After weeks of putting it off, I trudged to Barnes and Noble the other day to make the least exciting purchase of my life. And after shelling out a preposterous $35 was the proud owner of a Graduate Record Examination study guide.
Awesome. After five years of studying and writing papers - yes, I took five years to graduate - I get to take another test before I go on to take more exams in grad school. Fantastic.
Now while I hate the fact that I have to study for this ridiculous test, I understand it completely. I would much rather take a test that allows for reasonably fair graduate school admission standards than go back to the system in which social status was the only determinant of educational admissions.
The standardized testing revolution was the brainchild of Henry Chauncey at the close of World War II, according to "The Big Test: The Secret of the American Meritocracy," a book by Nicholas Lemann.
After years of the aristocratic elite ruling the country, Chauncey devised a system of testing that would allow anyone entrance into higher education and allow the educated - not just the wealthy - class to emerge in power.
In conjunction with a few others, Chauncey went on to set up the Educational Testing Service, the source of a little test we all know and love called the SAT.
Some would argue that currently Americans are living under the rule of a man who came from an aristocratic family, and President George W. Bush's rise to the presidency echoes back to pre-Chauncey days. I suppose that is neither here nor there, but if standardized testing gets us an inch closer to a world where people earn both their positions and their respect, I am all for a bit of extra studying and a long Saturday afternoon taking an exam.
Now, I know it's easy for us, as college students, to take the low road and complain about yet another test we have to take. To be honest, I'm not saying I am stoked to have to take an exam to continue educating myself - but we have to understand why.
My parents went to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. It's a good school; they got a good education. It's no Harvard, and it's not as if there is a revered Shultz family legacy there. Now, I want to go to Columbia, and I have the opportunity to get there because of my intelligence and hard work, not because of my parents' last name or fat check book.
Standardized tests do just that - they create a standard to which everyone is judged. The GRE, MCAT and LSAT tests give everyone a base level to which they can be compared. At the same time, they are not the only things admissions boards look at - GPA, extracurricular activities and service are among many things that factor into graduate school acceptance. But more importantly, the tests give admissions boards some basis of comparison so that everyone has a shot.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
