Comparison of University Admissions Criteria
Hearing how acceptance into higher education worked in different parts of the world allowed for some compare and contrast, and an audible sigh of relief. The education system I grew up with in Canada seemed relatively comfortable – no standardized exams, only high school performance, extracurricular records and references. There was plenty of opportunity to make up those grades, and no pressure to perform on one test date, a single day of paramount importance.
The Canadian system has obvious weaknesses. In fact, I’m not sure if there really is a perfect formula for admitting students. If university entrance were based solely on high school performance, then who was to say the grades were distributed fairly across all schools? Granted, some universities make admission decisions based on historical records of the students’ university performance and which high school they graduated from. Even then, these records may not be truly informative for making a fair decision. For example, when choosing a scholarship recipient between two candidates, both with perfect grade averages and similar extracurricular achievements, should the historical record influence who should be awarded? I would like to think, no.
The juxtaposition to the Canadian system would be when admission decisions are based on results from a single standardized exam. I have no doubt that those who succeed are quite brilliant and hard working. At the same time, though, a test could reveal only so much about an individual. There are also cases where students attend extracurricular classes specifically geared towards helping them excel in the national exam, thus undermining the exam objectives of evaluating the students’ learning and ability to problem solve. Not to mention, it becomes a competition of who has more resources to afford the extra help. Sympathy also goes to those who simply don’t do well on tests but are otherwise talented.
I do think the evaluation system in the States is more holistic. The admissions package usually includes different aspects of the students’ performances as well as standardized test results, thus presenting a more complete picture of the individual applicant. The statements written by the student also present a unique, more personal perspective. The geotechnical engineering program in which I’m currently enrolled also conducts an annual open house where decisions are finalized after meeting the prospective students in person.
As much as I like the admissions system in the States, I also think it has much to do with the country’s value system. The weight placed on individuality may be difficult to find in other parts of the world. Who am I to judge which is best when others accept and work with the system they have?
The problem of access to higher education seems to be diminishing with increasing globalization. Students now travel across the globe for education. Even if rejection is encountered in one system, there could be opportunity found in another. Fellowships, and inter-university relationships, present more chances, especially for those who may be socio-economically disadvantaged. The system is not perfect, but at least the trend seems to be leaning towards greater access and opportunities.
April 5, 2017 @ 10:27 am
I’ve been thinking about this as well after hearing our classmates discuss admissions criteria in their countries. Maybe I’m biased (I’m from the US), but I think it’s better to look at a student’s whole record than simply base admissions off of one exam. I’m generally not a fan of high-stakes exams because someone could work really hard, do well in school and learn a lot, but not be a good test taker and that becomes the only thing that matters.
Of course, the US system is also far from perfect and subject to some of the same faults- high-income families can afford to live in towns with great schools or send their kids to private schools, and those kids will likely have an advantage in college admissions. Plus, in the US, higher ed. is so expensive that many can’t afford it anyway! So I suppose that I, too, can’t really judge how other countries choose to handle admissions (and at least they mostly seem to offer free or highly subsidized higher education).
April 5, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
I agree with Kate and Zhanyu – a single test is not a good indicator. But for a nation the size of India or China, how else can you do it? If the best university in the country gets a few hundred thousand applications, surely they can’t interview the leaders, nor can they do a thorough investigation into the kid’s extracurricular activities and history (which are heavily influenced by the parents anyway).
A second point, why are we so obsessed with rankings of universities? Any R1 university in the US will provide an excellent PhD training, which will likely lead to a good job. Yet people obsess and fret and worry about getting into a top 10 instead of #12 or #13.
Consider how silly this would be in any other context. Imagine if you said “I got a job at United Technologies” and someone else said “ha, they’re only 45th in the Forbes 500, I got a job at HP, they’re in the top 20”. Or if you became a physician at a large hospital like Roanoke Memorial, and someone said “your hospital is only ranked #5 in the state, I got a job at Norfolk Sentra, they’re #2”. Nobody thinks this way because there are so many more important variables when it comes to a job. The same can be said about university, who is your adviser, what major are you in, what kind of research funding is available – why do we instead focus on a number generated by some newsstand magazine?
April 10, 2017 @ 9:44 am
Very good points! As a participant in national examination, I can say that it does not provide a fair measure to access to higher education. Kate points out the very issue of taking the exam into account as only criteria to evaluate students’ abilities and competence. And I agree, one who may has a very good record of academic and extracurricular records might not do very well in exam for many reasons.
I also think that administrating this kind of examination entourages students to think and practice in a way that discourages creativity and critical reflection. Although institutions in the United States seems to have a more holistic approach in admission policy, which I acknowledge that, there is a significant concern regarding multiple choice examination which has a meaningful weight in educational system.
Regardless, as you mentioned it is hard to judge and evaluate different policies and think about one ideal system. In particular when we are consider wide variation in different societies regarding factors which may impact the educational system, for example as Alex mentioned the percentage of young generation. However, I am also careful that a potential existing difference may serve as excuse for those in charge of policy making to insist on ineffective approach….