Thread by @jessesingal

1/ New from me, for paid subscribers: It Probably Makes More Sense To Banish College Admissions Essays Than To Banish SAT Scores

One thing I've harped on is how certain very flat understandings of race are erasing the importance and influence of class.

jessesingal.substack.com/p/it-probably-…

2/ This is a great example. Banishing the SAT is being treated as a blow struck for 'equity.' The effect of this has been to heighten the importance of admissions essays.

But imagine you're a rich parent and your goal is to get your child into a top school. Statistically, it

3/ is very unlikely your child is in the top 5% of SAT scorers. It is also very unlikely you can get your child there -- we know thanks to the research highlighted here that the test is much less gameable than many think.

So what practical effect will

slate.com/technology/201…

4/ it have on you, Rich Parent Facing College Admissions Gauntlet, to have the SAT banned and the importance of essays heightened?

All of a sudden, you no longer have to worry about something you have very little control over (your child's SAT score) and can focus on something

5/you, by dint of being wealthy, have *complete* control over: the quality of your kid's essays. You can spend thousands to make sure the essays are (effectively or literally) written by professional writers. You can make them absolutely glow and pop because you have all the time

6/ and money you need to make those essays magnificent. That time and money would barely move the needle, SAT-scores-wise, but now it can be put to great use. All while you can gain clout for saying you support 'equity'! It's an amazing arrangement and one that warrants scrutiny.

7/ It's a side-note but this research correlating essay content (not quality -- we have no data on that) and SES is *fascinating*. Kids who wrote about experiencing discrimination/stereotypes were most likely to come from six-figure households.

nytimes.com/2021/05/26/ups…