October 31, 2010

The College Board Monopoly

During every fall semester, there are literally thousands upon thousands of high school juniors and seniors across the nation that are eager to turn in their college applications and await their acceptance letters in the months following. One bonding element among all the students who apply to universities in the nation is “the College Board.” The College Board provides the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) which is said to predict a student’s success in college. With only one competitor, there are few choices that determine a student’s success.

According to an online article on Davilleweekly.com, the SAT seems to have a stranglehold among high schoolers to the point where it even surpasses the ACT, the only other standardized test that rivals the SAT. The College Board also seems to be the standard for students wanting to apply for college. Because it is a necessity, it can be costly as students spend their time and money, which can increase even more if the student decides to retake the test or send their scores earlier or in a digitized version as opposed to a tangible letter. For a nonprofit organization such as College Board, it netted a total revenue of $55 million with 9.5% of that being in profit along with $830,083 being earned by the CEO. With the SAT being perhaps the most popular standardized test for high school juniors and seniors, it is to no surprise that the company does have a monopoly over high school students.

Though some may question the College Board’s lucrative revenue from its supposed nonprofit purpose, it does seem have created a niche among high schoolers who regard the test to be even a rite of passage and a mandatory procedure that will predict one’s chance into getting into the school of their choice, along with a reflection of what one has learned.


http://www.danvilleweekly.com/square/index.php?i=3&t=1295

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