By: Dominique Padurano, MS, Ed, PhD,
When parents think about planning financially for their children’s college education, most think about 529 plans. As an inveterate saver and independent educational consultant (IEC), I wholeheartedly endorse such efforts. What most families don’t consider, however, are the tuition discounts and scholarships that students can accrue through high standardized test scores and outstanding essays. In this post, I’ll explain two reasons why students should plan to submit an SAT or ACT score in this age of “test-optional” admissions policies. Then I’ll offer examples of students whose essays earned them top dollars at prestigious universities. Finally, I’ll conclude with links to more resources for students eager to improve scores and craft winning essays.
IEC Tip #1: You Can’t Get Money If You Don’t Get In – And You’re More Likely to Get in With a Test Score
In the fall of 2020, most American colleges and universities adopted a “test-optional” admissions policy. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced too many testing centers, including high schools, to close. While most of these institutions have maintained this policy, others began reinstituting test mandates beginning in 2022. If you want to apply to Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT, and other universities this fall, you’ll need an SAT or ACT score.
Even if the schools you’re applying to don’t require test scores, there’s a big reason to take – and do well on — the SAT or ACT. Students who apply to any college with a test score are more likely to be admitted than those who do not submit test scores. At some colleges – like Emory, Colgate, and Georgia Tech – the admissions “bump” of a test score is 100%. In other words, students who applied to those schools were twice as likely to be accepted as those who applied without scores. My SAT student Benjamin applied to colleges after a 38% jump in his SAT score. As he wrote six months later, “In the fall, I will be committing to Vanderbilt University (with a $6000 merit scholarship to use for summer endeavors)! My SAT score definitely helped…”
Graph created
Graph created by Gemini with data from https://www.scoreatthetop.com/blog/3-reasons-scores-matter-at-test-optional-colleges, accessed July 22, 2024.
IEC Tip #2: High Test Scores Help You Earn Money from Colleges and Outside Institutions
Of course, if you don’t get accepted to a college, you can’t be awarded money from that college. Most scholarships awarded by colleges themselves are based on merit. (Other scholarships, based on a family’s financial need, do not fall into this category.) One important way that students demonstrate such merit is through strong SAT or ACT scores. In fact, one student earned $10,000 merely by submitting a score! Several institutions have automatic scholarships for students who score above a certain score on the SAT or ACT.
Many students supplement their colleges’ merit awards with outside scholarships. Naturally, some of these outside institutions award anywhere from one to tens of thousands of dollars for high test scores. Though finding these institutions requires some legwork of the high schooler, the time spent researching and applying often yields a far greater return on (time) investment than earning minimum wage at a part-time job.
IEC Tip #3: Strong Essays Also Help Get You into College and Earn Outside Scholarships
Some universities do not mandate any application essays. Many selective colleges, however, require that students submit one, two, or as many as twelve essays to apply. Usually, the more selective the institution, the more essays that applicants must write. For the most highly selective institutions, those essays must be superior to stand out among the tens of thousands of other applicants in the pool.
Likewise, many institutions offering outside scholarships ask students to submit one or more essays during the application process. As my student Jessica explains, having a stellar essay can result in tens of thousands of dollars for college from outside organizations. John, another college essay student, wrote me: “I also received full-ride scholarships from North Carolina A&T University, Hampton University, and Fisk University. Thank you so much for your help!!”
Jubilee Hall at Fisk University, Image from Wikimedia Commons by Fhaywood25, accessed July 22, 2024.
Conclusion
Being a teenager today is hard – and so is being the parent of a teen! While writing strong college essays and acing standardized tests aren’t fun for most, they can yield impressive returns when the tuition bill comes due. If you think your family might need more specialized guidance in either or both processes, please don’t hesitate to reach out here. To learn more about adolescent education and the college application process, sign up for my free monthly newsletter. In the meantime, happy studying and writing!
About the Author
Dominique Padurano, MS, Ed, PhD, is the Founder and President of Crimson Coaching. A quadruply certified teacher and magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Padurano has dedicated her entire professional life to helping students reach their personal and academic goals. To read what students and parents say about “Dr. P.”, read her Google reviews here. To contact Dr. P. directly, email her at [email protected].