Do girls really have better applications than boys?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At many colleges (Swarthmore, Brown, Wesleyan, Vassar, etc.) male applicants get an advantage over female applicants—affirmative action for boys. One can infer that this is needed to keep the gender ratio balanced. Without it, would females would be admitted at a significantly higher rate than males? Do girls put together better applicants than boys?

This seems like the conclusion that many posters here come to. All the boys I know are extremely high achieving though, so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around.

At many colleges (MIT, Caltech, Georgia Tech, Purdue, etc.) female applicants get an advantage over male applicants—affirmative action for girls. One can infer that this is needed to keep the gender ratio balanced. Without it, would males would be admitted at a significantly higher rate than frmale? Do boys put together better applicants than girls?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

It's more than caught up, in many respects. You still haven't explained the gap (unless it's some sexist BS about one gender somehow being inherently smarter than the other)

Have you ever seen the results of IQ tests? Girls are more of a bell curve with a strong and sustained middle while boys have more at both the weak and the high ends. While the averages turn out the same, the distribution is not. This presents challenges in the school setting.

Source, please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s because there are a lot more female applicants to these schools than their counterparts. To keep a gender balanced environment, their acceptance rate of male is higher than that of female. All lacs brown Yale and a few other ivies.

Opposite in the case of mit Georgia tech cmu scs, uiuc cs, etc. there you see a lot more male applicants

In CA there is a large gender gap between engineering and life sciences. Even in Silicon Valley there are not many girls going for engineering or physics and it is far easier for them to get in. It flips for life sciences, with girls far outnumbering boys so boys have an easier time being admitted.

Business, economics, political science are relatively balanced.

So gender discrimination.

[Anonymous]

From my observations and obviously a small sample, but most girls we know are middling or thriving. With the exception of a few, I don't know any of my parent friends who are not struggling more with their boys. You teach both kids the same thing, but somehow the boys are just struggling so so much more.

I think America will have a big issue in 10 years with a gender success gap, swung the other way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s because there are a lot more female applicants to these schools than their counterparts. To keep a gender balanced environment, their acceptance rate of male is higher than that of female. All lacs brown Yale and a few other ivies.

Opposite in the case of mit Georgia tech cmu scs, uiuc cs, etc. there you see a lot more male applicants

In CA there is a large gender gap between engineering and life sciences. Even in Silicon Valley there are not many girls going for engineering or physics and it is far easier for them to get in. It flips for life sciences, with girls far outnumbering boys so boys have an easier time being admitted.

Business, economics, political science are relatively balanced.

So gender discrimination.

So is biomedical engineering considered life sciences? We were told many girls use this route to get into medicine because they have an easier time getting into the engineering schools, and then pivot to something that is more healthcare leaning to prepare for med school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

Given that you are using terms that have been out-of-date for a decade, your whole post doesn't read as credible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

Given that you are using terms that have been out-of-date for a decade, your whole post doesn't read as credible.

It wasn’t just that parents placed less emphasis on girls’ education (though certainly a factor). Professors as recent as the 1960s that I know of sometimes said things like female student earned A but it’s curved so I’m switching your grade to a B because the boys need the As for their careers. High school girls were earlier stripped of being valedictorian because again the boys needed the accolades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girls have higher GPAs than boys on average.

A lot more women teacher in high school.

The girls have better ECs too. They mature quicker and are more organized. It’s no surprise that they do better than the boys.

You’re both right. The elementary and middle school years of sit still, be quiet and pay attention with, what, 30 minutes of recess, does not jibe well with male developmental timelines. The boys come into high school with delayed executive functioning skills. So teachers, especially female teachers, often treat boys like broken girls.

People say this all the time, but this is the school system that was designed by men, for boys. Nothing has changed: the length of recess, the age of kids when they start high school. Are we suggesting that boys have had some sort of gene shift in the past 30 years?

This!!! Education today is actually MORE in line with what boys need. Schools were extremely strict decades ago when boys were killing it. When FINALLY given the opportunity for equality, girls surpassed them. It has nothing to do with the curriculum, which is more liberal/open than ever. Boys have always been less mature and slower to develop exec functioning. That is not why they're falling behind. It does no good to keep making excuses.

I agree, I have been saying the same thing, and people ignore the fact that school is more “boy” friendly now than ever before. Wiggles are allowed, walking in class is allowed, moving is allowed. Schools have come a long way. And yet….

I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens. Boys need to be outside playing with others - climbing, exploring, cooperating, helping, making, taking care of others. Right now, with the exception of sports, they live indoors. So many boys are helpless. I see some who do an amazing job. I have been floored by the maturity and agency of some boys. But so many mothers distrust their sons and keep them on a leash. Huge mistake.

