This time last year, the U.S. #SupremeCourt overturned the use of #AffirmativeAction in college admissions decisions. Leading up to the decision, senior researcher and college admissions expert Alexandria Walton Radford reflected on why college admissions don't always feel transparent, the benefits of diverse campuses for students' cognitive and social growth, and why we need to get serious about addressing the root causes of inequity in #education. https://lnkd.in/g2GGgt6Q
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🎓 The Unfair Realities of College Admissions: Time for Change The college application process is meant to be a gateway to higher education, but for too many students, it feels more like a series of insurmountable barriers. One of the most pressing issues in this process is the inherent unfairness that disadvantages certain groups of students. 🔍 Where Does the Unfairness Stem From? 🔷 Access to Resources: Not all students have the same access to resources like SAT/ACT prep courses, college counseling, or even information about the admissions process itself. Wealthier families often have the means to provide these advantages, while low-income and first-generation students are left to navigate the complexities on their own. 🔷 Legacy Admissions: The practice of legacy admissions—where children of alumni are given preference—further entrenches inequality. It perpetuates a cycle where students from historically privileged backgrounds continue to have an upper hand, while others are shut out of opportunities simply because of their family history. 🔷 Holistic Admissions Criteria: While holistic admissions are designed to consider the "whole student," the lack of transparency in how different factors are weighed can lead to biases, both conscious and unconscious. This is especially true for subjective components like essays or extracurricular activities, where students with more guidance and resources can present themselves more favorably. 🔷 Standardized Testing: Standardized tests are often touted as equalizers, but the reality is far different. Test scores are heavily influenced by socioeconomic status, with students from affluent backgrounds able to afford extensive test preparation. This leaves less privileged students at a significant disadvantage. 🔍 Why This Matters: 🔷 Perpetuating Inequality: The current system often rewards those who are already advantaged, while penalizing those who are not. This goes against the very principle of higher education as a means of social mobility. 🔍 What Can Be Done? 🔷 Policy Reforms: Colleges and universities need to reevaluate practices like legacy admissions and give greater weight to overcoming adversity in the admissions process. 🔷 Transparency: Schools should be clear about how they evaluate applications, so students know what is expected of them and can compete on a more level playing field. 🔷 Support Systems: Increasing access to college counseling, test prep, and mentorship for underrepresented students can help mitigate some of these inequalities. #CollegeAdmissions #EducationReform #EquityInEducation #Fairness #HigherEducation #SocialJustice
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Serving as a program director at the National Science Foundation to advance science and build the national research and development ecosystem -- and all of the good that comes from it.
This is an interesting study that models alternative student recruitment/admissions approaches to racially diversify the university student body. It demonstrates that there are multiple possible ways to achieve this goal. It is a peek behind the curtain of what is clearly a complex process. It also suggests that thoughtful approaches can achieve multiple goals. #highered #college #admissions
We Tried to Create a Diverse College Class Without Affirmative Action
nytimes.com
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Reading and reflecting on, “The Misguided War on the SAT,” by David Leonhardt from The New York Times. In it, he argues that eliminating standardized tests from college admissions may inadvertently harm all students, especially lower-income, Black, and Hispanic students who could benefit from the opportunities these tests provide. ● Pandemic Impact and Test-Optional Policies: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted standardized testing, prompting many colleges to temporarily drop SAT and ACT requirements. While intended as a temporary measure, most continue with test-optional policies. ● Backlash and Reassessment: The pandemic accelerated a pre-existing backlash against standardized testing, fueled by concerns about perpetuating inequality. However, growing worries about the consequences of eliminating test scores have intensified the debate. ● Value and Criticisms: Research suggests standardized tests predict college success, graduation rates, and post-college outcomes. Scores are often seen as more reliable than inflated high school grades, particularly in identifying potential among underrepresented minorities. However, score gaps based on race and class raise concerns about fairness and diversity. ● Balancing Diversity and Merit: Critics fear reinstating testing requirements will decrease diversity in admissions. Proponents argue for considering multiple criteria, including overcoming adversity, to create diverse and talented cohorts. ● Political and Campus Dynamics: Standardized testing's unpopularity among campus progressives and fears of political backlash contribute to colleges' hesitation in reinstating requirements. ● MIT Case Study: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suspended testing during the pandemic, but reinstated it after analyzing admissions data. They emphasize it's not the primary factor but helps identify promising applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. Reintroducing testing, they claim, led to their most diverse class yet. ● Admissions Goals and Inequality: The debate intersects with broader issues of American inequality and universities' role in society. Some advocate for a fundamental rethink, favoring a simplified admissions system based primarily on grades and random selection. ● Public Opinion and Evidence: Despite polarization, data shows a majority of Americans, across racial lines, support considering standardized tests in admissions. Leonhardt warns against adopting positions without empirical evidence, a pitfall shared by both sides of the debate. https://lnkd.in/eHMYKah5
The Misguided War on the SAT
https://www.nytimes.com
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"This “enrollment cliff” is expected to result in a 15% fall in college students after 2025, according to some experts, and some states will be impacted more heavily than others." While highly-ranked universities like Dartmouth and Yale will still maintain their competitive admissions standards, it will be interesting to track if slight easing of entry into these institutions occur. This shift underscores the importance of strategic enrollment management and targeted recruitment efforts to attract a diverse pool of qualified candidates. #HigherEd #EnrollmentCliff #CollegeAdmissions
Why It’ll Likely Be Easier Getting Into College, Even The Ivy League, This Coming Admissions Cycle
social-www.forbes.com
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College & Career Planning; Independent Master Certified Birkman Consultant, Author Encourage students to discover what they were created to do with support of The Birkman Method
