A. Rosenbluth
S.A.T.
Scholastic Aptitude Test or
Severely Abusing Teenagers
The audience experiences momentary blindness as the girls
file out in their sequined gowns. Blue knee length. Beige off the shoulder. And for lack of style sense, a
puke-yellow ankle cut, shoulder padded dress. False smiles are plastered on,
hiding the butterflies that are infesting the lung cavity of the girl front and
center, by means of overpopulation. As each girl reaches her stage marked
position, she lines her right foot 75.862 degrees in front of her left. The
shiny (or Vaseline covered, one never knows) toothed girl mistakenly trips over
her rapunzel length hair; the perfectly ironed judges
takes note. And with the silencing of the upbeat traditional melody, judgment day
has begun, and the future will hence be set in stone. Who shalleth
goeth to thy best colleges, and whoeth
shall noteth. The SATs, for that matter, administered
nation-wide, is no better than a beauty pageant. Good instinctive test taking skills, or wealth can propel one into a top notch school.
Likewise, a beauty competition is based not on the hard work leading up to ones
judgment, but rather on innate outer characteristics, or money enabling
improvements. It is no less outrageous to judge college acceptance on looks and
wealth, than to base acceptance on the SAT.
With every one minute interval, a different girl steps
forward, centering the audience’s, as well as the judge’s attention on her. Her
upper and lower teeth meet, preventing her unwanted words. It’s a beauty
competition for gods sake. With the coming forth of
the first contestant, all eyes stab at her body, her face, her hair,
criticizing or praising each aspect. The wave of her hair is uneven, it is
decided, and her eyes are exactly 2.45 degrees off center. Her lips don’t meet
the required length from her nose, and her right kneecap screams with a birthmark.
She isn’t good enough for
Contestant number one averaged a cumulative GPA of 4.2.
Her extracurriculars go above and beyond what is
required. Community service hours outnumber her freckles, and the time spent on
sports, yearbook, and the newspaper could all together allow for a six month
vacation in
Contestant number two confidently strides forward, her
smirk undeniably sly. Her sun streaked brown hair frames her high cheekbones
and chub-less face, as does a brick fireplace to picture perfect flames. Her
legs are perfectly perpendicular to the tiled stage, and the high beam theater
lights detail her green eyes to the spectators. ”Superb,” whisper the judges.
Like a beauty competition, one can be coached and taught
how to score well on the SAT. This though, just as lavish cosmetic surgery
does, costs money. $350 for a Princeton Review Course, or
twelve $125 sessions with an expert tutor, to be exact. Both of which proving to increase test-scores by 100-300 points.
And what is taught in these costly courses? Secrets to
mastering the test. It is not a matter of acquiring more brain power.
That, my friends, was decided at birth. Hints as to how to go about specific
problems in order to save time, or what answers will never be correct on a SAT
exam, are explained however. These money powered improvements can mean going
from a mediocre school to an Ivy. But whats worse is that the SAT itself has a cost. Those who
are wealthy enough to take it multiple times in order to score their best have
a great advantage to those who cannot afford the $28.50 more than once.
Centering herself amid the stage, a
girl of minority steps forward, seemingly nervous. Her hair is loaded
with hay-like split ends. “YUCK,” thinks judge number four. I guess she could
be pretty, yet she has erupting pimples seizing her face, for no money equals no expensive zit remedies. Her choppy nails are not painted,
and her makeup looks cheap. And with that, 5 seconds later, the judges send her
off to a community college. Maybe
Likewise, people of minority are proven to overall score
around 100 points less than a middle class American, for various reasons.
Generally in poorer neighborhoods, schooling is unwholesome. Resources are less
than adequate, and jobs, rather than SAT studying, take over their time. Just
because everyone is taking the same test, seemingly making the SAT an
equalizer, does not hide the well-known fact that certain races or cultures are
most likely to score lower than the high population of middle class Americans.
How then, may I ask, is the SAT an equalizer test, as is its supposed main
purpose?
Although most schools box up the idea that their basis
for acceptance may hold little significance as to what students truly belong in
their classrooms, many Universities have begun to recognize the unreliability
of the SAT. Hard work should hold president, and bad test taking skills, or
lack of high income should not hold a teen back from a prestigious college. By
basing admission more on grade point average, extracurriculars,
and overall achievement, students would not cheated from a deserved admission.
As the judges hold a final meeting behind the stage curtains,
they discuss each contestant. Number two, they decide, should be the winner.
And why shouldn’t she? Who cares that her carved face was the result of
millions of dollars of plastic surgery. The envelope is handed off, and the
audience grows silent with anticipation. With the sliding of a single finger,
the announcer opens the letter, and gasps with practiced surprise. “And the
winner of the Beauty Competition is …. CONTESTANT TWO!.”
The spectators clap wildly as the contestants hug the object of their envy.
Number two flashes her surgically implanted smile, as a tear of joy streams
down her face. All of that money didn’t go to waste, she thinks. And once
again, wealth propels yet another person into success. Hard work is put aside
this year, as with every year. The losers gather their belongings, as they
ponder this: When will the judges realize that money and innate skills are not
the prerequisite to success, but rather perseverance, effort, and determination.