In 1964, I was "graduated", if you can call it that, second from bottom in my high school's class of 46 students. It is not that English, history, math or science were my enemies, but my family problems pretty much precluded my studying with any emphasis. I was not lazy nor industrious, but staying away from bullies, a smart alecky sister and dealing with "hormones" effectively turned me into an intellectual nincompoop. In time, my acne and hormones pressure subsided, and, with my military service completed, I re-focused my brain. Now, without those earlier "barriers", I learned the wonders of science, business math, history and even gained sufficient English skills to become a college instructor. Undoubtedly, in addition to my fanatical love of business, I learned about college admissions and the "fraud" and misguided emphasis forced on American families nationwide. This fraud I speak of relates to the emphasis of being accepted into the college/university of one's choice AS A FROSH. In order to accomplish this act, test companies across the US gain freshmen and women as clients, "guaranteeing a high score on the SAT test" if one follows the test designer's rules and methods. What these test givers DON'T state is that their tests are almost irrelevant when it comes time to being accepted by your preferred college. LET me qualify that before 100 million moms, dads, test-givers and universities Come after me with a pitch fork! While colleges and universities DO have GOBS of applicants for every PLACE in their next Frosh class, they do not have same for their JUNIOR class places. NOW how/why did I make the leap from Frosh to Junior? EVERY college/university in the U.S. requires the same entrance criteria and thus, basics of its FROSH, and SOPHOMORES, but not of its JUNIORS and SENIORS. Why is that? It is because College is divided into 2 sections, lower-division under-graduate and upper-division under-graduate [and then, at the applicable time, if one is desirous and lucky, one can apply for graduate school--often at the same university]. All college students entering as a FROSH take placement tests for English, math and science skill levels. Said student Is then placed into either Bonehead English [101 or lower number] or advanced and that can include one of dozens of classes-the Classics, Poetry, etc. These same FROSH take elementary algebra, elementary science, etc., all based on the results of tests taken in-between ADMISSION and the first day of class. RARELY do Students question this system [not EVEN gifted students]. |
