If you’ve ever dreamed of the SAT or ACT vanishing into thin air, you’ve got your wish . . . sort of. Many colleges and universities who believe that these standardized tests are not the best way to determine a student’s potential have voiced their opinions in a pretty big way: they are removing the SAT and ACT from their application requirements.

If you are a strong student but freak out when it comes to major tests, this is definitely a time to rejoice. In fact, you are the reason that more and more schools are moving towards making the SAT and ACT optional. These schools question the validity of standardized testing in assessing a student’s future success in college. When you think about it, it does make sense—how could a three-hour test possibly sum up all the skills you have learned during years of schooling? Critics of these tests also point out that standardized testing is prejudiced toward minority and economically disadvantaged students. Much has been said about establishing a test that will be a fairer assessment than what is currently in place with the College Board and the ACT.

Stop doing your happy dance for just a moment and check out this list of SAT-optional schools from Fair Test, an organization dedicated to creating fair and effective admissions standards. Pretty impressive, huh? There are dozens of small liberal arts colleges across the country that are shedding the SAT and abstaining from the ACT, but what’s really making people’s tongues wag is the fact that there are also more and more competitive schools that are appearing on the list, such as Bard College, College of the Holy Cross, and Bowdoin College.

Although the list of test-optional schools is getting longer each year, that doesn’t mean that you should burn your SAT or ACT practice books just yet. There are still plenty of schools—including the Ivies—that are not ready to budge on the testing issue. You may find that you’ll still have to take the SAT or ACT, but you’ll only have to submit scores to a few of the schools on your list. It’s enough to take a bit of the nervous edge away, now that you know there are colleges and universities out there that will look at you as a person and not just a verbal or math score.

You may resume your happy dance now.

 Image by dieselbug2007 and used under a Creative Commons license.

Spring is here, and with warmer temperatures and greener grass comes something that has plagued many soon-to-be high school graduates: senioritis. Even the most hardworking students feel the urge to ditch the books in favor of any little distraction that comes their way during the final weeks before graduation.

Chances are, you have been hit with your own strain of senioritis, particularly if you have already been accepted to college and have sent in your enrollment deposit. What’s wrong with celebrating by kicking back and relaxing a bit? Nothing at all, provided it doesn’t get in the way of finishing your final semester on a high note. Many seniors write it off as urban legend, but it’s true: colleges have indeed been known to revoke scholarships and, in some extreme cases, rethink acceptances when they receive the abysmal final transcripts of seniors who checked out early.

Even though you are in the home stretch, it can feel like the longest few weeks you’ll ever have to endure. So what’s a senior to do? Here are a few ideas to tide you over until you can slam your locker for the very last time:

1. Get plenty of rest. You don’t have to be majoring in rocket science next year to know that when you are well rested, you can pretty much handle anything. If you can get a full eight hours of sleep per night, you’ll be more refreshed and will finish your homework much more quickly than if you’re dragging your feet. The quicker you finish your homework, the more time you’ll have to do whatever it is you’d rather be doing.

2. Get some fresh air. It’s been a long winter for many of us, so be sure to enjoy the good stuff that Mother Nature is starting to throw us. Take a break every so often from homework and go for a short walk, even if it’s just around the corner. Better yet, kill two birds with one stone and take your books outside—sunshine and a warm breeze while you study might be just the trick to help you get through that last act of Shakespeare or that massive list of Spanish vocabulary.

3.  Keep your eye on the prize. Stick your acceptance letter to the refrigerator door. Start wearing your soon-to-be college tee shirt. Paint your room in the colors of your chosen school. Do whatever you need to do to remind yourself that you worked hard over the past four years to get where you are today, and that you will NOT allow the few remaining weeks of school to undo it all. If you have to program your alarm clock so that you wake up to your college’s fight song, do it. Start each day knowing that it’s one more day closer to the summer, when you can finally take a break from your schoolwork.

Don’t let senioritis get the best of you. Make a strong push to get through the rest of the semester and then you’ll have the whole summer to do as you please.

Although it might be hard to celebrate your own good news when your friends are feeling so lousy, it is easier to lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on. Here are some ways that you can be a sympathetic friend:

1. Be a good listener. Once the initial shock of rejection wears off, your friend might be ready to vent. Let him or her guide the conversation. Remember, although you can sympathize, you can’t empathize—you’ve got your plans mapped out already. You know all too well how much time and energy you’ve focused on college lately, and it turned out well for you. It’s the flip side for your friend, so be sensitive. Don’t offer advice, just listen.  

2. Be supportive of other college options. There are many people whose so-called “safety schools” turned into their dream schools in the end. College will be what you and your friends make of it, no matter where that happens to be. Not getting into a first-choice school is not the shattering of a life dream, although it certainly must feel like that for your friends at this point in time. Keep in mind that this is a setback, but not a failure. Your friends will still go on to become the doctors, lawyers, actors, politicians, etc. that they want to be because of their hard work and discipline, not because of where they will spend the next four years. Help them to focus on aspects of college that will be the same no matter where they go, like living in dorms, choosing classes, and making new friends.  

3. Pick a new topic of conversation. Your friend might very well prefer to talk about anything else but college. Surely there’s something else you can talk about; after all, you were friends long before you went on your first campus tour, right? Whether it’s gossiping about celebrities, discussing starting lineups, or simply commenting on the weather, a new conversation topic will allow your friend’s brain a much needed break from the question, “What do I do now?”

This is not to say that you should stifle your own inclination to rejoice in your college acceptance. If perhaps this is a better time to celebrate with your family, then hold off on a festivity with friends until your circle has a better handle on their plans for the fall.

Image by Carlo Nicora and used under a Creative Commons license.