4 ms·
SAT scores are not a sufficient indicator for bias in college admissions. There are two factors at work here: 1. For elite colleges, specific SAT scores are ir
by kandalf 15y ago
SAT scores are not a sufficient indicator for bias in college admissions. There are two factors at work here:
1. For elite colleges, specific SAT scores are irrelevant. Essentially, once a certain cut-off is reached, say 2250, it doesn't matter how high you go. In fact, I'm sure admissions officers get a kick out of rejecting the 2400 - I'd rather have a 2380 than a 2400 any day. The variance in SAT scores over a certain cutoff is simply not a good enough indicator for what the colleges are looking for.
2. In my experience, Asian families tend to place a disproportionate emphasis on test scores and grades. This leads to higher than average SAT scores for Asian students, sometimes at the cost of other parts of the application package.
Taken together, I believe these two ideas contribute to a reasonable explanation for the phenomenon discussed in the article.
This is not to say that admissions are not racially biased - I would not be at all surprised if they are.
- gte910h 15y agoAgreed. I'm sure they'll look racially biased, I think they probably are racially biased, but saying "LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND GRADES" as the only indicator of who a college should let in is ludicrous. Other things people have done in life factor into future success. Working a part time job, for instance, something many 4.0/2400 people didn't do, relating well to others, volunteering, government service, art, sports, etc all have value as well, and can all be a much better determiniate of success than "did he test well".
- gxs 15y agoThis is exactly right. I completely detest knee-jerk reactions and blanket statements that crop up instead of some good old fashioned critical thinking. I went to a school, a good school, that was predominantly asian in my department. If admissions are racial for no other reason than to diversify the student body, this is a reasonable approach on its own - though I'm sure there are plenty of other more old-fashioned legitimately fashioned arguments. So you had good grades but didn't get in because you are asian? Tough shit - a lot goes into creating a desirable incoming class than grades and standardized test scores.
- hartleybrody 15y agoLove the "a lot [more] goes into creating a desirable incoming class than grades and standardized test scores"