Comments on: Is SAT a four letter word? http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/ What is seen and what is unseen. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:23:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jim Heney http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/comment-page-1/#comment-47 Jim Heney Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:04:11 +0000 http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/#comment-47 It's to bad Hamilton College is going to the extect that it is going to put less emphasis on SAT's. It seems to me that they are taking a selection route based on 'convenience'. It the SAT scores are high than the applicants seem to 'make the grade' with admissions at Hamilton. If the SAT's are not so favorable, than vice versa. I feel this is just another example of the 'hyper-sensitivity' issue that we all face here in America. No one accepts responsibility anymore for their actions, test scores, etc. Granted there is room for human error with grading exams, but that is a fact of life that can never be corrected. As for the pending suit for damages with a student attending Hamilton College as opposed to Syracuse and which institution offers a higher quality degree, I feel it is up to the individuals interpretation as to what they get out of their college experience. Not all the best doctors, lawyers, business people, etc. are graduates from Ivy league schools, but come from lesser know colleges and universities sprikled across the U.S. It’s to bad Hamilton College is going to the extect that it is going to put less emphasis on SAT’s. It seems to me that they are taking a selection route based on ‘convenience’. It the SAT scores are high than the applicants seem to ‘make the grade’ with admissions at Hamilton. If the SAT’s are not so favorable, than vice versa.

I feel this is just another example of the ‘hyper-sensitivity’ issue that we all face here in America. No one accepts responsibility anymore for their actions, test scores, etc. Granted there is room for human error with grading exams, but that is a fact of life that can never be corrected.

As for the pending suit for damages with a student attending Hamilton College as opposed to Syracuse and which institution offers a higher quality degree, I feel it is up to the individuals interpretation as to what they get out of their college experience. Not all the best doctors, lawyers, business people, etc. are graduates from Ivy league schools, but come from lesser know colleges and universities sprikled across the U.S.

]]> By: Aaron Ayme http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Aaron Ayme Thu, 16 Mar 2006 03:14:28 +0000 http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/#comment-46 This article is certainly a controversial issue. In my last two years of high school, much emphasis was placed on the SAT and ACT. Although success on these standardized tests was stressed, most of our students were not. I was fortunate to be involved in an academic environment where learning was cumulative, not merely based on one test or one research paper. College testing and entrance requirements should be much the same. New York’s Hamilton College has somewhat got it right. In all fairness to the outstanding student who does not do well on standardized tests, other considerations such as GPA, extra-curricular participation, and even outstanding personal qualities such as leadership, character, etc. should be taken into consideration. However, because we live in a competitive world, entirely removing the pressures of testing is not the answer. Testing is an integral part of college life. Additionally, since these college entrance exams can be retaken, they should not be completely obliterated from the college entrance process. Also, since mistakes in grading are inadvertently made on tests from Kindergarten through Grad School, Marion is particularly on target when he states that “as long as you have humans involved, you’re going to have some mistakes.” Such is life, and standardized testing, mistakes, and pressures are part of life. This article is certainly a controversial issue. In my last two years of high school, much emphasis was placed on the SAT and ACT. Although success on these standardized tests was stressed, most of our students were not. I was fortunate to be involved in an academic environment where learning was cumulative, not merely based on one test or one research paper. College testing and entrance requirements should be much the same. New York’s Hamilton College has somewhat got it right. In all fairness to the outstanding student who does not do well on standardized tests, other considerations such as GPA, extra-curricular participation, and even outstanding personal qualities such as leadership, character, etc. should be taken into consideration. However, because we live in a competitive world, entirely removing the pressures of testing is not the answer. Testing is an integral part of college life. Additionally, since these college entrance exams can be retaken, they should not be completely obliterated from the college entrance process. Also, since mistakes in grading are inadvertently made on tests from Kindergarten through Grad School, Marion is particularly on target when he states that “as long as you have humans involved, you’re going to have some mistakes.” Such is life, and standardized testing, mistakes, and pressures are part of life.

]]> By: Angelle Baudoin http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/comment-page-1/#comment-44 Angelle Baudoin Wed, 15 Mar 2006 05:31:47 +0000 http://www.nicholls.edu/bastiatsbastions/2006/03/11/sat/#comment-44 I believe the band of SAT testing is ridiculous. First off I don’t mean to come across as rude and maybe I’m jus ignorant to the “some test better then others” idea but I think no matter which way you slice it, tests are meant to do that… TEST your knowledge. And not only your knowledge but your ability also. Just as a test may seem stressful to some, life itself is stressful. It’s how people learn to cope with things and think through problems in life that will determine how far they will go. Also just like life, luck will only bring you so far. (That is if you believe in luck) If I understood correctly the tests have proven to have a %1 failure rate, in which those people we still damn near close to their actual score. Well for those one percent sorry to say but suck it up. You’re only complaining if it’s a decrease failure. Retake the test. Most people take it numerous of times anyway. One of those times is bound to be accurate. The thought of suing the company I think is quite funny actually. The cost of the trial will probably only waste more of their money than retaking the test would. It is also only going to raise prices for those of us who were prepared enough to take the test a second time. It’s is quite sad to know that people feel they have to take such extreme measures to make their point. And anyways, if a “close to actual” score along with their other qualities and attributes aren’t enough to get them to where they want to be, then what makes them think that and actual score along with their attributes will? I’m sure something more then a less than 100 points is what is stopping them. Angelle Baudoin! I believe the band of SAT testing is ridiculous. First off I don’t mean to come across as rude and maybe I’m jus ignorant to the “some test better then others” idea but I think no matter which way you slice it, tests are meant to do that… TEST your knowledge. And not only your knowledge but your ability also. Just as a test may seem stressful to some, life itself is stressful. It’s how people learn to cope with things and think through problems in life that will determine how far they will go. Also just like life, luck will only bring you so far. (That is if you believe in luck) If I understood correctly the tests have proven to have a %1 failure rate, in which those people we still damn near close to their actual score. Well for those one percent sorry to say but suck it up. You’re only complaining if it’s a decrease failure. Retake the test. Most people take it numerous of times anyway. One of those times is bound to be accurate. The thought of suing the company I think is quite funny actually. The cost of the trial will probably only waste more of their money than retaking the test would. It is also only going to raise prices for those of us who were prepared enough to take the test a second time. It’s is quite sad to know that people feel they have to take such extreme measures to make their point. And anyways, if a “close to actual” score along with their other qualities and attributes aren’t enough to get them to where they want to be, then what makes them think that and actual score along with their attributes will? I’m sure something more then a less than 100 points is what is stopping them.
Angelle Baudoin!

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