| Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Threads: 45
Posts: 160
| Just what we all need - a proxy for a proxy. Anyway, from Georgetown University in D.C. it's time to move on and this article is just the ticket since it takes a "hot spot" look at Georgetown College in Kentucky:
"Making the grade - Students facing tougher entrance into universities"
"Destin Robinson and Emily Gaither are two of a growing number of Scott County High School students balancing extra-curricular activities, jobs, and advanced placement courses with regular student life in order to look better on college applications.
Entrance into college is more selective than ever, and even outstanding local students are now having to find new ways to outshine the competition. Heavier-than-average course loads and a lack of time for favorite activities are becoming normal for college-bound Scott County teens.
"The ACT has been the biggest thing that has been getting on my nerves," said Robinson, a senior at SCHS.
Robinson took the college entrance exam five or six times in an attempt to make himself as appealing as possible to his top-pick colleges. His GPA is a 4.0. Credentials such as Teen Court, Student Council, the National Honors Society, and the Governor's Scholars Program fill his college preparatory resume...
According to Robinson, he's one of five or six valedictorians at Scott County High School this year. Numerous valedictorians are part of a trend of educators who don't want to create distinctions among equally qualified students in such a competitive college market.
"My class rank could be a lot higher if it (grades) were weighted," said fellow senior Gaither, speaking of Scott County's policy of unweighted GPAs. Advanced placement students such as Gaither still earn college credit with their courses but don't see the increased GPA that is a reward in many schools for the extra work attached to such classes.
"There have been a lot of complaints about that around here," Robinson said. Colleges indicated to him that if his AP work had been weighted, he would have a GPA in the range of 4.7, rather than 4.0.
High schools often struggle to find a balance between rewarding students for a job well done and miring themselves in what many term "grade inflation," a phenomenon of grading so many students in a generous, positive light that colleges have a hard time differentiating between good students and the true cream of the crop.
Colleges are currently experiencing a bumper crop of students from which to make their selections.
More kids than ever are applying to college, confirmed SCHS Senior Guidance Coun_selor Lynn Henry.
"Schools are trying to expand, but it's not keeping up," she said. "It's supply and demand every year. We stress students taking the most rigorous classes."
That often means a fourth year of math, though the state technically requires only three years of the subject.
Just one AP class on a student's record might make the difference between making the grade for a university or being denied entry, Henry said.
Sending unprepared students into the university world benefits neither students nor the colleges and universities, which Henry describes as big businesses.
"It's a lot about the money," she said. "Schools want students to come, but they also want to know they'll be able to stay. Retention rate is important."
Universities estimate the likelihood a student will matriculate with them based on his or her performance not only during an often difficult senior year, but throughout the student's previous three years in high school.
"It's a little bit of everything for us," explained Johnnie Johnson, director of admissions at George_town College. "GPA, high school curriculum, ACT score."
The minimum ACT score for admission at Georgetown is 19, though last year's freshmen came into the school with an average score of 23-24 and an average high school GPA of 3.4-3.5.
Michelle Garth, associate director of admissions at the University of Kentucky, described her school's admissions policy as a holistic approach that stresses not only grades and good test scores, but also extra-curricular activities, student leadership ability, work experience and awards.
"We don't require an essay but welcome a statement from students - anything that will help us get to know them better so we can make our decisions," Garth said.
The pressure for outstanding academic records doesn't end with admission but carries through into the quest for financial aid.
"A lot of families get panicked over the scholarships," Johnson said. Along with UK and BCTC, Georgetown College offers need-based funds, though other scholarships are based solely on academic qualifiers.
Kentucky Educational Ex_cellence Scholarships, which are funded by lottery proceeds, base award amounts directly on high schoolers' yearly GPAs.
"My parents want to pay for college, but I don't want to put the burden on them," 17-year-old Gaither said of the pressure to obtain funds for college. Gaither will would like to attend Morehead State University next year, a school she hopes will fulfill her academic needs without sinking her into too much debt.
Despite the stress of getting into a school and paying the subsequent bills, Henry said recent high school graduates learn a quick lesson that getting into college is worth the trouble. "They just can't support themselves and pay for rent and meals on $6 an hour. You need certification. You need the piece of paper on the wall that means you've disciplined yourself and earned the right to come and work."
Last year, SCHS reported 61 percent of its graduating class intended on applying to a four-year college. An additional 5-6 percent planned on a two-year program.
"We'd like that to be 90 percent," Henry said." |
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