The ACT

Seeing as I'm a senior in high school, college has been an important subject in my life lately. The ACT is a standardized test given to high school students to measure their "college readiness". Although I'm through with the ACT process at this point, it's not something I look back on with fondness. It was a long and difficult process. This test is timed and broken up in to five subjects: math, English, reading, science, and writing. Many people argue that the ACT is beneficial to students when it comes to college preparation. I don't quite agree with that statement. I don't think one test should be the determining factor in how ready one is for college. There are many characteristics and talents that can't be portrayed through the ACT, yet many colleges defer students because their score doesn't fit the college's criteria. Some students aren't good test takers, therefore may not be able to achieve an "acceptable score". This doesn't mean that student isn't college ready, or that they don't have other qualities that they can provide for the school. I consider myself very privileged to be able to attend a school as good as Fremd, but not everyone is that lucky. Many students aren't able to attend a school that will give them a quality education. Is it really fair that those with less opportunity should be expected to achieve the same score that others, with a much better quality of education, are achieving? I don't think so. Therefore I don't think the ACT should be such a crucial portion of college applications; nor do I think it should even be a requirement for students.