<p>I have a few thoughts about this inflammatory and controversial thread…</p>
<p>Oop, amongst a lot of other things, you said, "I believe the admissions should be based purely on SAT scores, and GPA. Like at Cal Poly SLO(demographically accurate to the state). I think with admissions involving subjects that can produce biased admissions, the system will be corrupt (no essays special considerations, clubs, ethnic clubs). That way applicants are purely based together in the same group with no special considerations…</p>
<p>Or match the demographics of the state: More whites, blacks, and latinos. NO MORE 60% asian UC’s! (UCI). . . . . . "</p>
<p>So, just to be clear, you want everybody lumped together in the same group with no special considerations, other than SAT scores and GPA? But on the other hand, you want to give SO MUCH consideration to ethnicity that everybody must compete within their own ethnic group in order to match the demographics in the state? You seem to be talking out of both sides of your mouth, as the saying goes.</p>
<p>If all colleges had to go on were SAT scores and GPA, there would be many more qualified applicants than spots, and there would be no means of distinguishing which of those candidates would be a better fit for them. Essays, clubs, EC’s, etc say a whole lot about a person. The colleges are not really looking for “numbers.” They’re looking for human beings with personal experiences. Every college we visited mentioned that they want to know about YOU when they read your application – the personal side of who you are and what you believe in and what makes you tick. Sorry … they don’t want just numbers. Why would they?</p>
<p>Not to mention, Oop, you might not want the UC system to be based on numbers only … you might not get in! Your numbers are not very high, and there’d be nothing else to set you apart. There’s clearly something you bring to the table, or all the colleges that you say accepted you would not have accepted you. But whatever it is they liked about you, they probably saw it through more than your numbers.</p>
<p>(Another thought … I’d bet that if the college admissions people read these posts from you, you may well have been declined everywhere! Truly, Oop, you sound narrow-minded, illogical, racist, bitter, and ill-equipped to deal with dissention. Colleges tend to be more liberal-thinking, tolerant, and accepting. Maybe you’ve been raised by a bigot or two? I’m in my sixth decade of life, so I’ve been around the block. I have a hunch that you’ve been indoctrinated with the anger and bitterness I’m hearing from you. You’re likely unaware of it because it’s all you’ve known. I may be wrong. You’re young still. You’ll learn as you get out and do more in life. You’ve resorted to name-calling so many times in the last 8 pages, simply because people disagreed with you. Then you claim that THEY’RE unable to discuss controversial subjects. Much to learn, young Padawan.)</p>
<p>You speak of competing within your own ethnicity for spots in order to match the ethnic demographics of (what?) California? The U.S.? Wow. And you call yourself an American? You keep making the Chinese analogy – 60% white people in Chinese colleges… There’s just one basic fact that you seem to be ignoring. Many of the Asians that are attending our colleges ARE citizens! WHY would you want to go divvying our U.S. citizens up into ethnic groups and assigning benefits based only on ethnicity and their demographic representation within our country?! That’s not how it works here in the old U.S. of A. If the 60% white people in Chinese colleges were Chinese citizens, then what’s the problem? But you’re comparing apples and oranges. You’re comparing white Americans in China to Asian American citizens in the U.S. Ridiculous. </p>
<p>Unfortunately for you, the colleges get to pick what they think are the most important qualifiers for admission. Employers get to pick what they think are the most important qualifiers for employment. If you jump through the right hoops and possess the right qualifications for selection, you get the education/job! It’s very simple.</p>
<p>But instead, you choose to rebel against the rules that are out of your control. The SATs are stupid. The qualities the colleges want from an applicant are stupid. Too bad, Oop. You don’t make the rules. Somebody else does. You want what they’re offering? Follow their rules. Very simple.</p>
<p>There are reasons for tweaking the system. Eliminating SAT II’s from consideration is a good fix that will likely level the playing field so the colleges can more accurately choose the qualities they’re looking for … but that doesn’t really change the KIND of applicant they’re looking for. It merely eliminates a statistic that hasn’t been doing a good job of identifying that kind of applicant.</p>
<p>There’s a reason that, as one poster observed, it’s practically everybody against Oop on this thread. And it’s not the reason you stated. It’s something bigger than you … that you are unable to see … because of your pride, ignorance, and upbringing (I’m guessing).</p>
<p>But you’re young. You’ll learn one way or another. You get to choose if it’ll be easy to learn or hard to learn.</p>