Every year, about two million US students and hundreds of thousands worldwide take the SAT (scholastic aptitude test.) These students are predominantly college-bound and virtually every college in the US accepts the SAT as an entrance exam. Students purchase books, get tutors, and pay for classes in order to do well on this critical exam. Some students do not do as well as they thought they would because the SAT is based on all three areas: reading, writing and mathematics. It also determines your skills in other areas to see if your reasoning skills are up to par. This is somewhat unfair. What if you are planning to become a journalist and major in journalism and English but cannot do well on the math portion of the SAT? Or what if you excelled at the reading, writing and math but have poor reasoning skills? Will this prohibit you from entering the school of your dreams because you received a low SAT score?
It seems that today’s generation is more aggressive to get ahead in life and become successful. But why is becoming a success in the 21st century such a struggle? We are in a recession, which makes the cost of college difficult. In addition, students are put through so many obstacles in order to be admitted to college and to obtain a degree. Kaitie Smith, a junior at Warwick Valley High School said, “I want to go to college and get a degree but there is no way that I can afford it right now. I’m not a great student but I do try to get good grades. I just wish it was not so hard. Maybe then I would be able to go to the college of my choice at an easier and more cost affordable.” It is hard for those students who are not 100% book-smart but are smart in other aspects. With the SAT, a person is forced to be book-smart to procure a high score. There is a major flaw within this system. There is too much pressure put on today’s youth and it is starting to become very stressful. Not to say that getting into college should be a breeze. However, there should be some leeway for the reason that everyone should have the opportunity to acquire a degree.