New College Admissions Trends? Indiana Says Not So Fast
As time and technology progress, admissions policies and practices at both public and private universities are evolving to keep up with the trends.
But in general, it seems like Indiana shies away – or at least takes its time – before entering that kind of new territory.
Fewer schools rely as heavily as they did in the past on standardized test scores, namely the SAT and ACT, and some schools aren’t requiring it at all. The news that George Washington University in D.C. joined that growing group earlier this summer made national headlines.
More than 800 accredited colleges and universities nationwide do not require students to submit standardized test scores to be considered for admission. (Photo Credit: James Martin/Flickr)
The same is true at more than 800 accredited, bachelor-degree granting schools out of nearly 3,000 total in the United States.
“The test-optional surge recognizes that no test…is needed for high-quality admissions,” said Bob Schaeffer, public education director at the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, following the GWU announcement in July. The mission of FairTest, as its called, is to “end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing.” The group has spoken out against testing practices in Indiana and around the country.
“Many independent studies and practical experiences have shown that test-optional admission enhances both academic excellence and diversity,” Schaeffer added in his statement.
It seems this trend is not really taking hold in Indiana. All but five Hoosier colleges and universities require either a student’s ACT or SAT test score to be considered for admission as a freshman right out of high school, according to data compiled by the state.
Only Ancilla College, Vincennes University and WGU Indiana do not ask for scores as part of the application package. Submitting scores is optional at Earlham College in Richmond, as well as at Ivy Tech Community College campuses, which accept SAT or ACT scores in lieu of high school GPA, Accuplacer scores or previous college credits to determine students’ placement in appropriate classes.
Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers says she’s not surprised to see only a few schools opting out of SAT and ACT score requirements. In fact, she says if anything she’s seen a slight uptick in the number of students taking the tests.
“We’ve seen more students taking both the SAT and ACT, because some students think they do better with one test or the other,” Lubbers explains.
In response to the argument that using scores from a one-day test is not the best indicator of student success in college, Lubbers says people need not worry.
“With very rare exceptions, schools don’t use just the one-day test [to make admissions decisions],” Lubbers says. “They use GPA, they use courses in high school, they use a full range of factors, of which a test like SAT or ACT would be one of those.”
At the same time, many schools are increasingly looking at less traditional indicators of personality and ability – like student profiles on social media networks – to help make admissions decisions.
In a deep-dive for The Hechinger Report, Emmanuel Felton describes how schools are looking more closely at how many friends kids have and photos they post, in order to help predict their level of success and potential for graduation:
The point is simple: to increase graduation rates by using big data to identify the kinds of students who experience has proven are most likely to stick around. […]
“The question is, how do you recruit a set of students that will be successful at your school?” said Katharine Frase, vice president and chief technology officer for IBM’s unit focused on working with the public sector, which produced the data analysis program used at Ithaca.
“When a student doesn’t complete a degree, it is disruptive for everybody,” Frase said. “The student has incurred debt and the school is left with a hole in that class.”
A number of Indiana institutions use social media to engage with students during the application process. For example, Indiana University-Bloomington launched a Twitter campaign in 2013 encouraging students to tweet using the hashtag “#IUsaidYes” when they receive acceptance materials in the mail.
However, once again, many Indiana schools appear to be bucking the trend, saying they don’t use social media to make admissions decisions. That’s what reporter Jerry Davich found out when he called a handful of northern Indiana universities for a story that appeared in the Chicago Tribune earlier this spring:
“The Office of Admissions at Saint Joseph’s College does NOT check social media accounts before, during, nor after the admission application evaluation process,” Michael Ramian, director of admissions at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer replied via email.
Nicole Niemi, spokeswoman for Valparaiso University, said none of the school’s departments conducts such screenings, including its law school, graduate school and undergrad office.
Applicants are evaluated based on application materials only, such as an application, school transcripts, test scores, essays and letters of recommendation, she said.
Purdue University Calumet also does not have a policy or practice of reviewing social media sites during the admission process, according to PUC spokesman Wes Lukoshus.
“Neither is the review of social media sites part of our review process for awarding scholarships,” he added.
Krista Timney, senior associate director for marketing and communications with IU-Bloomington’s Office of Admissions, says IU doesn’t doesn’t use social media for any part of its admissions process, either. But, she says, that doesn’t mean students still shouldn’t be wary of what they do online.
“It’s not part of the admission process here, but they still should know that we keep an eye on social media and we certainly could see the things that they put out there,” Timney says. “We don’t look for things, but if something is out there and we see it, that doesn’t mean we won’t take a closer look. I think that’s everybody.”