University of California considers changes to guaranteed admissions

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | June 26, 2008 | Tanya Schevitz

[reaganaut1]

The University of California is considering a major shift in the way it determines which students are eligible for admission - a formula some say is now too rigid.

The faculty proposal, to be discussed by UC's governing Board of Regents in July, is the first time that revisions have been recommended that would dramatically reduce the percentage of students being guaranteed admission to the system's 10 undergraduate campuses.

As drafted, it would change UC's decades-old promise of a seat to the top 12.5 percent of high school graduates to instead guarantee a seat only to about the top 10 percent of graduates.

If adopted, it would let campuses review the individual merits and opportunities of students instead of relying only on a set formula of courses, test scores and grades. The proposal would also eliminate the requirement for the SAT II subject exam.

The UC Academic Assembly, which represents the faculty, voted 38-12 this month to recommend that the regents adopt the changes.

Supporters say the changes would create a fairer approach and broaden access for students at inner-city and rural high schools that don't have all the college-preparatory classes required by UC or adequate counselors to advise students on the menu of courses and tests required for UC.

"They are basically trying to equalize things because the upper-middle-class students have all the advantages and the poor kids don't have good counselors," said Jon Reider, an admissions expert and director of college counseling at the private University High School in San Francisco.

[reaganaut1]

It would be unfair for the state university to mandate for admission college preparatory classes that are not offered in some public schools, but is that the problem or are many students not academically ready for college prep classes in high school or not willing to do the work? As the comments at SFGate say, this is a backdoor attempt at racial quotas.

In 2001 the University of California found that the SAT II, which is now supposed to be ignored, was a better predictor of academic success than the SAT I (what most people think of as the "SAT") -- see http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/9700 .

Linda Chavez discusses the proposed new (lack of) standards at http://townhall.com/columnists/LindaChavez/2008/01/11/dumbing_down_higher_education .

A previous Free Republic discussion of this is at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1950845/posts .

[relictele]

This is how liberals think: “guaranteed” admissions require a plethora of arcane rules.

[Haddit]

Let it be known that the UC system gives in-state tuition to Hispanic illegal aliens only. Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, English, etc. need not apply.

[BooksForTheRight.com]

Just a complicated way to keep Whites, Christians and Jews out of college.

[A_Former_Democrat]

“If adopted, it would let campuses review the individual merits and opportunities of students”

Translation: review their ethnicities.

[gridlock]

Here is how anybody with a high school diploma can get a degree from UC Berkeley.

First go down and get a job with the University doing just about any old thing. You could mow lawns. You could shelve books. You could wash dishes. UC employs a lot of people, and some of the jobs pay pretty good.

After you have started work, wander on down to the UC Berkeley Extension office, at Fulton Street and Kitteredge. Tell them you are a UC employee and would like to enroll as a non-matriculated student in some courses. Start taking the normal coursework that would be required for the course of study that you are interested in. You will have the lowest priority, so you will have to take the early morning sessions and the Friday labs, but them’s the breaks...

Now this part is very, very important... You must work very dilegently at your classwork, because you will have to earn very good grades, mostly A’s with a couple B’s. Fortunately, you will be up against a lot of idiot Freshmen, who party all night and sleep all day, so this is not impossible. Get to know your professors, offer to help out any way you can, and become known around the Department.

Do this for a couple of years, and then take your records, with all your prerequisites satisfied and all your good grades, and go back to the Extension and tell them you would like to enroll in a degree program as a matriculated student. There may be some hemming and hawing at this point. If so, it is a good time to call on your boss and all those friendly professors and other folks in “your” department whom you have been diligently sucking up to for the past couple of years. A good word from these folks can move mountains.

If you have worked hard and have the grades, you register as a newly minted Junior, finish out your upper division coursework, and graduate on time. You can even keep your job (in which you will now be an old-timer, having been there two whole years), to help pay the bills.

The main thing is, you never take “No” for an answer. When dealing with the bureaucracy, polite persistance pays. Failing that, grovelling is always an option.

[Right Cal Gal]

Considering the amount of money the taxpayers of California throw at the public schools, I find it appalling that apparently college prep classes are not offered at all high schools. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the admission requirements of UC - we had no trouble meeting them 30 years ago and there should be no trouble now. I agree with those that believe this is just a backdoor attempt to get around the Bakke decision. (UC never got over losing that one.) Also, since the UC charter requires that 75% of freshman first-year admissions come directly from California high schools, this will allow them to admit academically inferior freshmen who will no doubt drop out by their sophomore year, leaving room for higher-tuition paying out-of-state and foreign students. And all this on the dime of the California taxpayer.

[Verginius Rufus]

California’s population has doubled since the 1960s when the last big expansion of the public universities took place. I think there is only one new campus in the UC system since then, UC Merced (not exactly the most alluring location). So there would be some pressure on the system to accommodate everyone, but it sounds like what this really all about is increasing the percentage of the desired groups (blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, Filipinos) and decreasing the percentages of whites and other Asians.

[Philly Nomad]

I think it’s easier to buy a SAT prep book and work a bit harder your senior year of college.

[freespirited]

“If adopted, it would let campuses review the individual merits and opportunities of students” Translation: review their ethnicities.

Another translation. "Prop 209 doesn't apply to us."

[TheThirdRuffian]

“Just a complicated way to keep Whites, Christians and Jews out of college.”

Asians, too. (No, not Asian, proud Irish white trash.)

[ThomasThomas]

San Marcos has a new campus opened 1990. The largest industry in California is agriculture make Merced a great location for this field of study. Merced is also near Fresno Ca, the center of are universe.

[gridlock]

Oh, true enough. But even that does not guarantee admission, since Berkeley is very selective.

My post was more geared to the older and wiser crowd, who neglected their studies early on.

[Jack Black]

Lets not forget all those bookish Asians. They never even got special status as they tested out right from the start. That’s what a group IQ of 105 does for you I guess.

[Political Junkie Too]

As drafted, it would change UC's decades-old promise of a seat to the top 12.5 percent of high school graduates to instead guarantee a seat only to about the top 10 percent of graduates.

Cool! Every fifth child left behind!

-PJ

[Verginius Rufus]

Cal State San Marcos is in the other system (along with San Diego State, Fresno State, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, San Jose State, Chico State, etc.), which has added a couple of other campuses recently (Channel Islands, Monterey Bay) along with giving Hayward State a new name. The California State University system has different rules and a lower cut-off for admission than the UC system.

UC Merced could be a very nice place after a few years, but its location in the San Joaquin Valley won't appeal to a lot of 18-year-olds who would rather been near the beach.