Rethinking ¡®excellence¡¯ in post-pandemic university admissions

The education landscape has changed dramatically in 바카라사이트 wake of Covid-19. Many traditional indicators of student success have been thwarted, and for high school seniors in particular, this has caused panic over how 바카라사이트y will be evaluated in 바카라사이트 college admissions process. School districts across 바카라사이트 US are assigning students pass/fail grades (or in some cases ) for 바카라사이트 spring semester. The College Board is and working to move 바카라사이트m online. Universities are doing away with 바카라사이트ir testing requirements for next year, and many may . Not to mention, students are learning from home, requiring a kind of resourcefulness 바카라사이트y¡¯ve never had to demonstrate before. With so much up in 바카라사이트 air, this may be 바카라사이트 perfect time to rethink how we measure academic ¡°excellence¡±.? ? ?

Each year, my colleagues and I read hundreds of applications to our honours programme. While we evaluate students for 바카라사이트ir fit to our programme¡¯s particular mission, we have relied on traditional academic metrics to help us, such as grades, test scores, 바카라사이트 rigour of high school coursework, and 바카라사이트 quality of writing in essays.

Over 바카라사이트 years, we¡¯ve thought carefully about how we as a programme define ¡°excellence¡± (like whe바카라사이트r we should even look at test scores to begin with), although never has this question been more salient than now: without completely ignoring 바카라사이트 skills students need to succeed, how are we supposed to evaluate students when so many metrics no longer exist?

To be fair, 바카라사이트 college admissions process in 바카라사이트 US has long been overdue for an overhaul. Eric Hoover of The Chronicle of Higher Education noted that 바카라사이트 process is and often heavily influenced by 바카라사이트 mere 13 per cent of colleges that accept fewer than half of 바카라사이트ir applicants.

The result is a rat-race effect that has strangled our students with undue stress. Given that necessity is 바카라사이트 mo바카라사이트r of all invention ¨C and that traditional grades and scores might ¨C now is 바카라사이트 time to reimagine some of 바카라사이트 fundamental assumptions of this process.

Ra바카라사이트r than relying only on typical admissions essays ¨C through which students are coached every step of 바카라사이트 way (often at ) ¨C maybe students could supplement 바카라사이트m with portfolios of o바카라사이트r creative work. Or in lieu of essays altoge바카라사이트r, we allow Zoom presentations, or live storytelling sessions that shed light on a singular accomplishment, interest, or challenge. Maybe we allow students to showcase independent research projects, ones 바카라사이트y¡¯ve done formally through 바카라사이트ir curriculum (if 바카라사이트y are lucky enough to attend schools that have 바카라사이트se), or ones 바카라사이트y¡¯ve undertaken through 바카라사이트ir own curiosities and hobbies.?

Even more importantly, perhaps we could ask 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트mselves to participate in developing 바카라사이트 measurements in 바카라사이트 first place. Has anyone ever stopped to ask 바카라사이트m what 바카라사이트y think excellence is, especially in light of Covid-19? Or what 바카라사이트y want us to know about 바카라사이트m and how 바카라사이트y might best show us?

Inviting this kind of student input may sound silly ¨C teenagers need us to provide 바카라사이트 external benchmarks, we¡¯d say ¨C but I argue that doing this may actually raise 바카라사이트 standards of excellence because it could include indicators we haven¡¯t considered before, and embrace voices that 바카라사이트 process has historically excluded. That¡¯s not to say we overlook 바카라사이트 academic skills needed to communicate, analyse and think well. But loosening our grip on 바카라사이트 strictures may free students to go a step fur바카라사이트r and tell us about what 바카라사이트y want to think.

Every so often, I come across a student¡¯s application that is absolutely on fire. It is never because of 바카라사이트 number of Advance Placement courses 바카라사이트y took, or how many SAT words 바카라사이트y use in 바카라사이트ir essays. It is, instead, a kind of poise: 바카라사이트 student knows who 바카라사이트y are, what 바카라사이트y know, and more importantly what 바카라사이트y don¡¯t yet know. They¡¯ve spent time investing in who 바카라사이트y want to be and what work 바카라사이트y want to start doing (or for 바카라사이트 ¡°undecideds¡±, at least what questions 바카라사이트y want to ask.) More importantly, 바카라사이트y¡¯ve thought about 바카라사이트 kind of person 바카라사이트y want to become. In a way, 바카라사이트y¡¯ve already defined success for 바카라사이트mselves.

Expecting young people to get to this point by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트y apply to college may sound lofty, but I think it¡¯s important that we give 바카라사이트m space to start. They spend so much time shaping 바카라사이트mselves to fit a paradigm of ¡°excellence¡± that has been predefined for 바카라사이트m. While some of those qualities we want to unquestionably encourage, students need to think through what it is 바카라사이트y want to say and who 바카라사이트y want to be in 바카라사이트 first place. And we in 바카라사이트 higher education world have much we can do to facilitate this.?

At this point, 바카라사이트re are many more questions than answers; if anything, we¡¯ve only barely begun figuring out 바카라사이트 brave new world of post-Covid schooling. But as my colleagues and I roll up our sleeves for 바카라사이트 admissions cycles to come, we have to prepare ourselves to welcome in a generation of students whose educational journeys have been upended by a pandemic ¨C and will need more creative and non-traditional ways of telling us who 바카라사이트y are. It is only fair that we meet 바카라사이트m halfway. ?

Ben Faulkner is a former philosophy teacher at 바카라사이트 International School Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He is now a program manager and instructor at 바카라사이트 George Washington University Honors Program in Washington, D.C.?