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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Standardized test scores remain admission factor

Although some universities have stopped considering standardized test scores as part of their admissions processes, TCU is not changing any time soon, said an admissions official.Wes Waggoner, director of freshman admissions, ensured that the university continues factoring ACT and SAT scores into admissions decisions.

Currently, there are no four-year universities in Texas that are doing away with the SAT and ACT scores, said Beth Hancock, a guidance counselor at Arlington High School.

“None of the schools that my students are applying to have mentioned anything regarding changing their admissions,” Hancock said.

According to an article on insidehighered.com, more than 700 colleges nationwide have stopped considering standardized test scores in admissions because the ACT and SAT do not offer a fair assessment of a student and contain racial and gender biases.

TCU allows applicants to choose which test scores the student gives to the university for consideration, whether they be Advanced Placement test scores, SAT scores or ACT scores, Waggoner said.

TCU considers test scores, grades and a student’s academic history when evaluating an applicant, Waggoner said.

Hancock said that she does not think any university will ever see the full potential of a future student through just their high school transcripts.

“It has been proven that the best predictor of how well a student will do in college is a combination of these three things plus their extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation and the essay,” Waggoner said.

Laura Villafranca, assistant director of admission at Rice University, said different schools use standardized tests to look at students differently.

Villafranca also said that as far as she knows, Rice, which accepts both ACT and SAT scores from applicants, is not planning on changing its admissions practices.

Universities like the ability to see the whole student, and standardized tests scores are often just one part of the full picture of a potential student, Hancock said.

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