Tag Archives: admissions

Academic achievement is not the only definition of merit in university admissions

Academic achievement is not the only definition of merit in university admissions

The recent controversy over rich parents buying their children’s admission to elite US universities highlights the popular assumption that academic merit is the only worthy means of discriminating between students when there is a scarcity of university places. However, Australian universities, like those in other countries, have held different ideas about merit over their history […] … learn more→

Why elite colleges should use a lottery to admit students

Why elite colleges should use a lottery to admit students

If the Harvard admissions trial teaches us anything, it should be that there are more brilliant and accomplished young people in the United States eager for a top-notch education than there are seats to accommodate them. Places like Harvard and other elite colleges select students from a pool flush with well-qualified applicants who could handle the coursework, […] … learn more→

Turning the Tide: Can admissions reforms redefine achievement?

Turning the Tide: Can admissions reforms redefine achievement?

Individualism makes America unhealthy and unequal, and college admissions offices have the power to do something about it. So argues a short but important report, Turning the Tide, released last week by the Making Caring Common (MCC) Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. College admissions offices send messages to students about what society […] … learn more→