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In a refreshing step toward improving the higher education admissions process, two colleges, Smith College and Wake Forest University, have recently lifted their SAT/ACT requirement for prospective students.

Many experts have questioned the validity of these standardized tests as a measure to predict academic success – even top UC administrators have recommended dropping the requirement as recently as March.

Small-sized colleges usually have the resources available to adopt a more comprehensive process, so it would be difficult to expect UCLA, a highly competitive university with a large applicant pool, to follow suit.

Nonetheless, it is still refreshing to see those schools with the luxury of being able to drop standardized tests take the initiative. Over the years, prospective students have become so focused on learning strategies for performing well on standardized tests that the tests have become less of a legitimate source of predicting academic performance in college.

Additionally, not all students share the same pressure to outperform others on the standardized tests. For example, a student with an intrinsic interest in music and a desire to pursue music in college does not necessarily have to score high on the math section of the tests.

If only UCLA was able to afford such a luxury.