A Brief Note On Higher Education Admission Process Essay

According to true colors I am a green. The twenty words that best describes me are analytical, calm, cool, investigative, strength, creative, strategic thinker, knowledgeable, visionary, enthusiastic, independent thinker, future focus, objective, tough minded, meaningless dialogue, emotional displays, subjective thinking, social function, challenging and flexible.

In December 2014, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education published “Rethinking the Admission Process.” This article was written by Frank DiMaria, who takes a look at the research of the former president of the University of Wyoming, Robert Sternberg. DiMaria explains Sternberg’s stance against the current admissions process. Sternberg has research that depicts, “GPA, standardized tests, and essays do not successfully measure the true talent of a college applicant.” He believes that the policies need to change. Sternberg offers an alternative to the current process. Sternberg has been a part of a new admissions policy testing students not just on their memorization and analytical skills, but on their creative, practical, and wisdom-based skills as well. Sternberg’s ideas stem from his experience with disadvantaged youth and their ability to adapt and overcome obstacles. Sternberg claims that students who grow up in the upper middle class tend to have an environment which better values the analytical skills that the current tests measure. He argues that, because of this, colleges may not be getting the most creative and adaptable students. He shows that some of these less privileged students are capable of handling a college workload even though they may not have been able to score as high on the SAT or other tests. DiMaria believes that through Sternberg’s Kaleidoscope policy may be a solution. The Kaleidoscope way of admissions administers tests which ask open ended

For centuries African Americans have fought for equal rights, one of them being an opportunity for the chance to get an equal education. Many people believe that African Americans have an equal or better chance at getting an education than other students. This is not the case when in fact, it is actually harder for these three reasons: African American students tend to come from harsh, poverty stricken atmospheres. Shattered family lifestyles that make it difficult to pursue a higher education because they have not received the proper information. Secondly, just because African Americans are minorities does not mean that they receive a vast amount of government assistance or financial aid to pursue a higher education. Lastly, African

The U.S. Department of Education’s Digest of Education Statistics (2010) compiles data on educational trends and statistics in the United States. According to the digest, in 2009 African Americans earned about 10 percent of all bachelor degrees awarded. Furthermore, about 20 percent of African Americans currently hold a college degree. When compared to the same rates for the white non-hispanic population, African Americans are largely lagging behind. The challenges that African Americans are facing must be met by post secondary institutions if this group is going to continue on the path of economic and career prosperity. This need is discussed in the report Minorities in Higher Education:

In the United States alone, minorities have struggled for centuries to earn the basic rights and opportunities as others. African Americans have always worked harder and been treated maliciously just because of the color of their skin. There have been numerous movements, peaceful protests, and brutal battles by black leaders against whites for equality, justice, and a fair chance at a better life. It is safe to say that in the past, blacks were not allowed to progress or have a mind of their own. In comparison to the past, the educational sector for minorities still remains as an extreme societal challenge. For many years, African Americans have been denied educational advancement opportunities. The higher education area suffers greatly for the black population but very few people will address why this matter occurs. Do black families’ socioeconomic status affect the children’s education? The socioeconomic status is easily defined as an individuals or families’ economic and social rank based on income, education level, and occupation. The socioeconomic status of black families does affect their children’s academic success, however; it does not determine their children’s success. This educational disadvantage for black students needs to be addressed because of the lack of financial and emotional support that minority students receive due to their parents lack of experience and knowledge with higher education. Many black students become a product of their environment because

This reading is significant because it shows us the dire need to rethink, revolutionize, and create changes that will give students a color an opportunity to progress to higher education. We know that the only way that poor people of color will find some sort of social remobility is through higher education, but they cannot achieve that if things

I met Elias G, a black student who lives in my neighborhood and is learning about Anesthesia, at the Foothill College Cafeteria. In this personal interview, he emphasized that none of his close African American friends in his high school have entered universities. As for why, he argues that inequality still remains in college admissions and scholarship systems. Today, higher education seems to be considered the only way in which one can move his social status up in the nation. As a result, many politicians and leaders in the country have emphasized the importance of education. A number of policies regarding education have been published, executed, and planned by those already highly educated in the nation. These policies have been truly successful

College is a privilege that is now accessible to many people. It has not always been this way though. Lack of money, being deprived of representation, or racism hindered one’s chances in to getting into higher education, especially a minority’s chance. In order to raise against the barriers, President John F. Kennedy created the affirmative action program to provide equal opportunities for everyone, whether in education or in the workforce. Even if this was a program created in the 1960’s, problems continue to present itself as shown through the many court cases, such as Brown vs. Board of Education, Fisher vs. University of Texas, Grutter vs. Bollinger et al, and Hopwood vs. State of Texas. Thus, racial inequality and affirmative action

Historically, certain groups have been underrepresented and unsuccessful in higher education. These groups include Hispanics, Latinos, African Americans, etc. Efforts have been made at the federal and institutional level to reverse this phenomenon, namely Brown vs. The Board of Education and Affirmative Action. Despite these efforts, African Americans, or Blacks, still lag behind in graduation rates relative to other races and Black males even more so. There has been a myriad of research done and solutions offered to combat this problem. I argue that access to positive Black male role models, increased financial aid, and increased out of class engagement will increase graduation rates for Black males. I also offer my own perfect program,

Since the time when I was little, my parents always encourage me to do the best, work hard, become educated and have a positive life style at a very young age. My earliest memories are that of reading interesting books because I love to read and do my science whiz experiments. However, I also had great interests in playing with Lego pieces and conducting fun chemistry games in my own tiny lab. It was a fun time for me; at least that’s how I recall it now. The only things I had to worry about were: what will I have for lunch today, which chemistry game or Lego pieces do I want to play with and my team winning the sports games I use to compete in.

Most of the students come from low income families, which may play a factor as to why these students are not performing well academically. According to Carol Carter, a student success expert reason for the lack of success for low income students are lack of exposure, language barriers, lack of stability, and lack of role models (2013).

Ever since I can remember I have had an intense curiosity about the world and the people in it. This is probably due mostly to my parents who read to me nonstop but it has fuelled most of my learning experiences and given me a love of the world and of people, and the understanding of both of those. This love was further developed when I began four years of learning Attic Greek and Latin through a classical education. Then, after yearning to go overseas since I was eight years old and saving for it most of the time since then, I made it to England for six weeks this summer. Here my appetite for understanding is being indulged not just with words and pictures but with real world experiences which I can touch, see, and hear. Now, as I near the end of my stay, I am looking ahead to the rest of high school and I have decided I want to make the most of my junior and

A critical moment during my undergraduate career is when I came to the realization that it is alright for me not to know what to do with my future. I realized that I was doing the right thing by furthering my education so that once I finally did know what career I wanted to pursue I would then have a degree to help me stand out. Once more, Dr. Reed convincing me to pursue a degree in Communication is one of the best pieces of advice I acquired during my undergraduate career, if not ever. I most likely would not have the confidence I currently have in obtaining a degree that I have no idea what I am going to with once I graduate.

If someone asked me where I am going to be in ten years, this would be my answer. I will have a great, high-paying job, and beautiful wife and family, and a nice sports car parked in front of my lovely house. When I look into the future, I see myself being successful and happy. Even though I always pictured myself this way, I never worried too much about how I would get there. I feel the Suffolk University can lay the groundwork for making these dreams into reality.

Dervarics, C. (2011, August 8). Study: Minority, Low-Income Students Lack Adequate Access to Educational Opportunities. Retrieved from Diverse Education Web site: http://diverseeducation.com/article/16180/