Tertiary education is becoming more common worldwide as the governments support the universities and colleges to foster youth development. Good GPA at school and academic accomplishments are being viewed as the key to college admission. There are some other factors for the admission committee’s decisions, but the educational numbers are the central variable on which they are based. Although the practice was broadly used for about half the century and proved its applicability, there are questions about the fairness of the system. This essay will carefully examine the given problem, offer arguments for both sides, and make relevant conclusions.
The school grades often distinctly demonstrate the ability of the students to learn, process materials, and interact with teachers and peers effectively. According to the results of the study by Kriegbaum et al., academic performance is directly proportionally related to one’s intelligence (41). As the colleges are primarily the institutions that are aimed for education and further research for social well-being, the high level of intellect among the students is of paramount importance. Although many could argue that educational achievement is not the primary goal for some people, it should be noted that in this case enrolling college could be a waste of time for them. Tertiary education is necessary for networking and socializing, as well as for distributing the knowledge to those who are interested in acquiring it. Moreover, nowadays, personal development might be accomplished without the help of professors and universities. Hence, colleges should consider the individual’s academic achievements for creating a community of passionate and gifted students.
One could argue that extracurricular activities of the high school students could adversely affect the grades demonstrating the wrong picture about their intellectual abilities. This assumption has been proven to be false by multiple investigation pieces. One of them is the peer-reviewed research by Abruzzo et al., where they have shown a positive correlation between learning and participation in sports (25). Consequently, the students who are genuinely interested in learning and acquiring new knowledge usually have high academic achievements because of their level of motivation. As the universities can hold only a limited number of learners, it would be more logical to accept those who can implement it for social well-being.
The opposers of the present scheme often point to the lack of objectivity when making decisions based on academic honors. This claim is fair for the time being, and it shows the weakness of the system. However, it should be highlighted that it is almost impossible to compare the candidates adequately, as it is complicated to prevent biased judgments. To minimize the influence of prejudices and favoritism, candidates today need to write their motivational letters, which is the bridge between the university official and the applicant.
To conclude, the existing college admission system, which is profoundly based on an individual’s academic achievements, is the most feasible and helpful. The universal implementation of GPA is a proven useful tool for assessing the students’ intelligence, which is essential for contributing to college society. Although personal accomplishments should be considered too, they are of less importance, because those people can develop their skills in other institutions. Unfortunately, colleges cannot afford to provide education to everybody. The limitations of the admission approach are compensated by the consideration of the applicants’ motivation and ambitions.
Works Cited
Abruzzo, Kristen J., et al. “Does Participation in Extracurricular Activities Impact Student Achievement?” Journal for Leadership and Instruction, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 21-26.
Kriegbaum, Katharina, et al. “The Relative Importance of Intelligence and Motivation as Predictors of School Achievement: A Meta-Analysis.” Educational Research Review, vol. 25, 2018, pp. 120-148.