As high school students, this topic relates to all of our lives right now. Thinking about college can cause stress, excitement, or a mixture of both. This is a place to have a discussion about all of the topics raised in my research paper.
~ Do you feel stressed about applying to college?
~ Do you think that it is fair for colleges to have lower admissions requirements for some students? If so, what groups do you think are entitled to this special treatment? For example, do you think athletes are more deserving of this system than legacies?
~ Do you think colleges are justified in accepting more and more out-of-state applicants in order to bring more money to the school?
If you have any other questions, comments, or discussion topics you would like to address, feel free to leave a comment!
This is such a great topic; it's so relevant, especially with the academic environment we are in. As for the first question, I am totally stressed about college! There's something so cold about judging a student's intellectual ability off of numbers and letters on a piece of paper, though I don't know how else admissions would work. addressing the second question, I think each department should have a specific requirement for their type of student. A music student is very different from a genetics student. And I think that's how some schools work
ReplyDeleteI agree that the admissions offices in many colleges are not as fair as they could be, but I feel like this omnipresent competition over college admission and scholarships has only excelled in the last 20 years or so. Although, I do agree that some academic requirements should be changed depending on the applicant, so that all colleges have the opportunity to enrich the lives of students from all walks of life.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right in that this topic is very commonly talked about by students this year. For me, the concept of college brings me great stress and anxiety. The admissions process feels so overly competitive now a days. I think that colleges should be competitive to a level, in the fact that there are only so many availabilities each year; but I do think that they should allow many different types of students to be enrolled not just one specific "model".
ReplyDeleteSophie! I loved learning about your topic, especially since it is so relevant for me and surely everyone else in our class as well. Responding to your second question, I believe it is fair for college to lower financial admission standards however not academic standards. It is right for every applicant to have an equal chance of getting in regardless of their financial background and should be aided in order for that to be achieved. However, it is wrong for a college to promote a certain standard for academics for one group of applicants over another.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of stress I have for college is immeasurable, and I'm sure tons of other juniors/seniors feel that way, but (thinking about your comic, which I loved) I've no idea where to start, where to look, and where to end up. I don't think it's really fair for colleges to accept more out-of-states, because what's wrong with in-state? But with this economy (hate to bring it up, but...) it's almost necessary to want to bring in that revenue. I don't think it's fair to lower admission for any group, because even though you can afford it, it doesn't mean you're rich. Maybe your family needs that money, to put food on the table, to send the younger ones to school, so I think that's not right. But I do think financial aid is good for everyone, because it can be applied to everyone, not just a group.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good topic right now, since we're all looking into colleges and out of high school, it's totally relevant, and really interesting. Great job, Sophie!
--Sabrina
your topic was fab! To address your second question, I do and do not think it is fair to lower the admission process for some students. For example sports get scholarships, and i don't think that is necessarily fare, but being on leadership i think deserve to recognized. This is a thin line and i think it needs to be handled with grace and compassion. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThis topic is very relevant today and I am very glad you chose it. to answer your second question I do not think it is fair because I believe everyone should go through the same admission process. A school should not have certain exceptions for different people. Sports should be prioritized in comparison to a student who worked hard to get good grades.
ReplyDeleteI think that the people who strove for equality for years, should not be asking for special treatment now...just saying...BUT, I seriously do believe that the admissions process is far too stressful and difficult nowadays that many students become discouraged and end up not even going to college. The system needs to be fairer to all peoples, less stressful and ridiculous and promote educational success rather than athletic, racial background, or status.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
This was very interesting. It applies to all of us now going through the admissions process. I think college admissions has become an overly-stressful situation. It is not fair that people who are qualified and work hard to get into schools are rejected because of bias towards race, status, legacy, or athletics. I think the college system needs to promote academically talented and hard-working students. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAs most have said, this is a very relevant topic, and it was so interesting to read about. I am terrified of and super stressed about applying to college. It is scary just how near the time for applying is. I don't think schools are justified for accepting more out of state applicants for money. I believe that they should look at each student individually rather than look at where they came from.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the whole college admissions game is very stressful. Being a student and an athlete, I am stressing about applying and at the same time trying to get an athletic scholarship. I think that process is way too difficult. When our parents were ready for college, their admissions process was so much easier and the acceptance rates were much easier. I don't understand why standards have raised so much and why it is so difficult to get into a good college and achieve a degree.
ReplyDeleteApplying to college is definitely in the top five stressors for me personally. Everything surrounding college admissions has escalated into such a huge deal. Kids now devote their lives to getting into the elite colleges and honestly it should not be like that. Where you go to college should not be depicted as the most important thing in the world. Part of the reason for all this stress definitely is the fact that certain kids get unfair advantages. I can understand the universities' reasoning as to why certain kids get a boost, but it hurts other kids's chances and is just not fair.
ReplyDeleteI am really stressed thinking about college. It is really frustrating trying to understand how, even when I am qualified and work hard and do everything colleges tell me to do, I won't get admitted for factors I have no control over. Education should be the focus of college, and acceptance should be to those who are best capable to take advantage of the education offered, not who will make money for their school.
ReplyDelete