Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., launched a new admissions process Oct. 1, involving online essay submission, by which applicants can replace standardized test scores. N.C. State, however, does not plan to imitate this process.
Bard’s Entrance Examination, allows applicants to write four 2,500-word research essays instead of submitting standardized test scores and other traditional application requirements.
According to Bard admissions, the intent of the exam is to give motivated applicants the equal opportunity to showcase their aptitude for success by completing work similar to actual college course assignments. Applicants who earn a B+ or higher on their essays will be admitted to the school.
Thomas Griffin, director of admissions at N.C. State, said test scores will continue to be a factor at the University. Griffin said the submission of SAT and ACT scores provide valuable information, but it’s not emphasized above other aspects of the application.
“Test scores alone are just a snapshot of a student at a particular point in time, and they are not as important as an applicant’s high school record,” Griffin said. “We want to have as much information as we can about our applicants, and SAT scores are another data point for reviewing applications.”
Bard applicants who choose to take the entrance exam must research and write about topics from a list of 21 questions that are split into three categories: Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences, History, and Philosophy; and Science and Mathematics. Applicants are required to write one research essay from each category, along with an additional fourth essay from any category of their choice.
“The new entrance exam is certainly a different approach and it has had a tremendous amount of interest,” said Mark Primoff, director of communications at Bard College.
Primoff said the new entrance exam site had between 160 and 200 logins during the first week of the application period.
The college’s entrance exam challenges traditional components of college applications, particularly standardized testing.
Bard College President Leon Botstein said the current standardized testing process is flawed.
“The tradition of high stakes examination, using multiple choice questions, has made the entire apparatus of high school and college entrance examinations bankrupt,” Bard College President Leon Botstein said in a press release. “Teachers, scientists and scholars must once again take charge of the way we test.”
Bard was one of the first colleges to make standardized tests optional for admission. In North Carolina, higher education institutions such as Wake Forest University, have also de-emphasized standardized testing for admissions.
N.C. State requires applicants to submit standardized test scores, but also gives applicants the option to submit a personal statement in the form of an essay on their application to give admissions a more in-depth look at the applicants themselves.
However, this differs from the lengthy, research-based essays Bard applicants write. Griffin stated that a research essay admissions process is more feasible at Bard than N.C. State due to the smaller size of the institution.
“The idea of having students submit research papers is an interesting concept, but it would be difficult to implement on a larger scale.” Griffin said.
According to university data from the Office of Admissions, N.C. State received about 22,000 applications for the class of 2017 admissions, while Bard College received 5,760 applications.
Bard applicants may still choose to submit a traditional application.