The University of Chicago is "Test Optional"--What does that mean?

The University of Chicago, one of the country’s premier research institutions, announced that their admissions expectations would be “test optional”: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-launches-test-optional-admissions-process-expanded-financial-aid-scholarships

Their goal is to make the admissions standards as holistic as possible; as a result, they have added components to their admissions practice to allow students to demonstrate excellence in non-traditional ways. They are as follows:

• ·         Free tools and new flexibility in the application process
• ·         New test-optional policy that allows students to decide what information best represents their skills and college readiness.
• ·         New optional two-minute video introduction opportunity open to all students (replacing the optional alumni and on-campus interviews).
• ·         New opportunities to submit non-standard materials and accomplishments as supplements to the application.
• ·         New option for domestic students to self-submit transcripts to eliminate fees and simplify the application process.
• ·         New and expanding partnerships with MyinTuition, RaiseMe, The College Board, Making Caring Common, Nudge for College, Turning the Tide, and the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success.

Other colleges and universities will, no doubt, follow suit.

The philosophy behind the University of Chicago’s move stands in sharp contrast to the Trump Administration’s announcement that it was rolling back Obama-era guidelines on college admissions that supported affirmative action practices. Although the University of Chicago’s verbiage addresses privilege and not race, per se, the two, historically, are intertwined.

How will this impact you? The Chicago Tribune offers a helpful perspective:

The impact on college practices remains to be seen.

Peter McDonough, vice president and general counsel of the American Council on Education, which represents college and university presidents, said he doubted schools would change admission policies based solely on Tuesday's announcement. He noted that administrative guidance does not carry the legal weight of court rulings or statutes enacted by Congress. "It isn't shocking that guidance would be withdrawn," he said. "It happens all the time across administrative units."

McDonough said the action could have a chilling effect on colleges as they review their admission methods. "The message — but not the law — could be that if you take race into account or ethnicity into account as one of the several factors in your review process, you're going to be challenged," he said.

In other words, admissions offices will be more fearful of lawsuits such as the one currently leveled at Harvard University alleging discrimination against Asian Americans. The manner in which the University of Chicago is addressing that fear is by obscuring the admissions process rather than making it more transparent. Transparency is impossible, so colleges have to take the opposite route.

I believe that the burden on students to demonstrate excellence grows increasingly difficult the more obscure the process becomes. Students need to be highly creative to respond to the non-quantifiable expectations set by admissions offices. Two-minute videos? Non-standard submissions? Those expectations require not only creativity but also planning and polish.

My message? Try to have fun with it. But also, let someone help you.

 contact us at lassothemoon001@gmail.com for ideas