I just read the UK thread about honors college nonsense at that univ.
That father has two outstanding twins, neither are attending UK. Both twins had outstanding stats, both NMFs. One is at Notre Dame and the other is at Duke. One was accepted to UK honors, the other was not. Obviously, the thought is that kids who can get into those schools should be qualified for honors at UK.
The dad looked into it and it seems that the son’s essays were just average. It is silly to place that much importance on an essay unless the UK HC really is only interested in liberal arts type of kids.
I know that my younger son would have failed at the “having an outstanding essay” part (unless he cheated and had extensive outside help, which i KNOW a lot of kids DO!!!)… S2 was a ChemE major. He’s an “ok writer”, but nothing spectacular. To think he would have been denied for that reason would have irritated the @#$% out of me. lol This child is now in med school, graduated Summa Cum Laude in ChemE 3.99 GPA, so he’s hardly someone who shouldn’t have been in honors.
putting that much emphasis on the essay essentially is telling the engineering type students …Need not apply. lol. I know that there are STEM kids that are super writers, my older son is one.
Not only is it silly to put that much emphasis on an essay, we all know how much outside help many kids get with their essays. Unless they lock the applicants up in a room and have them write their essays there, essays have become a total joke.
That thread also intimated that there is some Affirmative Action going on with acceptances, as well as “regional diversity” going on.
I prefer that an HC has clear standards for acceptance. If you have XX stats, you will be admitted.