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A comment on Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to fairly choose students. Parent comment

Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by objclxt on Saturday October 22, 2022 @03:06PM (#33301152)
> Besides, the idea that you have to be wealthy to avail yourself of test prep is absurd. I buy books at the thrift store all the time, and there are always test prep books there for a couple dollars [...] There are no excuses.

Not quite. You have assumed that money is the only barrier, but that is not the case.

Arguing that "test prep is free - or nearly free - so anyone must be able to prep", doesn't account for the fact that both money and time are barriers to test prep.

What if you have no time prep because you must support your family through work? You have no free time to prep - or do any extracurricular - because you have a job. This is not uncommon! Or you have a parent or guardian who is incapacitated in some way and you must act as their care-giver? Again, not uncommon.

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Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by WalterBright on Saturday October 22, 2022 @03:39PM (#33301422)
If you have a job, that will look good on an admission form. I certainly listed my job on mine.
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Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by texaslonghorn5 on Saturday October 22, 2022 @03:44PM (#33301467)
With all due respect, college admissions have drastically changed over the past forty to fifty years!
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Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by WalterBright on Saturday October 22, 2022 @04:02PM (#33301649)
How? And why wouldn't a job look good? A job shows a person is capable of being responsible, independent, and deferred gratification.
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Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by alistairSH on Saturday October 22, 2022 @04:53PM (#33302134)
A job might look good, but not good enough to offset poor test results or grades due to hours spent working instead of prepping and studying.
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Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by WalterBright on Saturday October 22, 2022 @05:35PM (#33302443)
Nothing's perfect. But a job will look good.

BTW, admissions officers do look for diamond-in-the-rough applicants. Those whose test scores are lower, but have a solid reason for why. An example could be a significant accomplishment at their job.

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Re:Colleges that ditched admission tests find it harder to f... by josephcsible on Saturday October 22, 2022 @03:31PM (#33301363)
> Or you have a parent or guardian who is incapacitated in some way and you must act as their care-giver? Again, not uncommon.

It's very uncommon for minor children to have to act as caregivers for their parents.

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