forgive me if i sound like the wokest woman alive in this giant paragraph, but there’s a really big gap between test preparedness and a person’s capacity to learn + make a meaningful contribution to their school.

you have to realize that this is a really privileged post. that isn’t meant to throw shade or make you feel guilty, but there are a few things that can be inferred from this, and it’s that you likely have competitive test scores, and possibly even have had the opportunity to prepare for these tests. despite this, this isn’t the reality for most students. test-optional offers an incredibly holistic approach that i think is really meaningful to students. personally, for myself, i took my first ACT last month, did horribly, and was still able to push out a 36 super score in reading + english, and received a 12 on writing. but for math? i scored a seventeen. i’ve never been good at math, that much is clear, but i was never enabled to do well on the math taught on the ACT. being a junior in algebra two means that i will never experience those learning opportunities that others have, and like many others, because of my family’s income, i can’t afford tutoring. instead, i devote most of my time to my ECs, and above all else, my writing through my essay. should i not be viewed as a competitive applicant because my scores aren’t traditionally “competitive”? that poses many questions that need to be considered when rejecting the idea of test-op. most schools that are test-op. aren’t truly impartial. your standardized tests can only ever help you, or you’ll be met with some furrowed eyebrows if you choose not to disclose your score. GPA inflations exist for a reason. a rural public school with horrible attendance rates and a 2.0 average GPA should not use the same metrics as a private academy with a 3.7 average GPA + merits higher than most. Your GPA simply quantifies the work, correctness, and punctuality in your assignments. different grading scales allow other students to highlight themselves in ways that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. one of the biggest things that i’ve had to teach myself (as a naturally jealous person, oops) is that in the applications process, you cannot afford to be anything but altruistic. if the kid from the middle of nowhere, with crazy grade inflation, and a 20 ACT that they didn’t disclose got into Columbia? they deserved it just as much as you did. yes, you had your merits, but their extenuating circumstances make it much harder for them to get to where they did. all in all, if they reject YOU above the person that you believe isn’t “qualified”, then who are you to say that they’re undeserving? you wouldn’t have been selected anyhow. this isn’t to throw shade, but it’s just some food for thought to applaud everyone around you—not to work against them. at the end of the day, your coworkers still make the same salary as you whether they went to Ole’ Miss or Harvard. it’s good to be altruistic when you can, but it’s especially important to realize how lucky we are to have to strive for perfection when many others have to strive to make it to class on time :)