Reply to Why do the supposed best schools need remedial classes

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Why do the supposed best schools need remedial classes "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So many sour grapes on this post.[/quote]

There are sour grapes, but also a gaping misunderstanding of a lot of issues.

The most fundamental misunderstanding is the "remedial" math classes at schools like Harvard. As other have tried to explain, those classes are offered for aspiring STEM majors who do not have a strong calculus foundation. What might be hard for folks in the DMV to understand is that not all American high schools offer calculus. In fact, only 50 percent of American high schools offer the course, and schools that are predominantly Black or Latino are even less likely to offer it. So, even the most brilliant kid in one of those schools either needs to forego calculus or co-enroll at a university (if there is one nearby).

The second fundamental misunderstanding is about the "point" of American undergraduate admissions. It's not a prize to the kid who had the most advantages, or even who worked the hardest, in K-12. It's not a foot race where the top 100 finishers get a spot in X school and the next 100 finishers get a spot in Y school. They are looking for work ethic, but also potential, and they take into account whether you attended a school that offered Multi-Variable or that finished at Pre-Calculus.

There are not a ton of things about the USA making me proud right now, but one of them is that a school like Harvard is willing to look for bright kids who didn't have the same advantages as my own children, and give them a shot at the Big Leagues, even if that means remediating classes they never had the chance to take as high schoolers. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics