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Their SATs are MIA in mail scare
By MELANIE AVE TAMPA -- For days, Plant High School senior Angela Walker has been nervously wondering when her SAT college admission scores were going to arrive. But on Friday, the 17-year-old found out the test that will determine whether she gets into her school of choice may never arrive. She probably will have to retake the half-day exam. Walker is one of 7,800 students whose answer sheets are presumed lost or missing in two anthrax-contaminated New Jersey post offices, leaving her early admission into the University of Pennsylvania in limbo. "I'm shocked," said Walker, president of the school's student government. "You definitely don't want to retake it. But what can you do?" In the Tampa Bay area, 26 Plant students and 197 Brandon High students will probably have to retake the SAT, the exam many colleges and universities use to select students. Scores were expected to arrive this past week. The College Board, the company that administers the test, announced that 7,800 of the 550,000 students who took the test Oct. 13 had missing answer sheets. The sheets had been mailed to its Princeton, N.J., scoring center via the Trenton and Princeton post offices, which were closed days later because of anthrax spores. One post office remains closed and the other opened this week. Because the company is unsure when and even whether the tests will arrive, it has advised students to retake the $25 SAT at no charge in December. Students who choose not to take the test again can get a full refund. Company officials have encouraged colleges to be flexible regarding the affected students. "The reaction to this and others of slow mail because of anthrax is a great deal of understanding by admissions officers," said Tom Ewing, spokesman for the New Jersey-based Educational Testing Service, which grades the SAT. But as for the students? "They're going to have to unfortunately take another SAT, which is never fun," he said. Like Walker, Plant senior Richard Nicholas applied early to college, hoping to get ahead of the competition. Nicholas, 17, said he is extremely disappointed to have to retake the test. He thought he did well and was banking on Wake Forest University to look more favorably on his application because of his SAT scores. Still, he said his problem pales in comparison with others, such as those who were infected by anthrax. "It kind of makes it a little more personal," Nicholas said. "It's not life or death, but it is inconvenient. It's tough because it's our future and you want to do the best you can." Plant guidance resource specialist Margaret Gandy said it is unfortunate that a few of the 272 exams taken at the school in October are missing. "They were all packaged together and mailed together," she said. "I believe they're going to find them." If the exams aren't found, however, Plant has rescheduled the SAT for Dec. 15. Senior Matt Henry, 18, said he's going to use the lost tests as an opportunity to do better. Henry, who has applications pending at West Point, the University of Chicago and Georgetown, said having to retake the test will give him more time to study and prepare. "I was pretty sick when I took it," he said. "So if I had to take it again, I don't think it's any tragedy. I think it will end up better in the long run." -- Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or melanie@sptimes.com.
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