College application: Difference between revisions
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==United States== |
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In the [[United States]], a '''college application''' is a customary part of the competitive [[college admissions]] system. The primary resource for admissions departments in determining the worthiness of prospective candidates, as of 2006 a typical college application consists of personal essays the applicant is required to write, recommendations from teachers, a report of standardized test scores and extra-curriculars with which the applicant is involved, and other information which the college or university can use to directly compare students to one another. |
In the [[United States]], a '''college application''' is a customary part of the competitive [[college admissions]] system. The primary resource for admissions departments in determining the worthiness of prospective candidates, as of 2006 a typical college application consists of personal essays the applicant is required to write, recommendations from teachers, a report of standardized test scores and extra-curriculars with which the applicant is involved, and other information which the college or university can use to directly compare students to one another. |
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==United Kingdom== |
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In Britain, application to '''university''' is under the [[UCAS]] system. Students apply to six universities of their choice, and submit one unified application to these six universities. Students select the subject they wish to major in, which will be their chosen profession. Unlike the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand all have more 'vocational' or 'useful' degrees for the real world. However, while a student's predicted A-levels, as well as personal essay, and teacher's recommendations go into a UCAS application, students must make a seperate application to the [[University of Oxford]] or [[University of Cambridge]], if they wish to apply to these universities. Furthermore, students can only apply to one or the other. |
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=="Gaming" the college application process<!--better title needed for this section-->== |
=="Gaming" the college application process<!--better title needed for this section-->== |
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In the 1800s, college admissions requirements included subjects such as Greek and Latin, which were not taught by very few public schools; the pool of applicants was effectively limited to students who had graduate from "preparatory schools" whose role was specifically to meet college entrance requirements. Around the end of the 1800s, the College Entrance Examination board was formed and colleges, notably Harvard under Eliot, began to use entrance examinations that evaluated an applicant's academic potential. In the 1920s, interviews and essays were added in order to shape the pool of entrants to fit the social and ethnic preferences of the schools and their alumni. Photographs were required on applications from about 19xx to 19yy, to assist admissions officials in determining the race and ethnicity of applicants; this requirement was dropped when advances in the civil rights moment made open racial discrimination unacceptable.... Nope, I guess I'm wrong about that, "optional" photographs are apparently still solicited by colleges... |
In the 1800s, college admissions requirements included subjects such as Greek and Latin, which were not taught by very few public schools; the pool of applicants was effectively limited to students who had graduate from "preparatory schools" whose role was specifically to meet college entrance requirements. Around the end of the 1800s, the College Entrance Examination board was formed and colleges, notably Harvard under Eliot, began to use entrance examinations that evaluated an applicant's academic potential. In the 1920s, interviews and essays were added in order to shape the pool of entrants to fit the social and ethnic preferences of the schools and their alumni. Photographs were required on applications from about 19xx to 19yy, to assist admissions officials in determining the race and ethnicity of applicants; this requirement was dropped when advances in the civil rights moment made open racial discrimination unacceptable.... Nope, I guess I'm wrong about that, "optional" photographs are apparently still solicited by colleges... |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 02:46, 15 April 2006
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 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. |
United States
In the United States, a college application is a customary part of the competitive college admissions system. The primary resource for admissions departments in determining the worthiness of prospective candidates, as of 2006 a typical college application consists of personal essays the applicant is required to write, recommendations from teachers, a report of standardized test scores and extra-curriculars with which the applicant is involved, and other information which the college or university can use to directly compare students to one another.
United Kingdom
In Britain, application to university is under the UCAS system. Students apply to six universities of their choice, and submit one unified application to these six universities. Students select the subject they wish to major in, which will be their chosen profession. Unlike the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand all have more 'vocational' or 'useful' degrees for the real world. However, while a student's predicted A-levels, as well as personal essay, and teacher's recommendations go into a UCAS application, students must make a seperate application to the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge, if they wish to apply to these universities. Furthermore, students can only apply to one or the other.
"Gaming" the college application process
In 2006, the Boston Globe reported that business schools were concerned about a growing problem with applications prepared with the help of consultants. The consultants, for fees of $50 to $3000, promise to increase an applicant's chances of acceptance by coaching or assisting with the writing of applications. One consultant was quoted as saying "The schools refuse to admit [it] but the fact is, if you know the schools, there's a real formula..." The consultant went on to say that admissions officers at Harvard look for applicants' leadership experience and ability to work through others, Stanford is keen on personal revelations, family dynamics, and identity politics, while Wharton rewards applicants who tell admissions committees in personal terms why Wharton—and not the other schools—is the perfect fit for them.
The Globe characterized admissions officials as "rankled" by such statements, and director of MBA admissions at Wharton indicate that coaching can work against an applicant: "Sometimes you read an essay and you lose a sense of who the individual is because the essay is overpolished." Harvard has responded by requiring all applicants to sign a pledge attesting that their application is "my own, honest statement," and requiring applicants to giving permission to Harvard to contact all persons named in the application for verification purposes. The article says that the three business schools recently began using private investigators to verify the work experience listed in all their candidates' applications.
References
- Weisman, Robert (2006) "Wrangling over applications" The Boston Globe, [1], Feb. 6, 2006
- "A Pledge of Integrity", The Boston Globe [2], Feb. 6, 2006
External links
- A typical college application.
- The Common Application- Application form accepted by over 200 colleges and universities in the United States. Free to use, can submit applications online.