Over 1,600 colleges have gone test-optional for applicants after the outbreak of COVID-19. Schools have closed across the country and have prevented at least one million students in high school from taking the ACT and SAT exams. Dorms were vacated, and all classes were moved online last year.

 The College Board has announced that they are pausing their plans on allowing students to take the ACT and SAT exams at home. This has led to many colleges adjusting to COVID-19  by creating a new form of application. Students have a lot more variation when applying to college and are allowed to submit ACT or SAT scores, GPA, as well as an essay.

The Ohio State University has made the ACT and SAT scores optional for most students applying at the Columbus campus. Solon High School (SHS) Senior, Charlie Rumizen, has applied to The Ohio State University and is sending in his ACT score as part of his application.

“My ACT super score just went up, and I hope it gets me into Ohio State,” Rumizen said. “I want to major in either business or finance, and I am grateful Ohio State is taking the pandemic into account while students are applying to college. I just hope my ACT [score] gives me an advantage compared to other students who might apply with just their GPA.”

Miami University in Ohio has also chosen to make test scores optional for students applying for the fall semester. Some applicants feel their standardized test scores don’t fully represent their academic potential. SHS senior Michelle Fayner has applied to Ohio University, Miami University and Kent State. She will not be submitting her ACT or SAT scores. 

“I personally don’t think my ACT or SAT scores resemble me at all,” Fayner said. “I didn’t have the time to get a tutor or prepare like other students have in the previous years. I am really appreciative that all of the schools I am applying to are making the ACT and SAT scores optional because it is only fair.” 

The University of Miami will also be test optional for all students applying for the fall of 2020 and the spring of 2021. Students will have a choice via the Common Application to self-report their test scores. SHS senior Logan Cingel has applied to The Ohio State University, Ohio University, Miami University and The University of Miami. 

“I have sent in my ACT scores as part of my application,” Cingel said. “I worked really hard and have taken the ACT numerous times. I am very satisfied with my score and hope it is another factor that can make me a candidate for any college that I apply to.”

The University of Alabama is also offering their students a choice when applying and is not requiring ACT or SAT score submissions. Senior Nicollee Hammer has applied to numerous colleges including The University of Alabama, and will be submitting her SAT scores. 

“Every school that I applied to gave students the choice of whether or not they wanted to include their ACT or SAT score,” Hammer said. “I used a tutor during my sophomore year and spent a lot of hours working on my scores. I hope all the hard work pays off.”

Ohio University has also adopted a test optional policy. Freshman applicants will have the option of submitting their ACT or SAT scores as part of their application. Senior Ryan Simmonds has applied to Ohio University, Kent State University, Bowling Green and the University of Toledo. 

“I didn’t submit my ACT or SAT scores to any of the schools I applied to,” Simmonds said. “I was never a good test taker, and I am really grateful I am not required to submit my scores. Grades are not the only important factor when applying to college, and I think that schools are starting to focus more on the student and not their grades.”

The University of Cincinnati has also allowed students the opportunity to submit their ACT or SAT scores, but is not making them a requirement. Senior Grace Kasper has applied to Bowling Green, The Pennsylvania  State University, Ohio University, The Ohio State University, The University of Dayton and The University of Cincinnati.

“I love having the option to submit whatever scores I want,” Kasper said. “I either want to major in biology or animal science and the classes at the high school aren’t easy. My grades are reflective of my hard work unlike the ACT where I only got the chance to take it once. I am not submitting my ACT or SAT scores.”

Ivy league schools like Yale University and Harvard University are test optional for this year. Also, Georgetown University, Duke University and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology have alsol adopted a one year test optional policy. 

 Multiple universities are debating whether or not they want to keep the ACT or SAT as part of their application process. Some schools have gotten rid of it completely, while others are still requiring it or making it an option. Giving students the choice to submit ACT or SAT scores is a new form of college application that many Solon students appreciate.