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Here is the latest news for UC hopefuls. As reported in the New York Times on May 15, 2021, the legal debate about whether the University of California can use ACT/SAT scores for admissions decisions is over. Standardized tests will no longer be considered, and there is no test-optional policy.

Brought by students, advocacy groups, and the Compton Unified School District in LA.

The plaintiffs argued that standardized testing discriminates against applicants on the basis of their race, wealth, and disability. Moreover, some analysts of standardized testing contend that it is inherently biased and that affluent students can pay large amounts for test prep to improve their scores.

Scales and MalletWhat it Means

Moving forward, your ACT/SAT Scores will no longer be considered in the admissions review process or for scholarships in the University of California system. This news will affect all students applying to any UC school.

The College Board Disputes the Claim

The College Board, which administers the SAT, disputes the claim by stating that every question is reviewed for bias, and it could be detrimental to base admissions decisions on grades. They argue that students should be able to distinguish themselves and have the option to submit a score.

The Future May Bring Additional Changes

With this in mind, the UC system is considering creating a new admissions exam in the future. The settlement agreement provides that the university “will consider access for students with disabilities in the design and implementation of any such exam.”

In the meantime, the decision stands. ACT/SAT scores will not be considered.

How did the judgment impact the number of applicants?

Despite the pandemic, there was a 15% increase in the total number of freshman applications–surging from 173,000 in 2020 to 203,700 in 2021.  The most selective campuses, including Berkeley, Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, and Santa Barbara, saw the most significant spike in applications. However, the largest increase was UCLA, whose applications escalated from 108,837 applications in 2020 to 139,463 in 2021.

Applicants were evaluated using a more holistic approach.

This past year, higher numbers of students were encouraged to apply since standardized testing was not considered. After eliminating the SAT/ACT test data point during the evaluation process, there was a notable increase in Black, Chicano/Latino, and other underrepresented applicants.

The UC system is looking for students to exhibit their character

Now more than ever, your attributes such as dedication, intellectual curiosity, leadership, resilience, creativity, drive, and passion are important to convey in your applications. By focusing on the strength of curriculum and grades, extracurricular activities, honors and awards, and excellent essays, students can put their best foot forward.

Spending time on essays, therefore, is key.
The UC application will prompt you to choose four out of eight essay prompts. Common essay themes include:

  • Leadership
  • Academic curiosity
  • Creativity
  • Talent
  • Community service
  • Overcoming a challenge
  • Pursuing significant educational opportunities

What can you do to bolster your UC applications?

clock towerFreshmen, sophomores, and juniors should convey their intellectual curiosity beyond GPA and test scores. How? By writing top-notch personal essay responses and activity list descriptions.

We know, we know. You are very busy. But the good news is that we’re here at WisePath to help you identify areas of interest, attributes, and character to craft meaningful essays, which stand out to admission representatives.

Stand out by writing about how extracurricular activities impacted you, personally.

If you’re writing about a community service-related essay, for example, you’ll want to think of your experience as two-fold. It’s not enough to simply say what you did. You’ll also need to cover what happened to you as a result. Ask yourself these questions:

  • “What issue in my community did I work to improve, and why is it important to me?”
  • How did I develop my value system and skills when engaging in that community service?”

In other words, the written part of your application is for the admissions committee to understand both what you did and who you are. As we said, your character will mean that much more without ACT/SAT scores being considered.

Distinguish yourself by showing cognizance of and concern for relevant social issues, research, and technology.

With less emphasis on testing, students have more time to develop their interests in high school.  For example, if there is a topic that intrigues you in AP Environmental Science, take the time to pursue it. You may learn about sustainable home building in APES and take an architecture course at city college. Or you might be interested in learning how to program an Arduino controller that you use for scientific exploration.

What we really mean is this: don’t waste your time. Take the hours you would have spent studying for SAT’s and do something meaningful. Use your newfound freedom to engage in your academic and extracurricular passions.

Remember, colleges want to see how you can pivot when faced with challenges and change. Good luck!

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/us/SAT-scores-uc-university-of-california.html