11 replies to this topic

[skulhedface]

I think college entrance exams are MORE than fair.Let's be honest, college is supposed to be (despite depictions in Animal House and the like) a prestigious place of higher, continuing education. People go to college to become doctors, lawyers, businessmen, nurses, accountants, etc, etc, etc. These are people who are all required to be very intelligent, and these tests are designed to make sure you can hack your chosen profession. Put it this way-- I would rather die than be operated on by a doctor who couldn't have passed that entrance exam. If anything, I don't think some of these exams are hard enough, really.This bleeds into another topic I was thinking about-- cheating, academically. Bringing back this theoretical doctor, how comforting is it to think about if you're about to be operated on by a doctor who, on his own merits, is no medically smarter than you are? Maybe he got through medical school by cheating. I know this is a ludicrous example, but it's not too far fetched. You can become an LPN (nurse, if you're unfamiliar) with simply two years of buckle-down technical college education. Sure, some of these nurses do hands-on training, but a good majority of it is academic, and if you luck your way past the hands on part, but cheat through the academia, you're being seen by a nurse (who, barring surgery, interact with you far more than doctors do) who got through college by cheating, but is actually medically stupider than you. THAT'S a frightening thought, to have watched an episode of House and still know more medicinally than a nurse that coasted her way through a two year program.Leading back to the original post's point, this is why I think college entrance exams, extended to other colleges (community and technical) should be HARDER. Taken in small groups, none sitting closer than five feet from each other, with absolutely no cell phones or notes allowed.

[Mighty Falcon]

I think it's fair especially it is required in prestigious universities. It really depends on how the universities created their questionnaires (I heard that there are some students say that the college they're entered have easy tests, but it's unconfirmed yet) . If anybody gets a lower score, they shouldn't give up and it's not the end of the world. Another reason there are major exam is because they will test the students how intelligent or skillful they are. I found out that some universities with entrance exams have lower tuition fees and high quality of education compare to other colleges. I went to a computer college that doesn't require E.E. before but the tuition is higher.

Edited by Mighty Falcon, 18 December 2010 - 11:22 AM.

[sakred]

Living in America, I feel as though the education system is seriously lacking. I never had to take any sort of college entrance exam and my elligibility had to do with what GPA I got in my highschool years with a sub par education. I think that an entrance exam would be cool as long as the examination pertains to the general knowledge needed to get into the college and is not biased in any way. The entrance exam should be unique for each college but certain topics should be standardized worldwide and nationwide.

[The Mothman]

I personally think college entrance exams are unnecessary. They seem to lack any purpose, and it is one of many reasons why people don't get accepted to "major" universities (Harvard, Yale, Brown, etc.). For one thing, academics are only one part of intellectual development. Anybody with a brain can study for a test and get excellent grades on their report card; this is if they choose to do so. However, being "book smart" is nothing like hands-on experience.Pursuing your career requires this! The entrance exams require you to be book smart, and requirements needed to pass it lack any practicality in the real world (unless if some of the subject matter is involved in your chosen career path, which I will admit is very crucial). How is knowing Napoleon's date of birth going to help you perform surgery on a dying hospital patient? It won't! Just because a person makes bad grades in high school doesn't mean he is a numbskull with no learning capabilities. Psychopaths can excel grade-wise and earn a degree. Judging one person based on a number is not good enough to assure that the person has no hope of being successful in college.Speaking of which, why even care about things like this? When you go to college, aren't you supposed to be more responsible? My professors wouldn't give a damn if I skipped each class and flunked, and the college would be getting paid no matter the circumstance. If a person wants to attend college, he should be held accountable for his choices, in the classroom and off-campus. My point is that there is no certainty that people shouldn't be judged based on their knowledge of "who won this war," or whatever. I even have friends who managed to get a scholarship for athletics, and in high school they didn't even have an impressive report card each nine weeks! They're more serious about schoolwork than they've ever been, and it is not a matter of being book smart, but rather the idea that college paves the way for their future professions. That is what sets the two forms of knowledge apart from each other. You go to college to learn what you need to do to succeed, and it isn't just about being "intellectually significant" in the public eye.

Edited by The Mothman, 26 March 2011 - 09:46 AM.