5 ms·
Why must they evaluate people's personalities in the first place? Why not just judge based on academics only?
by noobermin 8y ago
Why must they evaluate people's personalities in the first place? Why not just judge based on academics only?
- fullshark 8y agoThe piece argues it's a way to lower the bar for lower performing ethnic groups, and restrict Asians from getting into the school.
- 21 8y agoThe article explains it very well why: > "To prevent a dangerous increase in the proportion of Jews, I know at present only one way, which is at the same time straightforward and effective,” wrote A. Lawrence Lowell, Harvard’s president in the 1920s, “and that is a selection by a personal estimate of character on the part of the Admission authorities"
- TAForObvReasons 8y agoI don't necessarily disagree with the idea that Harvard's admission practices should include other factors, but if they are receiving tax breaks there should be a federal / state-level monitor to evaluate the admissions practices. It's ridiculous to apply arbitrary criteria while they enjoy tax exempt status. If an educational institution wishes to apply capricious standards, let them pay taxes.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago> If an educational institution wishes to apply capricious standards, let them pay taxes Race is a protected class. Converting to a taxable entity would not protect Harvard Admissions from being racist.
- workinthehead 8y agoWhoosh. They're not being "racist". They're simply applying a "character test".
- T4NG 8y agoThe article talks about how it favors Hispanics and African Americans by ramping the personality score for them.
- bradlys 8y agoFrom reading HN the last time this controversy came up, I've come with a possibility. I think a portion of it is that if you judge based solely on academics then you will only get a certain type of person who is focused on scores in academics. You could easily fill your class with the top X% of scorers but that won't necessarily make an interesting group of graduates in the real world. It especially won't make an interesting group of people to interact with. I don't think I'd go to that school even if I had been admitted. I think part of it is that they're hoping to find people who will end up being important people in the world. Not necessarily just those who perform well academically.
- vkou 8y agoThe admissions are based on academics, extra-curricular activities, and personality. I can understand how #2 is important, but #3 is ripe for personal bias. A high bar, with people passing it entering lottery quotas is a far fairer way of having both diversity, and removing personal bias from the equation.
- zawazzi 8y agoAbsolutely this. Academic performance is mostly a disqualifier to figure out if someone would be successful enough. Harvard, doesn't really care about the GPA of its existing students which is why they also don't care about grade inflation. They're looking for signals that you'll succeed outside of academia. If you want to go to Harvard, stop looking at the application as a checklist. The best applicants are differentiated beyond the classroom.
- wu_tang_chris 8y agoBecause they think a "diverse" student body is better than one comprised of the best possible students, so they tweak the process to admit more blacks and hispanics.
- lern_too_spel 8y agoAnd especially WASPs.
- noobermin 8y agoI think it would just be easier to be more honest about it rather than judge by "personality." One criterion which would actually achieve what they want (and in fact greatly improve the diversity of any university) is to take into account the income/wealth background of applicants. It would not only allow more people of color, it would also open up the application process to poor white folk too who are also in a disadvantaged position in society. If there is anything that Harvard and Ivy's lack, it is the perspective of working people.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- pkaye 8y agoIt is a subjective criteria so they can get more control over who gets admitted or not.
- slg 8y agoThe same reason that employers don't give all applicants a standard test and hire the people with the best scores. The culture of a school is something that people think is important and you can't control that culture by accepting people based purely off of academics. That is why things like admission interviews exist and kids have always picked up electives in high school that would "look good on a college application". This practice has certainly been abused in the past and you can argue it is still being abused, but I don't think that means that judging a kid based on anything beyond academics is a bad move for colleges.
- ggg9990 8y agoHarvard is trying to admit people who will be rich and powerful in 30 years. Those people aren’t always academic achievers.
- maym86 8y agoWho of us can really judge another person's personality objectively anyway especially from a short interview. Anyone with a history of high academic performance clearly has the personality to succeed academicly.
- StanislavPetrov 8y agoBecause the postmodernist view is based on "identity" - race, gender, ethnicity - not academic achievement or merit. They see any system that doesn't produce the outcomes they prefer as inherently racist and bigoted.