Friday, May 6, 2016
Can Colleges Really Judge Well Based on Numbers?
This is kind of going back to our discussion about the SAT a few months back, but I feel is applicable now that we're talking about pressure from school in the suicide article. In the documentary from a few months ago, it was revealed that college admissions mostly take into consideration test scores and GPA when accepting students. We already talked about test scores not being fair because of the availability of different test preparation resources that are available to some high school students and aren't available to others. But what about GPA? This is something that varies completely from school to school. Even if two students at different schools take the same class, they may experience a difference in the rigor of the course, how lenient their teacher is with grading, the work load, and many other factors. In other words, when one student gets an A in one class at one school it likely doesn't mean the same thing at another school. Even between Mountain View and Los Altos high schools there are differences in classes that I and my friends are both taking. And these two schools are in the same district! Because grading is a very subjective process, I don't think that colleges should be allowed to consider GPA and should put more of a stress on their essays and extracurriculars when considering future students. Looking at a person for who they are rather than what test scores they are made up of will better reflect how they will fare in college courses and what kind of person that they will develop into. Personally, I think that this information is much more helpful and good to know about a future student for college admissions. What do others think?
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I agree completely. Because grading styles are so different, a letter grade cannot be given the same value overall without looking at the teacher. I think the grade a student receives is somewhat a reflection of them, but also a reflection of what the teacher wants. I think the essay and extracurriculars are a better way for the student to show colleges who they are and their characteristics. However, that brings up the point of academic achievement. College is an academic institution, so shouldn't they pay more attention to your schoolwork?
ReplyDeleteI totally get what you are saying and I agree. The value of one student's GPA versus another is not an accurate correlation. Schools vary all around the country, some schools don't even offer AP classes because their school as a whole is below the state average. While other schools, like Los Altos and Mountain View, are considered far above the state average. The emphasis of student GPAs for college admission is so over hyped essentially. Every teacher is different, some harder than others, therefore I think that the importance of GPAs should be toned down and redirected to other aspects / categories of the student's life (sports, clubs, etc.).
ReplyDeleteI totally get what you are saying and I agree. The value of one student's GPA versus another is not an accurate correlation. Schools vary all around the country, some schools don't even offer AP classes because their school as a whole is below the state average. While other schools, like Los Altos and Mountain View, are considered far above the state average. The emphasis of student GPAs for college admission is so over hyped essentially. Every teacher is different, some harder than others, therefore I think that the importance of GPAs should be toned down and redirected to other aspects / categories of the student's life (sports, clubs, etc.).
ReplyDelete