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Grades and all of the other factors admissions people like to look at, like volunteer work, extra-curricular activities, projects, essays, etc.
by reilly3000 7y ago
Grades and all of the other factors admissions people like to look at, like volunteer work, extra-curricular activities, projects, essays, etc.
- transcriptase 7y agoThe issue I've observed is that those on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum are put at a disadvantage when these are given higher weighting. The teenager with wealthy parents can participate in (expensive) extracurricular activities like team sports or take summers off to volunteer... not because they're virtuous, but because someone along the way told them it's a good way to pad their admissions applications. Meanwhile the brilliant high-school student without parents who can afford these things is less likely to participate in activities requiring investment in equipment or logistics of getting to/from events. Instead of being able to spend a summer volunteering on a hospital ship off the coast of Africa, they're working retail to save up spending money for the year or reduce their student loan burden.
- xyzzyz 7y agoAh yes, those are clearly harder to game than independently administered tests, and totally won’t advantage those families with resources to buy projects and essays, can afford extra curricular activities, and are able to freely choose school with lenient grading policy.