THE SAT:

The SAT has been causing high schoolers stress since it was first administered almost 100 years ago, in 1926. The exam seems fair on paper. Students take the test and the highest scores look better in the eyes of college admissions officers. Currently, the most selective colleges in the U.S., including our local Princeton University, either require or prefer students to have an SAT (or, alternatively, an ACT) score on their applications. However, the SAT is anything but fair: it is a test which systemically promotes classism and elitism.

Over the past few years, especially with the pandemic, many colleges have removed the SAT as a requirement on applications. However, most of these test-optional schools still give a leg up to applicants with high scores, so students still feel the need to take the test and do well. The SAT is not fit as a measure of students’ academic merit. It should become optional on all college applications, and remain that way too.

The SAT is a deeply prejudiced exam. In order to do well on the test, many students start preparing months, or even years, in advance. They attend SAT study groups, pay for private tutors, order thick textbooks, and study whenever possible. This is not the reality for everyone, especially for students from low-income households. For such students, paying for college is difficult as is, so acquiring extra SAT prep is often impossible. Some students also have a part-time job to help support their families, so adding SAT studying to the work they do for existing classes is not feasible. A 2014 article by The Washington Post found that students with household incomes of above $200,000 had an average combined reading, math, and writing score an average of 388 points more than students with household incomes of below $20,000. This very clearly demonstrates the advantage of wealthier families. Moreover, a 2021 University of Pennsylvania analysis found that the correlation between SAT scores and household income is three times as large as that between GPA and income.

The test is exceptional at weeding out those that are economically disadvantaged. While income is a factor, so is race. People of color (especially Black, Latinx, and Native Americans) experience higher rates of poverty than white Americans do. When colleges require or recommend for SAT scores to be present on applications, they are further promoting this classist and racist history of injustice.

Not every person’s brain works the same way. Some people’s brains just aren’t well equipped for these types of tests: people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), autism, dyspraxia, and dyslexia struggle on the SAT more than those without those disorders. The CDC writes ADHD alone affects from 8% to 10% of school age children in the US, which means that country-wide, there are almost five million students that struggle with time management, forgetfulness, and have trouble staying sitting in one place for too long without fidgeting. Requiring these students to sit down for hours completing more than one hundred and fifty multiple choice questions with barely any breaks in between is impractical. In the neurodiverse world that we live in, the SAT, which suits only those that are neurotypical, is out of place. It is unfair for colleges to require students to submit their SAT scores on their applications because people function differently — not everyone happens to fit into that compressed box of high-scoring, “normal” students.

As it turns out, College Board has attempted to address this issue of fairness with its accommodations system, where students with disorders receive the bare minimum of extra time to complete their exams. Yes, this is a step in the right direction, but if the SAT is willing to accommodate (albeit insufficiently) neurological differences among students, why doesn’t it also accommodate socio-economic differences? This is the fundamental flaw with standardized testing: fairness is only achieved when you make the test less standard. It's impossible to make a test that fairly asseses every single high school student, because every high school student is different.

The SAT doesn’t define who we are as people, but all around us, people use it as a bar for comparison and competition. Standardized tests often provide students with unnecessary anxiety, and scores are often dependent on socio-economic status and whether or not one is neurodivergent. These exams are clearly a poor representation of one’s intelligence; yet they are still one of the largest contributing factors in determining students’ future academic success. Your score on an exam that could determine whether or not you get into your best fit college should not depend on how rich your parents are. It is unquestionable that colleges should keep the SAT optional on applications in order for everyone to experience a more fair academic environment.

THE APs:

According to U.S. News, 76 percent of Princeton High School students take at least one AP during their time at PHS. PHS’s broad assortment of AP classes allows students to pursue any subject that they are passionate about at a high level. Unfortunately, the accessibility and diversity of these classes has resulted in a race between students to take as many AP classes as possible. Students who take time-consuming AP courses must balance a college level workload with sleep, extracurricular activities, and a normal teenage life. If PHS limited the number of APs each student can take per year to three, it would help limit stress, support students’ mental health, and increase time for other activities, all of which could go a long way in preparing them for college and continued education.

The University of Wisconsin Press found that students taking AP classes have increased stress levels and lower grades due to pressure and rigor. AP classes require students to make time for at least an hour and a half of homework each night which consists of practice problems, essays, and consistent studying for the AP exam. Being an AP U.S. History student, I know firsthand how rigorous an AP course can be. Whether it be submitting three page-long essays at 11:59 p.m, or reading through entire review books in the weeks before the exam, the AP U.S. History course pushes students to their absolute limit – and that’s just one AP. When students move on to their junior and senior years, they feel pressured by their teachers, guardians, and peers to participate in more advanced, competitive classes and end up balancing sometimes more than four APs at once.

Moreover, colleges aren’t just looking for students with good grades: They also want students who are passionate, outgoing, and able to carve out their own path in life. Extracurriculars, especially ones that demonstrate students’ leadership and dedication, are incredibly attractive to colleges. For example, a student who is the leader of a section in band organizes practice sessions and inspires sectionmates to work harder, and thus can use that on their application as an example of their leadership abilities. However, when students are weighed down by several AP courses, they have less time to focus on their extracurriculars — time which is required for students to obtain leadership positions in the first place. A leadership role in a club or extracurricular can be much more valuable to admissions officers than an AP class. This is a fact that students may have a hard time believing when everyone around them is loading themselves up with APs. There are also students who are aware of the value of leadership positions in extracurriculars, but are intimidated by the responsibility which comes with those positions. Putting a limit on APs may push students to step out of their comfort zone and take on roles of responsibility. Extracurriculars are thus also incredibly valuable in helping students grow as people. Also, AP courses are inequitable: Those with the money and resources to spend on tutoring and review books are at a huge advantage. However, anyone can become a leader in an extracurricular or their own club — as long as they have the work ethic and willpower to do it. If PHS wants to prepare students to get into college, it should limit students to three APs a year.

Of course, AP classes are still an incredible resource that Princeton students are privileged to have at their disposal. Students can pursue their interests at a college level and delve deep into the nuance and quirk of their desired field. When students choose to take time-consuming APs that don’t align at all with their interests, however, such as a STEM-inclined student taking AP French and AP English, that only takes away from students’ ability to fully take advantage of the AP classes that they are truly interested in. Without the burden of five AP classes, students can pursue those interests out of school as well. A club or extracurricular can actually be better at increasing students’ interest in a subject than an AP class. In a club, students are exposed to people who are truly passionate about the subject, not there just because it’s an AP, and plan their own events and activities, contrasting with the rigidity of many AP classes.

AP season is finally here, the culmination of all of PHS students’ hard work and suffering over the past few months, and students all know what that means: one last bout of all-nighters and mental breakdowns. But maybe all of this can change. Though the PHS student body cannot easily make any executive decisions regarding a limit on AP classes, it is important that PHS faculty and administration recognize the predicament which students face. PHS students feel the need to compete with their peers by loading up their schedules with APs, and as long as there is no limit on this behavior, they will continue to be limited in their potential, and utterly stressed.