Thread by @jennthetutor

Let me explain what I think students need for test-optional to be effective

1. Announce test optional
2. Tell students they won’t be penalized
3. Then tell students HOW applications are reviewed with scores and without

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https://twitter.com/saragoldrickrab/status/1383174007277641730

4. Then tell students reviewing with and without certain scores is normal- some schools have test others don’t, some people have AP, others IB, others have standardize scores
5. Tell students some students have some classes others don’t, some students have opportunities

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6. Essentially explain there is not this “if all things are equal” and “a student who has the higher score will get the slot”
7. Explain how test were used and how that’s change
8. Explain this is not out of pity for certain students

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9 (yup it’s not as simple as HEY WE ARE TEST OPTIONAL NOW). Explain how you came@to this decision- shout out to @AmericanU who has a PHENOMENAL VIDEO
10. Explain that it wasn’t just because you pitied people but because you don’t find the test to be that used

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11. Explicitly state, multiple times, in multiple pieces of content (website, social, etc) that if a test prep tutor says the score gives you a leg up they are wrong

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12. Tell students if you hear something that suggests you are giving advantages to students with scores contact you immediately
13. Affirm to students who email with misinformation that you want them to apply without scores if they “don’t feel the scores represent them” 6/

14. Make it personal... tell them how you may have had a bad test or moment so you know that could happen
15. Call out misinformation campaigns in various pieces of content

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16. Initiate conversations about optional- great presentation slide “we are proud to be test optional and here’s way”
17. Slide- Here’s how we use scores- yup again

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18. Slide- “know it’s confusing because if one student has one thing and another doesn’t then... how can they not be advantages”
19. Affirming language “Has anyone ever taken a test they study all night for and JUST BOMBED IT. I know I have”

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20. “We don’t want you to feel like you have to submit a score you don’t think represents you okay. If it makes yoy feel less confident don’t submit”
21. Slide- Here’s our average test score range
22. If you don’t fall into that range- apply optional

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23. “If you bomb the test and say know this score doesn’t represent me- apply optional” 11/

24. Here is critical language- “your grades and commitments to your community are more important, you will always be more competitive investing in your classes and extracurriculars, and family, community” 12/

I want y’all to say that 25 different ways in 25 different pieces of content

#testoptionaladmissionschallenge 13/

25. “Don’t pay for test prep that can’t take time way from your classes and studies”
26. MULTIPLE SLIDES- students who applied test optional and were admitted
27. Slides- Our test optional scholarship winners 14/

28. Slides- This is how much money you can get without scores (if you aren’t evolved enough to have waived test scores on scholarships reconsider, you are just ensuring I stay in business as a test prep tutor) 15/

29. When students who call, email, write “please let me know if you have any questions. In addition, I’m aware some students are new to test optional admissions. if you have any questions please let me know”
30. Add test optional affirming links to explore in your signature 16/

I want y’all out here working test optional policies like it’s your job. I want it to be normalized 17/

Content ideas: who is test optional for, who is test optional not for, test optional myths, ways we use test scores, how test optional admissions is different than regular admissions

Also discuss how you didn’t use the test much to begin with 18/

Y’all have the summer... it’s not going to be one website page and your done 19/

Also do one of those funny videos where you laugh about test-optional ads, misinformation

Ask prospective to submit things they are seeing or hearing and discuss why it’s absurd 20/

Y’all have to say it 100 different ways because my students will hear it 100 ways

Have admitted students frankly discuss their fears of applying optional and their relief at acceptance 21/

Also, my girls say I need to see y’all’s eyes more often. They don’t trust what you write, it’s a good start. They want to hear it from you, admitted students, financial aid, etc- videos are always best with you looking and talking to them, webinars, etc 22/

Host a webinar ONLY about “what students applying to (college) need to know about applying with and without scores” nothing else 23/

I use to be in branding- you can’t rely on “if we build test optional they will come” the schools committed to optional need to be recruiting it. 24/

You can’t be passive- this study to me makes sense because my students have had test optional opportunities for years but this is the first year I didn’t have to explain test optional existed. Most students didn’t know so TELL THEM, market it, dispel myths 25/

The biggest “limitation” of test optional is you all let students educate themselves on the policy and they turn to unreliable or exploitative sources to get information (Reddit, YouTube, tok tok, test prep tutors with an agenda) 26/

You have to be the biggest source of information on test optional so they say “okay maybe it’s true test scores give an advantage in other places but definitely not at...” and tell their friends that 27/

Here is what impact you want to have 28/

Student 1: I don’t trust test optional
Student 2: yeah I felt the same but (xyz) is really pushing it’s okay to apply without and they showed me students who got in without
Student 1: I bet though you get an advantage if you do an application with a score 29/

Student 2: maybe in other places but not at... they were pretty obsessed with optional
Student 1: but what about scholarships
Student 2: they had scholarship winners who were optional- I saw it on their website

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Student 1: but my tutor said they know someone in admissions and they said we need scores to get the spot
Student 2: yeah they said tutors say that but they told me focus on grades, extracurricular, service- instead because that makes you more competitive

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Student 2: in fact they said if it’s going to take a bunch of time prepping for the test they would rather we focus on the other stuff because a score is not going to be more competitive than the rest

And scene 32/

The goal is not to just explain optional but explain why it doesn’t make sense to prep a lot for a test that isn’t going to be as important as other factors and be more transparent about other factors 33/

In fact for presidential scholarship winners tell us why they were so competitive for you and what made them so good. 34/

Give them more information. A student suggested a piece of content- “I’m the reviewer for... what I love to see in applications (general language)... some things students think I want but don’t really care about is” 35/

They want to know who is looking at it. They also suggested a day in the life reviewing- students love day in the life for current students and told me they want to see it for admissions 36/

They also love the most searched questions and open Anonymous questions and answers- get them in advance and every week just answer them openly 37/

They would like “most common admissions lies I hear about my school” 38/

Anyway, the deep conditioner is done... see y’all 39/

#emchat 40/

have we come up with a hashtag for I’m not EM but I want to tell y’all what to do because I use to do branding and work with students every day who listen to YouTube when they could be listening to you but y’all don’t give my students what they need so a YouTuber tells them 41/