The ACT and SAT are no longer a socio-economically biased test. It does indeed test things related to American traditions, but this may be the culture familiar to virtually every American secondary school student. The SAT may very well be unfair for the recent immigrant; colleges usually tend to assess immigrant applicants by some other standards. The ACT and SAT/SAT I/SAT Reasoning Test plays a significant role in thecurrent age of college admissions. Highly-ranked schools are inappropriate for quite a few students. We just want every child who might find it appropriate to have all choices open. The US News Survey carries a highly flawed methodology. Since it’s the most-recognized ranking, students searching for competitive universities should consult it. Highly ranked universities merit your consideration DUE TO THE FACT JOB RECRUITERS and GRAD SCHOOLS value that high ranking. Irrespective of the training students receive at the top-ranked schools, the imprimatur of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, U Chicago, Duke, Stanford, and CalTech carries significantly into the market for the first job, for grad school, and possibly even with regard to promotions thereafter. Ask recruiters who unabashedly state they have discrepant thresholds with regard to interviewing candidates based on their school. Ask Nicholas Lehmann, who said in a PBS Frontline interview - “a superior school positions you in the way of more opportunity”.