming of the door.

I had never been happier to see my dad in my life! “Dad!” I ran up to him and jumped in his arms like I was his only baby girl again, which I was until Megan came into the picture. He was happy to see me too, and I wouldn’t let go of him until he said, “Ok Laur Laur I have to go talk to Mom.” Oh boy. He obviously wanted to talk about what had been happening all morning. Of course because I am a snoop I went next to the wall of the kitchen where they were talking. Our TV room lined right up to the kitchen so I was in the perfect spot to listen. He mentioned some names of people that I hadn’t heard of, I would’ve had to be an address book to remember all the names he was saying of people who had been working in the Twin Towers that morning. I heard him say that everyone he knew personally were safe though, so I let out a sigh of relief, and that’s when I was caught. My parents came out of the kitchen and my mom of course let out the same words she says EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE, “Laura go set the table.” Of course, stupid me I blew my cover. For the rest of the night the planes had not been discussed. After dinner I did homework, showered and went to bed, just my normal routine. I laid with my eyes open in bed for a while, and I just thought about how sad it was that some girls like me wouldn’t be able to have both of their parents come turn out the light before bedtime.

The Stanford Daily

laurajohnson90 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:48:26 +0000

A new report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), completed earlier this month, recommends that colleges and universities significantly de-emphasize standardized test scores in admission decisions. Stanford’s Office of Undergraduate Admission has been receptive to the report, but will not be taking action any time soon.

One of the commission’s findings was a correlation between SAT and ACT scores and socio-economic class. Students from privileged backgrounds generally score better because they are more likely to pay for expensive classes and coaching, and thus the scores fail to accurately represent real knowledge or potential to succeed in college.

According to a 2007 College Board Score report included in the NACAC study, students from families with an income of over $100,000 receive an average score of 544 out of 800 in critical reading, 556 in math and 537 in writing. Students from families with an income of less than $10,000 receive average scores of 427, 451 and 423, respectively.

The NACAC commission study found that many college and university admission offices do place a large amount of weight on SAT or ACT scores in their decisions. When asked in a 2006 survey what factors had “considerable importance” in admission decisions, 60 percent of the universities and colleges polled included standardized test scores. In 1993, only 46 percent gave the same significance to those scores.

http://www.stanforddaily.com/cgi-bin/?p=231

Ok, so if we are trying to promote equality, we need to not have ACT and SAT be a factor in college admission. This article states statistics of income vs. test scores. So, if someone is born into a poorer family, they might not be successful because they do not have the same opportunities and may not perform as well on these tests. And this article admitted that the ACT and SAT test do play a large role with many colleges, which the last article stated the tests really didn’t. I thought this was very interesting. And I also liked how in the beginning the article stated there shouldn’t be such a large emphasis on the tests, it didn’t say eliminate them completely because this is obviously impractical with the current situation.

Do not agree

laurajohnson90 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:41:24 +0000

Standardized tests aren’t the be-all and end-all of college admission, but they do play a role. Why else would families shell out thousands of dollars for private test-prep tutoring? Universities realize that not every student is a champion test-taker, but so far these exams are their best way of putting your application into perspective.

“Because they’re a test taken by a large pool of people, they provide some external reality,” Lewis says. “In general, they help us understand the rest of the academic credentials.”

They also help admissions officers predict your likelihood of succeeding in college. Each university assigns its own degree of importance to standardized test scores, but a 36 on theACT rarely makes up for a 2.0 GPA.

Most colleges don’t have a cutoff score, but spaces are limited each year. Thus, the qualifications of other applicants can affect your chances of admittance. For instance, of students entering Stanford University in 2004, more than half had SAT scores of 700–800 on both the math and verbal sections. That same year at The Ohio State University, most incoming students scored in the 500–599 range on each section of the test.

But don’t rule out schools whose average scores you don’t meet.

“A student who has an A or B record might get some extra attention, assuming that everything else in the folder pushed us in the same direction,” Lewis says. Colleges aim for a well-rounded student body, so criteria such as minority affiliations, geographic residency, and alumni connections might work in your favor.

The bottom line is, your score won’t get you in, but it could possibly keep you out of super-selective schools. If you’ve been losing sleep over your scores, then retake the test. If possible, arrange for an in-person college interview so you can emphasize why you’re a good candidate.

