Standardized testing is a rite of passage for American students, and one notable who won’t escape that net is Malala Yousafzai, the 18-year-old who caught the world’s attention in 2012 when she was shot over her advocacy for education for girls in Pakistan. She may have a Nobel Prize, but Malala will still have to sit down for the SAT to apply to Stanford University, along with 43,000 other aspirants, to qualify for a spot at the school that FORBES ranks third in the country.
More evidence of absurd level of importance given to standardized testing in this country. http://t.co/E11VS0hfF2 #Malala #SATs #Stanford
— Anne Spalter (@digital7dharma) September 8, 2015
Stanford is apparently demanding that Malala Yousafzai take the SATs before applying, because what's a Nobel Peace Prize, anyway? — Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) September 1, 2015
Oh sure, Stanford would be like, "Yeah, Malala, your extracurriculars are AMAZING, but that one chemistry grade..." https://t.co/cFXuT5Z3ty
— Scott Renshaw (@scottrenshaw) September 4, 2015
Stanford is not unique in requiring the SATs for admission; only a small number of high profile colleges, including Bryn Mawr, Smith and Bates, have become test-flexible. She scored high on the UK equivalent to the SAT, so the U.S. test shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for the world’s most famous education advocate.
Malala reportedly hopes to major in politics and philosophy once she gets to college and later pursue a political career, as she told the BBC: “If I can serve my country best through politics and through becoming a prime minister then I would definitely choose that.” For now, the SATs are just one more obstacle for her to overcome.
Malala spoke about her journey at last year’s Under 30 Summit, watch the interview here:
