This year was brutal for college applicants. As you know, applications were up, some (Colgate! I’m looking at you!) were up more than 100%. The reason why was test optional, which applicants thought was a boulevard of green lights to an Ivy League school. I still insisted to the applicants I worked with that they try to take the test and submit a good score, the reason being: If it’s a test optional applicant vs one with a score (all other stats being equal) the college will take the kid with the score. And Market Watch agrees. Read the article here.