In Texas, a law most commonly known as the “top ten percent rule” requires that public colleges and universities accept students who have ranked within the top ten percent of their graduating high school class. Texas should continue to use this law for its public schools because it is a great equalizer for students at schools that may or may not be considered by certain schools for unfair reasons.
Opposition to this law say that this rule is unfair based on the idea that there are people who receive a better education in high school by going to specific institutions and therefore deserve to be in the universities of their liking more than those that are in the top ten percent of their class. However, there are two reason why without the top ten percent rule the acceptance system would be unfair.
For one, students are put in specific high schools based on the area of their city that they live. For example, I know a student who lived close to the border between Akins High School and Bowie High School in Austin, and this student attempted to go to Bowie based on the illusion that it is a better school, but was forced to Akins because of they lived on that side of the district boundary line. Because of this, to deny a student from Akins within the top ten percent of their class and accept a student from Bowie with a lower ranking or vice versa just because of the school’s name is unfair to the students who work hard to do their best regardless of the school they are forced to go to.
Secondly, under TEC §51.803, the same law that requires automatic acceptance, the student who is within the top ten percent must still meet minimum requirements such as a good score on SAT/ACT standardized tests and a complete and sufficient application. Though Texas has this law, there is still a possibility that the student can be denied acceptance if the student fails to complete these requirements. Also, universities and colleges that must follow this law only have give 75% of their admissions to students who satisfy the automatic acceptance percentile. UT’s admissions website states that they minimize their automatic acceptance to 75%, so their top percent cut off varies yearly. The last few years have went between top 7% - 8%.
I was accepted to UT for Fall of 2013 based on the automatic acceptance law. I graduated ranked within the top 6% of my class at a high school school that was presumed to be worse off than others. I’m positive that if it weren’t for the top ten percent law, I wouldn’t have been accepted to UT, yet I know peers who went to a high school that was ‘better’ than mine who are struggling and peers who went to a high school ‘worse’ than mine who are excelling. TEC §51.803 gives a chance to students who wouldn’t receive one otherwise.
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ReplyDeleteOn his blog, Bluebonnets and Pecan Trees and Stuff, Eric wrote a post addressing the fairness of the top 10% system of admissions to public Texas colleges. Eric argues that the “top ten percent rule” is fair because it prevents students with great grades from worse high schools from being discriminated against because of the quality of the school they attended. He notes that students are not able to choose which high school they attend because it is based on whatever district the student resides in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eric on this matter. I believe that the top ten percent rule gives students from poorer districts the opportunity to be accepted into the college of their choice. This rule is necessary for the same reason that affirmative action is necessary: to prevent de facto segregation in our schools and our business (and our country in general). Students that work hard deserve to attend the college of their dreams regardless of where they grew up, and I would even venture to say that they deserve to have it paid for(but that will likely never happen in Texas).
On his blog, Bluebonnets and Pecan Trees and Stuff, Eric wrote a post addressing the fairness of the top 10% system of admissions to public Texas colleges. Eric argues that the “top ten percent rule” is fair because it prevents students with great grades from worse high schools from being discriminated against because of the quality of the school they attended. He notes that students are not able to choose which high school they attend because it is based on whatever district the student resides in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eric on this matter. I believe that the top ten percent rule gives students from poorer districts the opportunity to be accepted into the college of their choice. This rule is necessary for the same reason that affirmative action is necessary: to prevent de facto segregation in our schools and our business (and our country in general). Students that work hard deserve to attend the college of their dreams regardless of where they grew up, and I would even venture to say that they deserve to have it paid for(but that will likely never happen in Texas).
The Top 10% rule, under the guise of fairness and diversity, actually makes the college admissions process more unfair to some people. The 10% percent rule is not fair to students who came from very tough, very competitive high schools. The cutoff GPA of the top 10% at a very competitive high school can be drastically different at a less competitive school. The students are not being held to the same standards. Students who are automatically admitted to the University of Texas need to meet the college readiness standards with an ACT score of about 21. Students who are not automatically admitted most likely need to meet a higher ACT score because the average ACT score of UT Austin is a 29.
ReplyDeleteColleges and universities everywhere are constantly emphasizing how important it is for applicant to be well-rounded. The top 10% rule only checks the applicant’s GPA, not any of his other achievements. UT Austin even talks about their “holistic”application review process and mentions that “No specific class rank, test score, or other qualification by itself—other than automatic admission based on section 51.803 of the Texas Education Code—ensures admission.” In essence, being well-rounded is only expected of students not ranked in the top 10%. If a student has good grades resulting in a high class rank, he is granted admission to UT. If a student has slightly lower grades and is not ranked, but was in the band, student council, and volunteered at the hospital, he may not be admitted to UT. On one hand, colleges talk about being “holistic” but then admit students purely based off a strong academic record, nothing else.
Supporters of the top 10% promotes also argue that it promotes racial and geographic diversity, but the college admissions process already seems to have rules to ensure diversity. Affirmative action is still used in the college admissions process to give equal opportunity to all applicants. In addition, the review process according to UT includes taking into account special circumstances of the applicant such as “his or her socioeconomic status, experience in a single parent home, family responsibilities, experience overcoming adversity, cultural background, race and ethnicity, the language spoken in the applicant’s home, and other information in the applicant’s file.” With thousands of students from around the world applying and being admitted to UT Austin, there is no way that everybody’s life experiences will be similar. Diversity of race or hometown does not automatically mean diversity of thought or experiences.
In May, I graduated in the top 7% of a very competitive, highly ranked high school and was automatically admitted to UT Austin, which I will be attending this fall. Having graduated from school where the GPA difference between a ranked person and an unranked person is often 0.001, it infuriates me that a person who may have had it easier than I did will get to attend the same school. To be in the top 10% of my high school requires taking mostly, if not only, AP classes and having stellar grades. To be in the top 10% of another high school may require a more average academic performance. But still, both students will get to attend the same school. The top 10% rule is inherently unfair to certain people, because it discriminates against those who attend more difficult high schools. It also does not judge all applicants fairly. A system based off of merit achievements of students will help UT admit the best students possible and become a better university.