KILLEEN — Colleges and universities across the nation have began removing the requirement for SAT and ACT testing in the wake of the pandemic.
Rescheduled multiple times, many ACT and SAT dates have been pushed back months, putting some students behind schedule.
Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Leadership, Morgan Lewing with A&M Central Texas, explained this will shift the admissions process entirely.
"Your GPA is still going to be extremely important, you’re gonna want to look at how are you’ve been involved in leadership, how you’ve involved in community engagement...big thing is you’re just not gonna have that standardized test score anymore, so how are you going to reallocate that time that you would’ve spent preparing for that to those other areas because everyone else is going to be in that same position,“ said Lewing.
Though some seniors have decided to continue studying for the tests even as the requirements have began to lift, like Harker Heights High School Senior Ryan Chamberlain.
“Not only does it motivate me with my time off to get better athletically and study more and obtain more information, so I can do better on the test,“ said Chamberlain.
Experts say this tactic is smart, as even colleges don't yet know what the upcoming semesters could bring.
“I think it’s best to prepare for either situation because we really don’t know what the fall is going to look like, and I say that coming from a university because we don’t know what the fall is going to look like either,” said Lewing.
Admissions experts explain its important to bolster student portfolios to reflect future goals of the student.
“If you had to have your elevator pitch for basically admissions, to let you in or not, within the first 30 seconds, how would you describe yourself?“ said Lewing.
Many colleges have decided to make the tests optional if not required.
When 25 News spoke to Baylor, they explained they are in discussing their options.
