+1 math is math. It's a universal language. The answer is either right or wrong. At some point, you need the right answer and not just "explain your thinking". Whether it's the SAT, ACT or AP calc, there needs to be some indication that you can get the right answer. Grading is too subject, and over inflated. Standardized test scores is the great equalizer in terms comparing math skills from people all over the world. |
You can see it however you want it, but according to the IRS, colleges are academic institutions, and education is their primary goal. What you are referring to is just fluff. I'm not spending thousands of dollars for my kid to just have fun outside the classroom. The primary reason for going to college is to further their education, not "experience outside the classroom" fluff which is secondary. |
No one is getting “free seats.” |
It seems like you need to find a college for your kid that aligns with those views. Good luck |
Do you really think Harvard would taint it's prestige by admitting students it didn't think these students would be successful? The graduation rates for "unqualified" URMs are almost the same as Whites and Asians. Maybe you and your fancy brain can explain why these low-scoring URMs are not flunking out like you think they should. |
DP : But what about everyone else? Real question: what’s the percentage of students who choose “quantitative “ majors? Outside of service academies and Tech schools, what’s a ballpark figure of how many students you’re talking about? I’m thinking it’s very small, but that’s based solely on my own academic experiences which have had a heavy liberal arts bias. Oddly, at one point, SATs were probably one of the most significant factors that got URM students INTO highly selective schools in the first place. I think SATs are being misunderstood by many people as being a much more significant factor in admissions than they actually are — particularly after a certain range of scores. |
Define quantitative. This is from 2017, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/16/concentrations-2017/ but the rankings were Econ followed by comp sci followed by government, applied math and psychology. Three out of those. five are absolutely quantitive. For the other two, you're not going to be able to read a research paper or conduct a study without understanding math, but careful course selection may let you avoid that. |
This is interesting and very good to know. Are these admissions tests typically like the SATs — or assessments of specific course content? Or something completely different from what most of us in the US would be familiar with? Not that I understand how it works, but are the tests more like the British O and A level exams? |
+1 Exactly. For some reason, a small subset of people are obsessed with SAT scores. It's ONE data point due to performance for a fixed 3-hour interval ( soon to be 2 hours). People don't talk about your SAT score in college. That's silly. |
This is interesting and very good to know. Are these admissions tests typically like the SATs — or assessments of specific course content? Or something completely different from what most of us in the US would be familiar with? Not that I understand how it works, but are the tests more like the British O and A level exams? https://www.businessinsider.com/sample-questions-from-chinas-gaokao-one-of-worlds-toughest-tests-2018-6 |
+1 Agree. But as an immigrant, I would have appreciated someone tell me 1.) test scores are not the only way to get an education in the U.S. and 2.) Not everyone can go "ivy" 3.) Plenty of Americans attend great schools, too 4.) Everyone goes to college nowadays, which means the US is now as competitive as any other country. Lastly, 5.) the "stupid American" sentiment is overused - and no longer accurate I’ve lived overseas and attended school overseas. You really do have to do your research before you go. The US system is very different from other countries. It has some great benefits and some parts that are not so great. Don’t know where you are from, but #5 is a little odd to me as a former ex pat. I’d never underestimate my host country residents on their own turf. |
Seems like you have no argument against what I stated, that these institutions are primarily about education and academia, and therefore, it makes sense to use some academic metric when looking at admissions. Otherwise, why would they still want to see the GPA? Why not just go with an essay, and extra curricular, all non academic activities of colleges here are "much about the outside the classroom aspects "? BTW, are you assuming I am not an American, educated in the US? |
Thankfully, you shouldn't worry about an expensive selective school if student learning is your sole goal. A community college teacher likely cares a lot more about your student's learning than a top prof who is there to research and has little choice but to teach. |
https://www.businessinsider.com/sample-questions-from-chinas-gaokao-one-of-worlds-toughest-tests-2018-6 South Korea's version https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46181240 It's not just that the test is hard, it's that the test is the application. GPA/recommendations/essays... arent a thing. You either do well enough on the test or you dont. |
They aren't primarily about academia. If you look at what they say, it's usually some version of creating/moulding better leaders/citizens |