APS to offer direct path to college at GMU at 3 high schools

[Anonymous]

Wakefield, W-K, and the career center will now offer a direct admission to college for any students with a GPA Of 3.25 or above. It is only offered at those schools because it is designed to target schools with a higher rate of free and reduced lunch. This is going to be good for a lot of kids.

[Anonymous]

It is great news!!

[Anonymous]

arent those the normal requirements for GMU ? https://www.gmu.edu/freshman/requirements

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:arent those the normal requirements for GMU ? https://www.gmu.edu/freshman/requirements

Yes, but that doesn't mean you get guaranteed admission. This is guaranteed admission. At least i don't think GMU just offers admission to everyone with a 3.25 GPA

[Anonymous]

I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

This would land a lot better. Lots of kids at W-L, Career Center, and Wakefield don't need this option and yes even a few at Yorktown or HB could use it.

[Anonymous]

Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

No one knows what equity means. It’s not equal to offer this program to some students and not others. It can absolutely be pushed out in pursuit of equity goals to offer it to some and not others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

It's a simplified admissions process. It still requires a process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

You think so? With the Republicans shooting down DEI admissions efforts? This is a far better way for GMU to try to boost its "underrepresented population" applications and admissions - by targeting high/higher-poverty schools, and including all students at those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

It's a simplified admissions process. It still requires a process.

From the APS press release:

• Next week, 776 APS students from participating high schools will receive offers for direct, automatic admission to George Mason!

So what's the simplified process?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

This would land a lot better. Lots of kids at W-L, Career Center, and Wakefield don't need this option and yes even a few at Yorktown or HB could use it.

It isn't about affordability. It's about "underrepresented populations" which includes lower income students, as well as students of color who aren't necessarily so impoverished as to qualify for free meals. Many of them still wouldn't necessarily be willing/as supported going through the complicated process of college searches and applications. This makes it simpler - with them KNOWING they are admitted and being able to just focus on that rather than finding and applying to other schools that are probably harder for them to access for reasons beyond finances. Just being able to live at home and commute to GMU makes college more financially accessible for a lot of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

Still need 3.25 GPA. Money or no, many of these kids need a break getting into a good college, too.
I seriously doubt people will make transfer decisions based on the possibility of them having a 3.25 GPA at the end of their junior year and getting a simplified application and guaranteed admission to GMU.

The program isn't seeking "equity." It is seeking to boost its diversity at GMU. This is a GMU goal independent of APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

It's a simplified admissions process. It still requires a process.

From the APS press release:

• Next week, 776 APS students from participating high schools will receive offers for direct, automatic admission to George Mason!

So what's the simplified process?

Direct admission offer, needs to be "accepted" and an application completed:
https://www.gmu.edu/freshman/high-school-direct-admission?fbclid=IwY2xjawFaichleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQKE7G6HgsaidVfYyMcjVM8yCX_uIij4Gl3wBXFvFwBM90vzxU8mcO8JdA_aem_SxGLcjeXEWEmBFgrEKJYBw