Ok, first of all, yes, there is a big pool of students that apply to many universities but if schools are going to be that lazy where they cannot look at everyone’s credentials and not just their scores than thats ridiculous. I have way more respect for schools like Wake Forest who obviously have to take the time and look over everyone’s grades, activities, volunteer work, awards etc. Do not rule out a school where you don’t fit the average score? Sorry, but almost everyone does it, or it is considered to be their “reach” school. Hardly anyone I know applied to schools where their test scores were way below. And the article says the college admission people know that not everyone can pay for tutoring, then why would you give a test that automatically puts others at a slight advantage? I just thought this article didn’t make a whole lot of sense because they interviewed the director of admissions at Harvard, not a student that just had to live through taking the ACT or SAT and possibly being rejected because of their test scores.

http://www.collegeview.com/articles/CV/application/sat_act_scores.html

Collegenet Forum

laurajohnson90 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:13:39 +0000

I’m so scared that I’m not going to get into college because of my SAT scores, I have the grades but not the SAT score. The SAT does show my potential of a good student. I wish colleges would understand that.

should SAT and ACT scores be so important in determining admission into colleges?

I don’t think the admission of the student should be based on SAT or ACT scores. I don’t feel I did my best on the SAT but I am an honor roll student. Some people just arent good test takers. I took both the ACT and SAT. I did good enough for the schools that I sent applications to so hopefully atleast one will accept. If you don’t think you did your best you can always register to take it again.

Personally, I think they’ll eventually get rid of the SATs and ACTs, or at least give them less weight in admissions, since it’s now being discovered that some people, no matter how smart or how good their grades are, are possibly just bad test takers. I used to know someone who was really smart, but had such test anxiety that she would start crying. However, that is not the only thing schools take into consideration, it usually holds more weight if you’re applying to a specific program as a freshman, but if that is the case you don’t have to declare your major right away (if your scores are that bad). You can just do your gen. eds. and declare your major after you have good grades to support yourself. Once your admitted to college, the only thing SAT scores really hold a weight in is if you have to take the PRAXIS exam, at least here in CT that’s the case. PRAXIS is an exam you take before or during grad school to get CT Certified, which is necessary to become a counselor.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much, they seem to be becoming less important, as they should. Good luck!

This was taken from a college blog site, and I think this is interesting because the people that posted said, “Yes perhaps the testing is unfair, but reality is they will not ban the tests from all college admissions anytime soon.” And I liked this because it was reality. They didn’t just bash the ACT and SAT test, they just said its unfortunate that it has to be this way, but try again to get a better score.

http://www.collegenet.com/elect/app/app?service=external/Forum&sp=23546

fairtest.org

laurajohnson90 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:32:34 +0000

How is the ACT biased?

Race, class and gender biases give White, affluent, and male test-takers an unfair edge.
ACT scores are directly related to family income: the richer students’ parents are, the higher are average scores. But score gaps between groups on the ACT cannot be explained away solely by differences in educational opportunity linked to social class. According to ACT research, when all factors are equal, such as course work, grades and family income, Whites still outscore all other groups. If the ACT were not biased, Asian Americans, who take more academic courses than any other group, would likely score even higher. Moreover, boys score slightly higher than girls across all races, despite boys’ lower grades in high school and college when matched for identical courses.ACT has performed few studies of score differences in its test, making it difficult to pinpoint the sources of the score gaps. Here are a few likely candidates:

Biased format: Research shows that a fast-paced, multiple-choice format favors males over females. Guessing, a risk males are more likely to take, is rewarded. Since multiple-choice items do not allow for shades of meaning they work against the most typical female thinking style.

Biased language: Idiomatic terms such as “ball and chain” (to indicate a married partner) and “straight from the horse’s mouth” may not be familiar to many test-takers, particularly those whose first language isn’t English, causing them to choose wrong answers.