Let’s not just blame the mothers. I do think parents have been way too permissive with the video games at the expense of much needed outdoor activity time, disproportionately impacting boys. Girls also need outdoor time. And of course, these games and devices are designed to be addictive so it’s not easy for parents. Plus we adults (self included) stare at them all the time, too. And some (not me), use them while driving, making it more dangerous for all of us outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

Given that you are using terms that have been out-of-date for a decade, your whole post doesn't read as credible.

It wasn’t just that parents placed less emphasis on girls’ education (though certainly a factor). Professors as recent as the 1960s that I know of sometimes said things like female student earned A but it’s curved so I’m switching your grade to a B because the boys need the As for their careers. High school girls were earlier stripped of being valedictorian because again the boys needed the accolades.

While this may have been true in the 60's, that was 2 generations ago. Boys and girls today are facing new issues and you should educate yourself on the current situation.

[Anonymous]

Throughout our kids’ middle and high school years, I noticed quite a few outreach programs to boost female interest in traditionally male dominated fields. I don’t really recall seeing the converse.

The de-emphasis on standardized testing hasn’t helped either. Males are over represented by a 14% in the top decile of combined SAT scores.

I suspect the 20% difference in female high school teachers is also a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At many colleges (Swarthmore, Brown, Wesleyan, Vassar, etc.) male applicants get an advantage over female applicants—affirmative action for boys. One can infer that this is needed to keep the gender ratio balanced. Without it, would females would be admitted at a significantly higher rate than males? Do girls put together better applicants than boys?

This seems like the conclusion that many posters here come to. All the boys I know are extremely high achieving though, so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around.

At many colleges (MIT, Caltech, Georgia Tech, Purdue, etc.) female applicants get an advantage over male applicants—affirmative action for girls. One can infer that this is needed to keep the gender ratio balanced. Without it, would males would be admitted at a significantly higher rate than frmale? Do boys put together better applicants than girls?

+1

The number of schools where girls have an admissions advantage or are outnumbered is tiny compared to the number where they are in the majority. Men make up 42% of students at 4-year colleges. It keeps going down:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/18/fewer-young-men-are-in-college-especially-at-4-year-schools/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

Given that you are using terms that have been out-of-date for a decade, your whole post doesn't read as credible.

That PP was absolutely right. Girls are catching up very fast in the past 2-3 generations. It’s a slow process.

You are asking for a more up-to-date assessment, I think I have a pretty clear idea. With more and more new parents not just emphasizing on girls education, but emphasizing on stem particularly engineering/math education, the only advantage now boys hold over girls will be phasing out in another 2-3 generations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

It's more than caught up, in many respects. You still haven't explained the gap (unless it's some sexist BS about one gender somehow being inherently smarter than the other)

Have you ever seen the results of IQ tests? Girls are more of a bell curve with a strong and sustained middle while boys have more at both the weak and the high ends. While the averages turn out the same, the distribution is not. This presents challenges in the school setting.

Source, please

There is no source for that bell curve—it’s a fake graph made up by someone. No data no source.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I know someone in college admissions at a well regarded state school and this is actually a major concern of his. In general, the pool of qualified males is much smaller than qualified females.

This is by design.

For the past 2 decades, at least since my boys have been alive, the schools have focused all their efforts exclusively towards lifting up girls and ignoring boys.

Girls only stem camps, leadership opportunities, mentorships, etc. Etc.

Nothing whatsoever for boys.

Heck, they even destroyed boy scouts and made it coed because girls wanted to join.

Boys have been told they don't matter over the past 20 years.

Why would anyone be surprised by this result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be honest. It’s the hours of video games and screens.

Yes, 100%. If people want to honestly ask "what has changed in the last 30 years?", video games have absolutely changed the profile of how boys spend their time. And, if we're being honest: porn.

We are living in a time of pollution, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, etc.

This is the only part of your comment that could possibly explain the recent changes in performance

These are gender neutral factors that impact boys and the girls the same.

ADHD also affects boys and girls about the same. For girls, it’s ADD. For boys it’s AHD.

What really happened: Girls used to get little education two three generations ago. At that time, no parents paid any attention on girls academics. Versus nowadays, a large percentage of educated parents emphasize on education for both genders. Parents places the same expectations on the girls, and finally their performance is catching up.

Given that you are using terms that have been out-of-date for a decade, your whole post doesn't read as credible.

It wasn’t just that parents placed less emphasis on girls’ education (though certainly a factor). Professors as recent as the 1960s that I know of sometimes said things like female student earned A but it’s curved so I’m switching your grade to a B because the boys need the As for their careers. High school girls were earlier stripped of being valedictorian because again the boys needed the accolades.

Oh FFS, Columbia refused admitting female students until 80s!!