At Lyndon, a good SAT score can help you, but a poor score (or no score) will not hurt you.

For almost 100 years, Lyndon has welcomed students from all backgrounds and academic profiles who have succeeded beyond their expectations and dreams. 

To us, a student is not just a set of numbers.  A student is a person with potential. Lyndon understands the many factors that can affect positively or negatively the academic profile of a student.  We also understand that the biggest predictors of success are motivation and passion, so we take into consideration the student's entire academic record as well as letters of recommendation attesting to those characteristics.

As a result of this philosophy, Lyndon admissions has adopted an SAT-optional policy. This is a formalization of a policy that Lyndon has followed in the past, in keeping with our mission of access.
 

• Admission at Lyndon has always taken into account the entire student academic record. We focus on a holistic review of a student's record by considering the grades, the grade trends, the strength of the academic program overall, the completion of academic units, as well as extracurricular activities and indications of social maturity.
• Research over the past several years has proved that SATs are not a predictor of success in the first year of college. Predictability ranges from a high of 15% to a low of 0.1%, depending upon the research model and figures. The greater success indicators tend to be grades in school and leadership activities.
• In addition, socioeconomic factors have a tremendous impact on a student's ability to score well on these tests. Many high school districts throughout the country do not have the funding to embed test-taking strategy courses in their curriculum, and families often cannot afford the large sums of money required to hire SAT tutors.

An excerpt from a recent issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, (October 10, 2008, At Admissions Conference, Talk of Standardized Tests Dominates) sheds light on the national trend toward SAT-optional admissions:

"Mr. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard University and chairman of the commission (NACAC's Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission), described testing in dramatic terms. How colleges and universities deal with standardized tests in the coming years, he said, would influence future generations.

"The report urges colleges to regularly assess what, exactly, standardized tests tell them. It suggests that more colleges could drop their testing requirements without jeopardizing their ability to predict the success of their students. Some attendees praised the report's measured tone. Others criticized it for the same. Susan K. Tree, director of college counseling at Westtown School, in Pennsylvania, said the commission had not said enough about the "fundamental flaws" of the SAT, like the correlation between students' test scores and their socioeconomic backgrounds.

"Because standardized tests are 'incredibly imprecise,' Mr. Fitzsimmons answered, colleges have a responsibility to assess applicants in a holistic way that does not overemphasize test scores."

So Lyndon's policy is this: At Lyndon, a good SAT score can help you, but a poor score (or no score) will not hurt you.

Questions?

Patricia Krahnke
Dean of Admissions and Marketing
patricia.krahnke@lyndonstate.edu
802-626-6415