What is the ACT?	More than a million high school students take the ACT (formerly known as the American College Testing Program Assessment) each year. Like the SAT, the ACT is a standardized multiple-choice test meant to predict first-year college grades. While the SAT predominates on the East and West Coasts, the ACT is more common in the Midwest, Southwest, and Deep South.The ACT consists of four individual tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. The score report for the “Enhanced ACT Assessment” includes a composite ranging from 1-36, a score for each individual test, and sub scores. There is also an optional “writing” test. The ACT was developed as an alternative to the SAT, but is just a different test, not a better one. Like the SAT, the ACT has long-standing problems of bias, inaccuracy, coachability, and misuse. Because of these flaws, no test – neither the ACT nor SAT – should be required in the college admissions process.

How is the ACT biased?	Race, class and gender biases give White, affluent, and male test-takers an unfair edge. ACT scores are directly related to family income: the richer students’ parents are, the higher are average scores. But score gaps between groups on the ACT cannot be explained away solely by differences in educational opportunity linked to social class. According to ACT research, when all factors are equal, such as course work, grades and family income, Whites still outscore all other groups. If the ACT were not biased, Asian Americans, who take more academic courses than any other group, would likely score even higher. Moreover, boys score slightly higher than girls across all races, despite boys’ lower grades in high school and college when matched for identical courses.ACT has performed few studies of score differences in its test, making it difficult to pinpoint the sources of the score gaps. Here are a few likely candidates: Biased format: Research shows that a fast-paced, multiple-choice format favors males over females. Guessing, a risk males are more likely to take, is rewarded. Since multiple-choice items do not allow for shades of meaning they work against the most typical female thinking style. Biased language: Idiomatic terms such as “ball and chain” (to indicate a married partner) and “straight from the horse’s mouth” may not be familiar to many test-takers, particularly those whose first language isn’t English, causing them to choose wrong answers.

How accurate is the ACT?	ACT scores do not predict college performance effectively Even the test-maker admits that high school grades predict first-year college grades better than ACT scores do. In fact, adding the ACT to the high school record does not significantly improve predictions.One study at Chicago State University confirmed this trend. For the vast majority of the university’s graduates who scored in the middle range of the test as high school students, the ACT explained only 3.6% of the differences in cumulative college GPA. In fact, the exam over-predicted the performance of the class graduating in 1992, which had the highest average ACT score among the classes in the research study yet the poorest academic performance over four years at the university. The ACT regularly underestimates the abilities of females, who earn higher grades than males in college, despite lower ACT scores. Recognizing the problem, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology routinely admits females with lower math scores because they find the women still perform as well as men. The ACT also does a poor job of predicting the college performance for students of color. One study conducted at a medium-sized regional university in the Southeast showed that the ACT explained only 6.8% of the differences in first-semester college grades for African Americans, while for Whites the ACT predicted approximately 28% of the differences. High school grades predicted equally well for both groups, demonstrating that other measures of achievement are not as subject to differences across racial groups as are test scores.

	ACT scores are imprecise The individual tests have large margins of error, according to data from ACT. The margin of error – the inconsistency in ACT scores inherent in the testing process – on each subject’s 1-36 point scale is 1.55 points in English, 1.43 in Mathematics, 2.20 in Reading, and 1.75 in Science Reasoning. In other words, if a student were to retake the exam, there would be about a two-thirds chance that her score would be 1.55 points higher or lower on the English test than on a previous administration of the test. There is also a one-third chance the score difference would be even larger. The margins of error, while appearing to be small at 1.43 – 2.20, can actually have significant consequences for applicants when admissions offices or financial aid programs require minimum (or “cut-off”) scores.I thought this was especially interesting because it brought up the point the ACT is not accurate, it is imprecise, and it discriminates against women and people of color. http://www.fairtest.org/act-biased-inaccurate-and-misused

College newspaper article written by an actual college student

laurajohnson90 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:27:28 +0000

Over the years the SAT has been criticized because it provides a disadvantage to English
as a second language students, lower class students, students with poor test-taking skills, students who can’t afford to take test prep classes, and various other groups.

Although some students think that not requiring test scores will signify a lowering of standards, this is not necessarily true. By examining work that a students has complete and been graded on, admissions counselors can judge the quality of work the student is producing and approximate the grading scale they are being placed within.

http://media.www.thesandspur.org/media/storage/paper623/news/2007/04/23/LifeTimes/Satact.An.Unfair.Test.Or.Unfair.Admission.Process-2869044.shtml

I thought this was interesting because Erica Tibbetts is a college student at Rollins, and she took the time to write an article about SAT and ACT testing. This is more of an important issue to college students than some people think. If someone like Erica already went through the testing process and thought it was unfair, colleges should listen and take opinions like this into account.

