Columbia University Permanently Ends SAT Requirements to 'Respect Varied Backgrounds'
Columbia University has taken the logical step in the war on education, ending SAT requirements as a condition of admission.
The Ivy League institution first took this step during the pandemic, and continuously extended the measure despite restrictions ending across the country.
But now Columbia's decided to make their obviously declining standards a permanent feature.
Far left activists have campaigned to end standardized testing, claiming it's an inherently racist practice.
And Columbia, unsurprisingly, appears to agree with them.
The decision was “rooted in the belief that students are dynamic, multi-faceted individuals who cannot be defined by any single factor,” explained the university's website.
Their statement also claimed that they considered "varied backgrounds, voices and experiences" when making the decision.
“Our review is purposeful and nuanced — respecting varied backgrounds, voices and experiences — in order to best determine an applicant’s suitability for admission and ability to thrive in our curriculum and our community, and to advance access to our educational opportunities.”
Plaza and lawns looking southeast from near Low Memorial Hall, Columbia University, towards Kent and Hamilton, Upper West Side, New York, NY, USA (Getty Images)
Columbia Shows How Universities Are Declining
Far from selecting the best quality candidates for one of the country's most elite institutions, the announcement indicates that priorities in education have dramatically shifted.
While some institutions have moved to eliminate political posturing from the education system, Columba is taking the opposite path.
READ: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA BANS WOKE ‘DIVERSITY’ STATEMENTS FROM HIRING PROCESS
Standardized tests may not be the ultimate measure of a student's academic achievement or predictor for future success. But they do show universities that an applicant is able to work and study hard in order to prepare themselves for a difficult, lengthy assignment.
That sort of work ethic is immensely valuable, both in college and in the working world.
By saying that "voices and experiences" will take priority, Columbia is diminishing the importance of applying yourself to a specific problem.
Obviously top achieving students with exceptional, deservedly high GPAs are also likely to perform well in colleges. But as we've seen all too often, loosening standards often becomes a free for all down the road.
What's to stop Ivy League institutions from one day removing grades from consideration in favor of "voices and experiences"?
And what starts in the Ivy League trickles down to other institutions quickly, considering the prevalence of group think in elite intellectual circles.
The good news for most students though, is that the value of a Columbia degree will almost certainly be lower in the near future.