By Woojin Park, North Hollywood High School, Grade 10
June 16, 2011
On the morning of June 4th, 2011, students began to flock to their SAT testing centers to test their knowledge in various fields. Many of these students were present to take the SAT Subject Tests, a series of tests created to challenge students in specific subjects.
However, recent changes to student acceptance policies at the Universities of California have greatly undermined the importance of these Subject Tests. These tests, which students were required to take if they wished to attend the UC’s, are no longer a part of the UC acceptance requirements.
“Personally, I think removing the SAT Subject Tests from the acceptance requirements was a much needed change,” said Charice Lee, a sophomore from UC San Diego, “a lot of my friends from high school couldn’t attend the UC’s just because they didn’t take enough SAT Subject Tests, which was pretty unfair.”
Though these changes might be convenient to those who have not yet taken a sufficient number of SAT Subject Tests, there are chances that they might bring negative influences as well. Many students are discouraged to perform well on their Subject Tests, and some even consider not taking them at all.
“I think that the SAT Subject Tests show the colleges what you really want to do in life,” said Richard Ban, a sophomore from North Hollywood High School who participated in the SAT Subject Test Math level 2 Examination on the morning of June 4, “required or not, students should still take the subject tests if they want to show colleges what they’re interested in.”
Though taking the tests is no longer required, they are still an important part of high school. Higher SAT Subject Test scores are something college-aspiring students compete for, as high scores offer students increased probability of being accepted into a UC.
“It’s a Californian’s dream to attend a UC!” exclaimed Jun Oh, a junior from Rowland Heights High School, “I’ll do anything to get in, even if it’s studying for and finishing tests that I don’t have to take.”
