By Carly Silverman
Frances Kalpakis might have to apply for college admission without having taken the ACT. Although new test dates were announced, a lot of students struggled to sign up before all the testing sites near them filled.
Some colleges have become test optional, but some students are nervous that not submitting a test score to competitive schools will make it difficult for them to be admitted. This is the case for Kalpakis, a rising senior from Long Island, New York. She was registered to take her first ACT in April, but it was canceled due to the pandemic.
“Even though most schools are test-optional I don’t think my grades without an ACT are anything special,” Kalpakis said.
She was unable to register for the ACT exam in September or October before the testing sites near her filled up.
“If I apply to a school with no test score and someone else applies with one and we have similar grades, I feel like they have a better chance,” Kalpakis said.
The pandemic has made taking the college admission test especially hard for those from low-income families.
“I have one computer in my house and not the best WiFi so by the time I logged in there were no test sites available,” Amy Grey, Queens, New York, said.
Grey said taking an SAT was particularly important for her college application.
“I don’t have an amazing GPA or anything like that, but I’ve been studying for the SAT since last summer in order to get a high score,” she said, “I was relying on taking an SAT to get into college and now I can’t take one.”
Other students have different worries about taking a standardized test.
“Honestly, I’m scared to be in a room with random people even if everyone’s wearing masks,” Kelly Davis, Kellenberg Memorial High School, said. “If schools aren’t completely opening because it’s not safe, how would taking the test be safe.”
Even though students are stressing over the fact that they haven’t been able to register for a test, a guidance counselor and college advisor at The Wheatley School says it might not be as bad for their application as they think.
“So many rising seniors haven’t taken a test yet,” Sherri Schacter said. “Not taking an SAT or ACT will not make or break a college application for someone in the class of 2021.”