Growing Up Online

laurajohnson90 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:30:17 +0000

21 million teens surveyed half of them said they went online everyday
self injury is discussed often in peoples messaging boards and blogs
chat rooms often don’t have one discussion topic but from one topic stems helpful and hurtful communication
One-quarter of participants made sexual references, which was not unexpected given the amount of daily sex talk that has been reported among some teens. In the chat rooms, however, all members were confronted with the minority’s sexual banter.
“Teenagers stay closer to reality in their online expressions about themselves than has previously been suggested,” Calvert asserts.

I personally think that they are making a big deal about how terrible the internet is. When I was growing up I never heard of anyone that had a problem with chat rooms or message boards, and none of my friends used either of them. I think the use of these things on the web are more rare than they are making them out to be. I think it takes a certain type of individual to want to go online and make up an identity for themselves, but in this article they are making it sound like teens have an overall major problem with this.

Some easy excuses “for” standardized testing

laurajohnson90 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:54 +0000

Arguments For Standardized Testing
Advocates of standardized testing in college admissions say that the SAT and ACT serve as national, standardized scales to determine how prepared students are for college. The following are just a few arguments in favor of standardized testing.

Standardized testing is practical. The tests have explicit directions and are easy to administer. They are also time efficient and easy to grade.
Standardized testing prepares the student for college. When students prepare for and take the SAT or ACT, they learn test-taking skills that will help them in college.
Standardized testing offsets grade inflation. With grade inflation on the rise in many school systems, standardized tests offer a way to consistently compare student knowledge and aptitude.
Standardized testing is objective. Compared to more involved assessments, standardized tests are unbiased. For the most part, standardized tests are graded by machines so grader moods and biases will not affect test scores.

**Ok saying that standardized testing is practical is completely an easy excuse why to have these tests. They are easy to administer and easy to grade? Why have them at all if thats one of the reasons to have the tests, because it is a rather lame reason if you ask me. And they prepare students for college? In my first semester here, I have not used any of the test taking strategies my tutor from the ACT taught me, I have used my old habits of test taking and studying and I think I have done fine. With or without the ACT I would perform the same way on tests in college. And if grade inflation is going to be a reason, maybe the issue is we need to look at the standards for grades at different high schools and make sure they are very similar if not the same. We need to try to regulate that if at one school a student that doesn’t work gets an A and at another school a hardworking student gets a C. And they say testing is unbiased, however on the ACT and SAT tests you have to put your gender for example along with many other things. It’s been proven that if you are asked what your gender is at the beginning of the test, females will do worse because subconsciously they were asked what their gender was and its in their head. So no, these tests are not unbiased.

Arguments Against Standardized Testing
Critics of standardized testing in college admissions say that standardized tests are no longer as good of an indicator of college success as once thought. The following are just a few arguments against standardized testing.

Standardized testing is biased against certain groups. Standardized testing shows bias towards women and groups of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. In regards to an income bias, wealthy students become more prepared for standardized tests through better life experiences, such as top-quality schools and test prep tutors.
Standardized testing adds too much stress to student lives. Students spend a lot of time stressing over the SAT/ACT when they could be focusing their energy on more important academic and social activities that could benefit them in the future.
Standardized testing impedes the assessment of a very important skill. For the most part, standardized tests hinder any sort of creative or out-of-the-box thinking, which is a skill needed in college and in the workforce.

