3 ms·
Whenever I read articles about the American university admission system, and the ensuing discussions about them, I feel like Gulliver visiting a weird country.
by nandemo 15y ago
Whenever I read articles about the American university admission system, and the ensuing discussions about them, I feel like Gulliver visiting a weird country.
It is so arcane and bizarre. If you want to major in CS or mathematics or engineering, who cares if you do ice skating or can play the tuba? And if you're a tuba player who wants to major in music, what can be possibly be more important than your musical skills?
Entrance examinations are like the democracy. They suck but they suck far less than the existing alternatives.
Of course, a lot of the top universities in the world are American; but I think that's despite the admission system, not thanks to it.
- jinushaun 15y agoBecause there is much more demand than supply in the US for a college education. Going merit based is not that simple. If you have 1000 open seats at your school, 50,000 students apply and 1500 of them all have perfect SAT scores, how do you choose who gets in if it's entirely merit based. What makes this perfect SAT score different from that equally perfect SAT score? If everyone looks the same on paper, you need something extra to stand out. That's where extra-curricular activities come in. The other issue is programs. If you're a school with 1000 open seats and 100 of that is music, you're going to have to drop some very science-smart students to make room for music-smart students.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]