College Admissions: Confusing

AOW #12-Responding to "Why Applying to College Is So Confusing" By Rebecca Zwick 

December 8, 2017

This Week's Focus: 

Argument

Article Category: Education

Link to Article:Why Applying to College Is So Confusing (December 5, 2017)

Colleges aren’t doing a good enough job explaining to applicants how admissions choices stem from their policy. They need to go further to explain how applicant characteristics are assessed and weighted. Harvard says it uses to consider applicants: Where will you be in one, five or 25 years? What sort of human being will you be in the future? Are you a late bloomer? Do you have reserve power to do more? These aren’t questions for the candidates themselves to answer, but what the admissions officers ask themselves about prospective students based on their applications. The University of California lists intellectual curiosity as a desirable applicant characteristic, although how is it evaluated? The university also considers disabilities, difficult personal and family situations, and low income, among other criteria. How much do these factors count? Do students score points for a parental divorce or a childhood illness? In conclusion, colleges a more comprehensive explanation of what drives their choices, in order for applicants to not see the road to college as a mystery.

Comments