(no subject)
Fitzsimmons strongly denied that rankings play any part in Harvard’s admissions decisions. “If we were so concerned about rankings, why would we turn down 60 percent of applicants with 1600 SATs?” he asks. “If we cared strictly about SAT scores or grades, we could be off the charts.”
“Do we make sacrifices in SAT points to be socioeconomically diverse? Yes. Do we make what I call sacrifices of human intelligence to do that? I would say no. You have to understand that the SAT is not an intelligence test,” says Amherst’s Parker. “It’s a test of aptitude in a person’s life that is affected to an extraordinary degree by opportunity.”
The Harvard admissions office, according to Fitzsimmons, understands this just as much as anyone else. How else to explain the fact that 60 percent of applicants with perfect SAT scores are turned down? “The truth is, when you’re reading a real application, there are so many ways to demonstrate excellence,” Fitzsimmons says. “But the ability to demonstrate excellence is often shaped by socioeconomic background.”
I guess this is somewhat a relief...
“Do we make sacrifices in SAT points to be socioeconomically diverse? Yes. Do we make what I call sacrifices of human intelligence to do that? I would say no. You have to understand that the SAT is not an intelligence test,” says Amherst’s Parker. “It’s a test of aptitude in a person’s life that is affected to an extraordinary degree by opportunity.”
The Harvard admissions office, according to Fitzsimmons, understands this just as much as anyone else. How else to explain the fact that 60 percent of applicants with perfect SAT scores are turned down? “The truth is, when you’re reading a real application, there are so many ways to demonstrate excellence,” Fitzsimmons says. “But the ability to demonstrate excellence is often shaped by socioeconomic background.”
I guess this is somewhat a relief...