As everyone looks towards fulfilling the resolutions they’ve made for 2020, last month had some pretty large implications for this year and the years beyond.

The college admissions landscape is changing rapidly. SAT/ACT scores are not the end-all, be-all for college admittance anymore and scores are decreasing in importance. Over 1,000 universities and colleges across the country have made these test scores optional in the college application process or removed them as a metric entirely.

Why?

‍There are studies that show these standardized tests may be unfair towards certain applicants, especially those who come from low income families and cannot afford to take the test more than once or hire private tutors.

‍Last month, a historic moment occurred in the world of academia. Public Counsel and The National Center for Fair & Open Testing filed a lawsuit against the University of California Board of Regents.

Now you may be wondering, well, this is a regional matter, but that is incorrect! They targeted the University of California system because it is the largest in the country with ten campuses and more than 280,000 students. If the ruling this spring is made in favor of Public Counsel and The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, this would mean the University of California would have to remove the standardized testing scores from the application and this could have a domino effect on several other large institutions across the country.

If standardized tests become increasingly less important to college acceptance, then what will be more important?

I can tell you...it will be your child’s personal essay and interview. College Shortcuts has a high rate of success in finding what makes your teenager unique and bringing that special charm to light. Invest in your child’s dreams of getting into a top college or university. Sure, you can hire that SAT/ACT coach, but that’s not going to set your child apart as much as you think it will anymore. Besides, we do have strong tutoring services (that’s how I started my business years back) if you choose you want to do both.

‍Here is a direct quote from the lawsuit: "Rather than fulfilling its vision as '[a]n engine of opportunity for all Californians' and creating a level playing field in which all students are evaluated based on individual merit, the [University of California] requires all applicants to subject themselves to SAT and ACT tests that are demonstrably discriminatory against the State's least privileged students, the very students who would most benefit from higher education.”