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evan
Student
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
1
Question
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Why are so many colleges acceptance based on a standardized test?
A student may have the best grades and the best recommendations, but they do poorly on an acceptance test, they are devastated that their dream career may never happen just because of one single test.
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1 answer
Karin P.
Lecturer, Student Advisor
458
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Evan,
College admission is NOT based on a single test. I see your tags are for medical school, dental school and law school. Those are graduate degrees, meaning you already have an undergraduate degree before you apply.
If you look at the admission information from Harvard as an example, you'll see that a lot of factors go into an admission decision: test scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, personal statements, recommendation letters, interviews etc. You can practice and study for the test. You can also repeat a test if you feel you scored below your abilities. Obviously, higher scores are better than lower scores, and more selective schools will require higher scores to get in. But there is no single factor that will result in admission or rejection. And not everyone needs to study at Harvard either. You'll get a perfectly adequate education at your state school.
In short, don't stress. Just do your best. And there is more than one path to happiness.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
KP
https://meded.hms.harvard.edu/admissions-selection-factors
https://hls.harvard.edu/application-toolkit/
https://www.hsdm.harvard.edu/dmd-admissions
College admission is NOT based on a single test. I see your tags are for medical school, dental school and law school. Those are graduate degrees, meaning you already have an undergraduate degree before you apply.
If you look at the admission information from Harvard as an example, you'll see that a lot of factors go into an admission decision: test scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, personal statements, recommendation letters, interviews etc. You can practice and study for the test. You can also repeat a test if you feel you scored below your abilities. Obviously, higher scores are better than lower scores, and more selective schools will require higher scores to get in. But there is no single factor that will result in admission or rejection. And not everyone needs to study at Harvard either. You'll get a perfectly adequate education at your state school.
In short, don't stress. Just do your best. And there is more than one path to happiness.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
KP
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