I strongly agree with all of these points made. Almost everyone in my town either has a tutor for college admission tests, buys a prep book or attends a prep class. But this is not the case everywhere, some areas cannot afford to have this advantage, and yet all areas are required to take the tests even if they do not have the resources for preparation. Too much stress? Yes. When you look at a college you see what ACT or SAT score you need to get in, and every time you go into the test, which for me was five times, that specific number is in your head, and if you get even one point below that score its devastating. Over a test? There are way more important things to dwell over in my opinion. And like it says here, standardized tests are for out of the box thinkers, which for sure isn’t everyone. Again, I personally am the opposite from an out of the box thinker, but I am a hard worker and I think it reflects in my grades. But people that do not have this thinking process are shut out of colleges, which I find to be not fair at all.

https://www.ecampustours.com/collegeplanning/testtakingsatact/argumentsforandagainststandardizedtesting.htm

Opinions about testing from about.com

laurajohnson90 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:08:39 +0000

No to SAT scores

In my opinion the SAT test doesn’t determine who you are as a student. I for one am an AP/honor student in highschool and test horribly on standardize tests, such as the SAT. I have been studying since the end of my freshman year and still can’t get a grade for my level of intelligence, according to my classes in school. The SAT is timed, putting students under immense pressure and stress, disabling them from doing their absolute best. There are other things school should look at, such as GPA, volunteer work, extra school activities, etc., when determining whether a student is acceptable for their school. In the end though, if you are a hard working student you will make it in life and in your future. Whatever you want to pursue in your life, just keep your head high and your mind focused on the prize. Good luck to all taking the SAT, hopefully schools will take a second to realize who you are as an individual and not just a test score.

—Guest no to SAT scores

ACT should not count

I am a freshman in college and furious! My financial aid finally came through and the only thing I recieved is my KHEES money. I had a 3.5 overall GPA in high school but only a 20 on my ACT. My GPA is well over all the requirements for scholarships, but it’s my ACT score holding me back! I already had to change my choice of school because I didn’t have the money to pay for my first choice. I don’t understand why the ACT is such a big deal. The first time I took my ACT I got a 19, then I took it a 2nd time and raised my subscores 6 points. I thought my composite score would be a lot better,but no,it was only a 20, 1 whole point! Because my ACT score isn’t high I don’t get money for college even though I had a 3.5 GPA. I am a good student but missing out on money because of my ACT score. Just because I have a 20 on my ACT doesn’t make me dumb, and just because someone gets a high ACT score doesn’t make them a good student. ACT should not count; what does it even measure?
—Guest Mad College Freshman

Please take the SAT/ACT away!

My cousin had a 3.89 GPA, was an all-honors student, all AP class taker in high school and you know what? SHE FAILED THE SAT AND THE ACT! She didn’t get to go to Baylor Medical (or something like that) like she’d wanted. She ended up having to go to the University of Texas at Brownsville (which doesn’t require scores) Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but…she should’ve gone to Baylor. Period. The SAT/ACT tests should be banned. They don’t measure how much you know. They just make you crack under pressure (especially since the damn thing is timed)

—Guest Dahlia

What do you think about me?

I accomplished 30 college credits in my junior year. I almost got a B.S. in math. I scored a 40 on putnam exam as a high school student. Should I be going to great schools? But I only got a 23 on the ACT. The ACT is all about practice — it isnt fair! Because in real life, you cannot practice doing a job until you are good enough to.

—Guest Guest

What about balance?

For me personally, the ACT and SAT does not show the over all abilities of students. The ACT or SAT only shows how well students can think under time requirements and a heck of a lot of pressure. Sure in the real world we will need to be able to handle pressure but high school and college are tools that help build up the feeling of pressure and how to deal with it. I know this sounds totally weird but dealing with pressure is a learned trait, it’s not something that comes over night and TA-DA, BAM, you’re pressure free. I have a 4.00, been in my school’s Academic Honors Program for two years, taken all the AP classes and I am even in NHS but I still get a low ACT (23 the first time and 25 the second time). Sure the ACT and SAT are necessary for some things but it should be balanced out with GPA and other activities. These tests should be a base line, not the final decision. There does not have to be a black and white decision; the gray area works for me.

—Guest Emily

**There are 69 pages of comments like this on the website. Here are 5 valid arguments from different people as to why the testing should not be a requirement.

http://collegeapps.about.com/u/ua/standardizedtests/optional-scores-ua.htm

Link to schools that do not require tests

laurajohnson90 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:39:06 +0000

http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional

I thought this link was very interesting because it showed WAY more schools than I expected that do not require ACTs or SATs in the admission process, or they are optional. With this trend, hopefully more schools will make the tests optional for students and base admission on grades and activities.