By Anthony-James Green
If you’re applying to college, and you need financial aid, then you’re probably aware of the concept of “need-blind admissions.” Colleges don’t look at students’ financial status before deciding whether to admit or reject them, meaning, ostensibly, that financially under-privileged students don’t stand any disadvantages when it comes to college admissions. Schools can’t reject a student simply because he or she needs financial help. One would assume that this would level the playing field for students without the financial resources of their more economically advantaged peers. Unfortunately, this assumption is wrong.
Colleges might not look at your financial needs, but they still care very much about whether or not you’ll be able to pay. So instead of looking at student finances, they’ve created a system in which the factors for admission are blatant indicators of financial advantage or disadvantage.
When making admissions decisions, colleges look at student SAT and ACT scores, school competitiveness, GPA, essays, and extracurricular activities. Every single one of these factors is completely linked to the financial success of a student’s parents.
Think of the “dream applicant” in this scenario. He goes to a competitive prep school with a fantastic GPA, has high SAT scores, and is the captain of the crew team. What are the chances that this student isn’t extremely financially advantaged? Slim to none.
There’s a linear relationship between SAT/ACT scores and parental finances. Parents with more money can pay for better schools and more test prep resources, and so their children end up with better test scores. Plain and simple.
Sure, colleges aren’t looking at your actual finances – they’re just looking at factors that tell them what your finances are. Are there financially under-privileged students with high SAT scores? Sure – just as there are extremely wealthy students with very poor SAT scores. But overall, colleges are making a safe bet by using this system.
So what can you do about it?
Unfortunately, there’s only one answer: you have to play the game. Until the entire education system is overhauled, “need blind” colleges will be far from need blind. But if you have high SAT or ACT scores, achieve a high GPA, and put time and effort into your application essays, you’ll be doing as much as possible to ensure that colleges achieve true economic diversity in their ranks.
As soon as possible, take an SAT or ACT diagnostic test, figure out where you stand, and figure out the scores that colleges expect from their applicants. From there, start a slow, steady preparation program, systematically eliminating your weaknesses and developing your strengths. These tests are beatable, but they require practice, diligence, and attention. My website, Test Prep Authority, provides plenty of free tips and affordable options to improve every element of your test scores and your college applications, and I hope you’ll use all the resources I make available to level the playing field.
Anthony-James Green is world-renowned SAT and ACT tutor with over 10,000 hours of experience teaching these tests, crafting curriculum, and training other tutors to teach their own students. He is also the founder of TestPrepAuthority.com. CNN recently named Anthony: “The SAT tutor to the 1%”