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS. This is both an exciting and frustrating time for high school seniors. 🎉 Congratulations to all seniors who received #admissions offers to their #1 #college choice. ❤️🩹 To all seniors who were denied or deferred, it’s ok to be disappointed. You didn’t do anything wrong - and please talk about it with a trusted adult. ❤️ Love the college that loves you. -This isn’t always easy to hear, I get it. -Trust there is a better plan for your future. -You have gifts & talents to share and need to be appreciated for what you will contribute to the university. ❗️ Parents of Middle and early High School Students - especially those of you going through the college admissions process for the first time, please consider reading one or, better yet, all of the following resources. 📚 A small or large group book study or read them on your own. 📚 These respected authors provide their experience, expertise, and researched college admissions information. ❗️Please combine these resources with the expertise of YOUR high school counselors! They know the history of admissions at your high school. Attend their information sessions! 👀 Perspective in the admissions process needs an adjustment. Please know… ✔️ Colleges are admitting a CLASS - not just individual students. ✔️ Uber-selective universities receive far more applications from equally qualified students than there are available seats! ✔️ There are internal factors over which students have no control - known as INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES. (They are admitting a ‘class’.) ✔️ INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY is a critical part of a student’s application profile. ✔️ There are more than 12 colleges that are ‘good enough’ for your student. (You may fill in the blank with the 12 colleges that always come up for discussion in your part of the country.) ✔️ Being a valedictorian, making a perfect score on the SAT/ACT, and being president of 5 clubs does NOT guarantee admission into OR getting first-choice major at super-rejective universities. ✔️ The admissions process is a moving target each year. 🎯 The process for one of your teens may need an adjustment for the next teen. ✔️ Colleges seek AUTHENTICITY in a student. Be true to YOUR best self. The journey continues… Know yourself Know colleges Know the admissions process Know these books & follow these authors ⬇️
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Legacy Looms Large in College Admissions, Perpetuating Inequities in College Access -Admissions is highest among White students (8 percentage points, compared to 3 percentage points among Black and Hispanic or Latino students). -Students whose parents have not attended any postsecondary education, otherwise known as first-generation students, are implicitly excluded from these policies. -Students receiving the Pell Grant enrolled at selective four-year institutions that do not consider legacy status at a higher rate (42 percent) than at institutions that do consider legacy status (36 percent). full report from IHEP here: https://lnkd.in/gdVuaDR4
Legacy Looms Large in College Admissions, Perpetuating Inequities in College Access
https://www.ihep.org
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A recent report finds that selective four-year colleges with legacy preference in admissions enroll lower proportions of Black, Hispanic, and low-income students compared to their counterparts who do not consider legacy status. #GreatCollegeAdvice #LegacyAdmissions #CollegeAdmissions
Legacy Admission Preferences Linked To College Inequities Finds Report
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Over the last five years, one of the most significant changes is admissions at public universities. More students have been applying to these schools than private colleges. At some schools, in-state students are over 25% more likely to get in than out-of-state applicants. Choosing between in-state and out-of-state schools affects admission chances and costs. Understanding these differences is crucial for students as they build a balanced college list and realistically assess their chances of admission at public universities nationwide. To better understand the impact on your student’s college planning, take a look at our mini-guide on Navigating In-State vs. Out-of-State Colleges. https://lnkd.in/dctJAvet
Navigating In-State vs. Out-of-State Colleges: A Guide for Students and Parents
collegematchpoint.com
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Over the last five years, one of the most significant changes is admissions at public universities. More students have been applying to these schools than private colleges. At some schools, in-state students are over 25% more likely to get in than out-of-state applicants. Choosing between in-state and out-of-state schools affects admission chances and costs. Understanding these differences is crucial for students as they build a balanced college list and realistically assess their chances of admission at public universities nationwide. To better understand the impact on your student’s college planning, take a look at our mini-guide on Navigating In-State vs. Out-of-State Colleges. https://lnkd.in/dvQyGPMf
Navigating In-State vs. Out-of-State Colleges: A Guide for Students and Parents
collegematchpoint.com
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"The 2023-2024 admissions season was not just an incremental increase in the frantic posturing and high-pressure guesswork that make this annual ritual seem like academic Hunger Games. This year was different." This year's admissions cycle has introduced unprecedented complexities and competition. Here are the key developments: - Surge in Applications: Ivy-Plus schools, including Ivy League members, MIT, Duke, Chicago, and Stanford, saw a massive jump in applications from 175,000 in 2002 to over 590,000 in 2022. The increase in highly qualified applicants has significantly heightened the competition. - Changes in Admission Rules: Due to changes in the law, the organization that sets guidelines for college admissions had to remove some of its rules. This gives colleges more flexibility to change how they admit students, including offering more chances for students to apply early and commit to a school before others. - Financial Aid Uncertainty: The rollout of the updated FAFSA system was plagued with technical issues, causing significant delays in processing applications. Many students are left without crucial funding information, forcing some to delay or reconsider their college plans. - End of Race-Based Affirmative Action: After a major court decision stopped colleges from considering race in admissions, schools are now looking for new ways to maintain diversity, such as focusing more on applicants' personal achievements and community involvement. This change has made the admissions process more unpredictable for applicants. - Increased Market Power of Colleges: With fewer regulatory constraints, colleges are leveraging their enhanced market power to secure high yields, pushing applicants into more restrictive choices and diminishing the concept of "target" and "safety" schools. https://lnkd.in/gCKgcJhJ
Opinion | This Is Peak College Admissions Insanity
https://www.nytimes.com
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