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0 pointsjonjacky2y ago0 comments

Or some other mix - geographic, for example. Caltech could easily fill its quite small freshman class from Los Angeles high schools, but it tries to get students from all over the country.

I am from Washington state. I was admitted to Caltech in 1968. In those days, we all had to take the SAT. The Dean of Students told me my math SAT score was lower than they liked to see, but they admitted me anyway. In my class there were two students from Washington state. I recall there were also two students from Washington state in the classes preceding and following mine.

I graduated from Caletch in 1972 with good grades, went on to graduate school and a rewarding career in science and engineering.

[edit] I just reread Bostonian's comment above. I should emphasize that I didn't get the impression from the Dean that Caltech felt it was "devaluing academic measures" by admitting me. There are lots of academic measures besides the SAT. The Caltech faculty and administration understood this 55 years ago.

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Bostonian2y ago· 2 in thread

Caltech is a very selective school, and I'd bet that the majority of applicants have taken the SAT or ACT. Lots of research has shown that standardized test scores, in addition to high school grades, predict college success better than high school GPA alone. It's strange to throw out relevant data when making an important decision, and that's why I think Caltech and other schools that are doing so are trying smuggle racial preferences (banned by a recent Supreme Court decision) into the admissions process.

jonjackyOP2y ago

Or, maybe the admissions committee understands the significance of SAT scores better than you do. From long experience with many students like me, they may have concluded that within their applicant pool, the variations among SAT scores do not predict success at Caltech. They might have found that applicant X having a SAT score delta points higher than applicant Y is just noise and has no predictive power about which will succeed. In my class, about a third of the students who were admitted did not graduate. Many of those who did not finish must have had SAT scores higher than mine.

jonjackyOP2y ago

It's too late to edit, but I would like to omit the snarky first sentence "Or, maybe ..." and just begin this comment with the second sentence: "Or, maybe from long experience ..."

I usually don't comment on social/political issues, but in this case I had a specific personal experience that was pertinent.

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3 comments · 1 top-level

Bostonian2y ago· 2 in thread

jonjackyOP2y ago

It's too late to edit, but I would like to omit the snarky first sentence "Or, maybe ..." and just begin this comment with the second sentence: "Or, maybe from long experience ..."

I usually don't comment on social/political issues, but in this case I had a specific personal experience that was pertinent.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse