On Tuesday night, I attended the deliberation “What Do You Mean By Fair”, which discussed different college admission processes, and how things such as GPA, test scores, race, sexuality, and extracurricular activities affect chances of admission into different colleges.
One thing that was discussed in detail was the effect that race and gender have on being admitted into college. In many cases, being of a minority race or female positively influences an individual’s chances of being accepted into a college, even when their GPA or test scores fall below the average range of other students that are being accepted into the college. During the deliberation, I considered whether or not this was an unfair advantage, and whether or not it benefitted the students in question. I came to the conclusion that it gives those individuals an advantage that they might not deserve or benefit from; if a student is accepted into a college that has an average accepted GPA or test scores than the student has, then it may show that the student is not well prepared for the amounts of work and time that they will have to dedicate to their education, and will therefore suffer in the long run.
Another issue that came up with this approach was the fact that some people have an advantage because they are a legacy. Their parents or grandparents went to this school, and this somehow makes them more qualified to attend the school than another student that has no prior connection to the school. Similarly, these students may have a lower GPA or test scores and may be less qualified to attend the school, and will therefore suffer in the long run, since they are ill-prepared for the amount of work they will be subjected to.
Despite these facts, things such as affirmative action and admission of more females in certain cases is not a negative thing. There is a certain gap between the scores of white men and those of females and people that are of a minority race. One person brought up the fact that standardized tests were originally designed so that only white men would be able to do well, and that they are only very slowly changing to make them easier to understand and for the entire student population to do well. These tests certainly put certain individuals at a disadvantage, making processes such as affirmative action necessary.
Another topic that was discussed was the holistic approach: the way that colleges take into consideration the extracurricular activities of the student along with their GPA and their test scores. This process has both positive and negatives. The positives are that people who may not do as well academically have a chance to prove their skills in other areas, making them a better candidate for a college. This, however, is more likely to benefit those that are either outgoing and willing to join these activities or those that are required to partake. Introverts who have issues taking part in social activities are more likely to be left behind in such processes, since they feel as though they are unable to participate in these activities. Colleges also don’t take into account the size of the clubs or sport teams that the student is a part of. For example, if a student goes to a small high school, it is more likely that they would have had more opportunities to take on leadership roles than students that are in large high school classes.
Overall, this deliberation brought attention to many issues that I had never taken into consideration when thinking about college admission processes, and the variety of opinions on this subject really made me think about whether or not college admission processes are entirely fair.
Abby says
I was aware that there is a test score gap between races but not between men and women. The test makers are certainly biased in their questions, though, and it does make sense that if there are mostly white men making the test white men will do better.
Sylvia Joy says
You mentioned sexuality affected admissions–I hadn’t heard of that before. However, I knew there are scholarships specifically for LGBTQ people, which I was surprised about.
I also wonder how significant just being a female is in college admissions?
I am also unsure of the test score gap. I wonder if it is still the case that there is an SAT math gap?
Definitely, there used to be (or may still be) bias against minorities in exams. Even asking students their race at the start of a test makes them do worse. There was a standardized home school exam where they asked students about fishing terms, and I thought, “If you grew up in a city, would you know this?”
Again, I maintain that extracurriculars are easier for rich people to come up with. I like that you mentioned introverts.