When my SAT was canceled in March due to COVID-19, I took it in stride. I knew I wasn’t fully prepared and was already registered for the June test. As the pandemic worsened and restrictions tightened, that test was also canceled, and I registered for August and October. At a certain point during the summer, I decided that enough was enough and put down the SAT prep books. I knew, at least in the Bay Area, there was no way I would be taking the SAT.
I was shocked to learn that not all of my classmates did the same, despite colleges and universities across the United States creating test-optional policies for this year’s applicants.
Some testing centers around the Bay Area did open up, and I do not fault fellow students whatsoever for taking those opportunities. What upsets me is the fact that some of my classmates hopped on planes, traveled to different states and took the SAT somewhere else.
San Francisco (and the Bay Area) has maintained low case numbers compared to the rest of California and the country. We have done this through intense restrictions, such as limiting gatherings, enforcing mask-wearing mandates and closing indoor dining. Until very recently, schools — and testing centers — have been shut.
We are privileged to live in a place with these restrictions, keeping such a large portion of our community healthy. It is irresponsible to leave this safety for somewhere with fewer restrictions, simply to take a test that is now largely optional, and bring those increased risks back to the Bay Area.
I understand that many of us have been thinking about our dream schools for years, working diligently to check every box and ensure admission to some of the country’s top colleges and universities. And I understand that many LWHS students have the financial means to drive or fly to Utah or Nevada to take a standardized test. So if they have the means, why shouldn’t they?
The answer is simple: it’s just not right.
Think about all of the LWHS students who cannot make the choice to travel for the SAT. What about the families who don’t have the financial means to fly or drive somewhere else? Or to own a car to make the trip? What about a student who has a family member with underlying health conditions? Or a student who is the child of an essential worker, who cannot afford to take the risk of getting their family sick? Or a student who just doesn’t feel comfortable putting their (and others’) health on the line?
As we pass 250,000 American deaths due to the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins, and a third spike in COVID-19 cases, traveling should be done sparingly. We don’t only put ourselves at risk when we travel, but anyone we are in contact with for two weeks after. Flying or driving out of the Bay Area to go to school or work, even to visit family, seems valid. The SAT does not.
These students take the risk of becoming sick or causing community spread just to get a slight leg up in the college admissions process.
Students traveling to take the SAT show an utter disregard not just for the safety of others, but also for the impact their ability to submit test scores has on their classmates who cannot. It is a flagrant display of privilege.
Admissions offices adopted test-optional policies so that students would not be forced to put themselves and those around them in danger to take the SAT, and so that students who were unable to take the test — for whatever reason — would not be penalized. Colleges are holistically reviewing applications, paying closer attention to grades, extracurriculars, essays and teacher recommendations. This approach should be beneficial to LWHS students, who, theoretically, are all actively engaged in their communities and have teachers with great things to say about them.
So why are some of my classmates going out of their way to submit test scores anyway?
