YCBK 221: Does Calculus count too much in admissions

In this episode you will hear:   (07:45) In this week’s “In the news” segment,  Mark and Dave discuss a February 14th, 2022 article,  by Scott Jaschik that appeared in the Inside Higher Ed. The article is entitled, “Does calculus count too much in admissions.” The article presents a pretty compelling case that there is a lot of resistance to the weight placed on calculus in admissions decisions. Mark and Dave look at why study after study can report that statistics or data science is more correlated with life sciences and other course work but that has had little effect on the primacy of calculus.     (30:48) Question from a listener-   Question 1   How common is it on today’s campuses that they give “credit” for AP/IB but still require a distribution requirement in the same subject area? I am trying to minimize unnecessary stress for my kid.    Bobbi from Ohio   Question 2   Victoria applied early admission 2 to Auburn. We thought it would be an easy "yes" with her 4.7 unweighted GPA after senior year. However, she applied test optional because her score is 1260 on the SAT. Auburn deferred her. The college counselor at our school and I were completely shocked when they did not accept her. Our college counselor called the admissions officer for our area. She said they did not look at anything except grades and test scores. They did not consider anything else in the application. The Auburn admissions officer encouraged Victoria to send in her test scores. She said her full file would be considered for admission in March.    In hindsight, Victoria remembers our tour guide at Auburn in July hinting that Auburn says it is test-optional, but not really. She didn't say it that way, but Victoria realizes now that was meant what she meant.   Victoria sent in her scores in late February and was accepted on March 4th.     Unfortunately, the delay caused her to miss out on Auburn scholarship opportunities.  We wish we had known they were not really tested optional? How common is it for colleges to tell you that they are test-optional but they really aren't completely test-optional?    Melinda from NC   Question 3-   Are all hooks equal or do some count more than others? How can we know which ones count the most    (Anonymous question asker)   (01:06:55) Our interview is with Chris Gruber-Vice President and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Davidson College-"How the pandemic forced Davidson to examine its own admission biases and make changes" Part 2 of 2   (01:22:15) Our recommended resource for episode 221 is the Documentary “Try Harder”. Lisa and Mark were both transfixed watching this documentary and they cannot recommend “Try Harder” more highly. The documentary looks at how the pressure students at Lowell High School feel to go to a prestigious college and the impact this pressure has on their self-esteem and mental health.   (01:40:45) Our College Spotlight looks at, “Understanding Danish Universities” with International Specialist Kevin Newton (Part 2 of 2)   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. 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