I like the intentions of the OP. Kids should have an incentive to do activities they are truly interested in. However, their formula does punish the hard-working kids, even though they might be more likely to succeed in “the real world.”
Also, as a 2-sport athlete I spend 7-10 hours working out every week almost year-round and that does not mean that I am more deserving of an elite education than a fellow student who spends similar amounts of time preparing for debate tournaments or practicing the violin.
Maybe all applicants should wear fitbits and connect with each other so they can compete for the most # of steps or flights of stairs and then have that submitted to the elites for use in the admissions process.
The fitbit has to be attached to a mood ring, though, because the kid who’s just pushing himself to take more steps can’t beat out the kid who’s doing it happily. It’s a healthy lifestyle thing where second (and 3rd,4th and 5th) cups of coffee, meals on the go and late nights are penalized. My kids were drinking black coffee out of necessity by end of 9th grade. I don’t think they liked it, but knew if was healthier than soda. At least there’s probably some points for that choice in the ei way of scoring.
Selective schools are assembling a class that is interesting- the class matters more than the individual. I have never heard of any formulas involved. Genuine interest would help make a certain class more diverse and “passionate” but there are many ways for admissions people to gauge that, including letters of recommendation, time spent and increased depth of involvement over time. Overall, the kid who collects butterflies or won a national hula hoop contest might do better than the grind with the stats, but there is no way to really know. The main thing is, there are many great schools and Ivies etc. are just a few of them.
Not trying to throw another wrench in OP’s premise but… how do I say this… Students learn and can handle different amounts of work and have different intellectual capacities. Labeling classes as college prep/ honors/ AP gives students an idea of how fast/slow and intellectual depth those classes most likely will be.
My son would love to take several courses that he is interested in, but for him, some of those courses aren’t AP level courses and he has hated classes he has had that aren’t AP BECAUSE the teachers move too slowly, people ask too many questions, and teachers spend so much time trying to get all students up to speed in understanding the material that it is literally torture for him to sit in those classes (his words).
A school doesn’t have the funding to offer accelerated courses in every subject. So how do you penalize a student who takes courses (that he is interested in) at community college over the summer bc his school doesn’t offer an accelerated version. He isn’t taking the course to try and move ahead, he is taking it bc he is truly interested and knows he won’t have to sit through his hs class bored to death. He actually loves learning- so why should I make him not take the classes he wants to take and not continue to explore his intellectual passions in the summer?
Also some people have photographic memories and can memorize things in 5 mins, some will take hours to memorize say names and dates in world history. Neither way is better or worse they are just different. One way should not be penalized bc they only need 20 mins to study, nor should someone that takes 10 hours.
The trick is knowing your child and having your child know themselves. If they are feeling stressed, then back off the work load. If they are feeling stressed bc they aren’t challenged enough at school, then allow them to pursue other academic opportunities. This works for sports and music Ec’s too…
CAAS currently limits its membership to <100 top colleges/universities (http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/members.html). These elite schools collectively can effect changes in how applicants, their parents, and high schools approach to college admissions. In addition to encouraging prospective applicants to march to the beat of their own drum, CAAS can also promote healthy lifestyle. How about, next to the mid-50% SAT scores on the matriculated freshman class profile, list the mid-50% hours slept per night / exercised per day, say, 7.5-8.5 / 1.5-2.5 (or some sort of HL index)? Our next generation will be healthier, happier, and likely smarter.
“list the mid-50% hours slept per night / exercised per day, say, 7.5-8.5 / 1.5-2.5 (or some sort of HL index)”
give me a break…
Do you actually think colleges will give any extra weight or brownie points to those who SAY they are doing those things? they wont because it is immaterial to them to choose the "healthiest "students. What they want is the “right” students for the class that they are putting together.