SAT

The SAT. Three letters that strike fear unlike any other three-lettered acronym. A standardized test that every high school student will have to take at some point in their academic career. The SAT, to many students, seems like the determining factor that will define us for the rest of our lives. A bad SAT score equates to a bad career. On the contrary, a good SAT score equates to a prosperous career until the day you die. After hours of tutoring and preparation for my December 1st test, I am left wondering only one thing: why does the SAT matter?

The SAT's most basic function is to determine which of the hundreds of thousand of high school students have the best skill set to extract information and to apply known concepts. However, if the SAT is a large determining factor that colleges use when admitting applicants, how can they tell who is best suited for their university? Of course, people who do well on the SAT should get some sort of reward, but acceptance should be primarily based off of the bigger picture.

And what is the "bigger picture"? In order for a college to admit the best suited students for their college, they need to know the student's assets. What is his or her GPA? Does this student have a history of disciplinary issues? SAT's do not have any insight on what a student is truly like, which is why I, like many of my peers, view the SAT as a costly test that requires costly preparation.

However, aside from GPA, I strongly believe that extracurriculars and college essays are the most critical components when applying for college. Extracurriculars give colleges an indication of what the student is actually interested in. For a college like Georgia Tech, where engineering is a specialty, students who are truly attracted to physics and math should be the primary applicants who are considered. Furthermore, a student who is heavily involved with a club that focuses on engineering-like aspects, such as a club revolved around math or physics, should be a huge contender.

To all students who are worried about the SAT like myself, my best advice would be to study hard, but to focus more on things like your GPA and especially your extracurriculars. Show your dream colleges why you should be a student there and always maintain a good personality.