Joseph+S's+OpEd+Article

=**The SAT; The Perplexing Path to Liberty**= media type="file" key="joes-muckraker-2011.mp3"
 * - Joe Spota Period 1**

To best explain my true and unfiltered opinions, I would have to curse. So I’m going to sensor it. The SAT is no doubt the most grueling, counterproductive, insatiable, overdone, and ridiculously long test I hope I will have to take. Hopefully I can put my disgust into words that are understandable for someone who has not undergone the SAT. The only way to do this is too organize the bane of existence into 4 categories:


 * 1) The Expectations:** The SAT is supposed to be the test that judges your academic capacity while comparing you to the rest of America. It is perceived that this test will be presented to college administrators that one applies to, and depending on the score of ones SAT it can either make or break ones dreams of getting into the college of their choice. It is expected to be completed within 4 hours. Four hours with three breaks. After two hours I could tell the lack of concentration had risen to a point that bested staring at cow dung. How can a teenager (especially a junior, I mean why not wait to senior year where we have more maturity) be expected to stay focused for that amount of time, which is nearly doubled the amount of any other test taken beforehand. In effect, this test (which should be allotted in a time frame which correlates to the focus of the ones taking it) can be taken as the test that, in fact, contains the balance that will either tip your rate of success in the future, to failure.


 * 2) The Process:** The process of training for the SAT is undoubtedly different for everyone that takes it. But the fact that we have to train, for a test that is supposed to judge our intellectual content frustrates me to the point of aggravation. Why has the competition to get into college inflated to the point of where parents will pay thousands of dollars, and waste countless hours of their children’s lives to hopefully achieve a score that, might, be recognized by a prestigious college, and might not. I know people that, everyday after school will attend an SAT class. In all my fury, I do admit that these SAT classes greatly increase the test scores if students choose to allot more of their time into studying how to “play the game” of the SAT. To me it seems unfair that the kids, whose parents have enough money to pay for the most expensive SAT classes, will generally do better because of the tutoring they received. Even the heavy SAT books cost around $25 dollars. In my opinion, the financially advantaged become more advantaged, while the financially struggling have to find the time and money for studying, not including the amount the $100 test. I would also like to point out that juniors do still enjoy hanging out with friends, relaxing, having a social life, and sleep, just for clarification.


 * 3) The Test:** As I have mentioned before the test is approximately 4 hours long. Within this allotted time students read passages answer questions about them, work out math problems, and attempt to sound out incomprehensible vocab words. All the hype and studying that led up to the SAT and how difficult it would be was mostly gossip. I found with all the time and effort I put into it, it was a lot easier than I forecasted. The test is really a minute part of my education, yet it holds too much weight in its importance for the rest of my life.


 * 4) The Realization:** After going surfing immediately after the test and releasing some more stress by being lazy, the realization hit me. Although the test, in all its ill will, is a milestone in my career. It was a let down to realize I may have to take the test again, or others like it, but at least I know it is doable, although it holds a ridiculous amount of power.