Research Opportunities
Ralph Becker
The Importance of High School Research

Many applicants to the most selective university programs share high grades, high test scores, solid recommendations and generous doses of community service and volunteer activities. Yet, if they want to set themselves apart from the pool of exceptional students, a significant research experience in STEM or the social sciences helps.

The Importance of High School Research

Standardized Tests

The TOEFL, IELTS or the Pearson Test of English

The TOEFL, IELTS or the Pearson Test of English

ETS (Educational Testing Service) used to be almost a monopoly. They created a test like the SAT or the TOEFL, and test takers signed up; they didn't really have a choice. Those days are over. The SAT, as mentioned in a previous column, is under siege from the ACT and the growing number of colleges (Fairtest.org) who are no longer requiring standardized tests. Now the TOEFL, with over a 1,000,000 test takers, each, on average, paying $140, a $140,000,000 concession, is also feeling the heat of competition. The first threat to TOEFL began to seriously rear its head in 2003: the International English Language Testing System, the IELTS (www.ielts.org). This test, an entity of Cambridge University and a consortium of British and Australian organizations, is the test of choice for EFL students seeking to enroll in universities across the British Commonwealth.

The SAT under Siege

The SAT under Siege

According to the September 6th LA Times article, "ACT is to SAT as..." the world of standardized tests is in flux. The ACT is rapidly gaining on the SAT. For the recent class of high school graduates, 1.4 million took the ACT, 1.5 million the SAT. Even in California, a regional SAT stronghold, 50% more students took the ACT in 2008 than did in 2004. Still, in all honesty, the raw numbers show that, last year, the SAT in California was taken by over 205,000 students, with 72,000 taking the ACT. Yet, the ACT is starting to close the gap.