U of Wisconsin Admissions to Put More Weight on Essays
The University of Wisconsin is adopting a new admissions policy that will give more weight to applicants' essays and less to measures such as class rank, GPAs, and test scores. The system-wide change will mean that Wisconsin students are no longer guaranteed seats at a UW campus.
Admissions officials said that the new policy is meant to do a better job of identifying applicants who will succeed as college students. They also hope it will promote diversity among UW students.
Admissions officers say that their priority is to identify well-rounded applicants who are likely to perform well as college students. Although academic preparation will continue to be the most important factor in admissions decisions, it will not be the only one. Admissions officers will also scrutinize applicants' essays for information about non-academic admissions factors such as life experience, interests, community involvement, and demographic background.
Under the previous UW admissions policy, Wisconsin high school graduates who were in the top 40 per cent of their class or who scored 21 or better on the ACT were guaranteed admission to the UW system.
Wisconsin is the latest state to move from guaranteed admissions to a holistic admissions policy. State universities in Oregon, Michigan, California, and Kentucky have also moved to more holistic admissions in recent years.
Source: "UW System to Alter Admissions Criteria," by Ryan J. Foley - The Wisconsin State Journal, May 25, 2006
Admissions officials said that the new policy is meant to do a better job of identifying applicants who will succeed as college students. They also hope it will promote diversity among UW students.
Admissions officers say that their priority is to identify well-rounded applicants who are likely to perform well as college students. Although academic preparation will continue to be the most important factor in admissions decisions, it will not be the only one. Admissions officers will also scrutinize applicants' essays for information about non-academic admissions factors such as life experience, interests, community involvement, and demographic background.
Under the previous UW admissions policy, Wisconsin high school graduates who were in the top 40 per cent of their class or who scored 21 or better on the ACT were guaranteed admission to the UW system.
Wisconsin is the latest state to move from guaranteed admissions to a holistic admissions policy. State universities in Oregon, Michigan, California, and Kentucky have also moved to more holistic admissions in recent years.
Source: "UW System to Alter Admissions Criteria," by Ryan J. Foley - The Wisconsin State Journal, May 25, 2006
posted by AllStarEssays at 9:35 AM
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