Topic B. (required)
Choose an issue of importance to you - the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope - and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.
Any critiques would be greatly appreciated.
A Flaw in the Ranks
No system of organization is ever perfect. There will always be flaws and never everyone benefits from the same program. One system that has affected me and a system which I question is class rank. It has been known as one of the must haves in high school if a student wants to enter college. But what if that system works against the student and keeps certain students out of the college of their choice? In my opinion, the class rank system does not give equal opportunities to all students, and can lead to the acceptance of students not as well prepared as others.
The college admissions process is not a straightforward task. Professionals are hired to screen all applicants. This task is very tedious and demanding which is why the class ranks system was developed. It is a simpler way to filter applications into groups ranging from possible acceptances to automatic denials.
The class rank system does not give the majority of students a fair chance into getting in to the college of their choice. I have come to learn about this issue through personal experience. Growing up in one of the best school districts in Texas can have its ups and downs. It's great for me because I have more opportunities provided by my school district compared to others. Unfortunately Lovejoy High School happens to be one of the most competitive schools in the state. To display the competitiveness of our school here are the statistics: In my grade level, there are about 300 students. Within that 300 students about 1/3 of students have a weighted GPA of 4.0 or higher. A weighted GPA of 4.0 or higher is considered very prestigious but that is still the top 1/3 of the class. Colleges do not recognize the top 1/3, therefore, a majority of those students are at a loss. If you were to compare this situation to a larger school, Allen High school, it would be completely different. The typical Class at Allen high school is of the size of 1500 students or more. Thus creating a top 10% of 150 students which is 5 times larger than the top 10% at Lovejoy. With a larger class, students have a greater chance at entering the prestigious top 10% at their school compared to those with smaller class sizes. Students who naturally perform better than others will have an easier chance at receiving a higher ranking in smaller school districts. Smaller districts located in very rural areas tend to have a less competitive student body. With the automatic top 10% acceptance rule in Texas, receiving top 10% is not as hard because of the lower grades given to other students in those districits. The Class rank system is not a fair evaluation of the student's eligibility. Colleges need not compare students by class rank but more on GPA and other factors, such as community service, class rigor, and participation in extracurricular activities.
The class ranking system further inhibits other students by accepting students who are not fully prepared for college life. With automatic acceptance, it is possible that some students may be less prepared than other students, yet will still get in. In some schools, students do not have to take the Advanced Placement or Pre Advanced placement classes. Therefore, those students will endure a more challenging time in college when they are faced with Advanced Placement classes. Most students will persevere and keep going while others cannot keep up. The Business Library carries an article (Jonathan Whitbourne, Business Library, Online edition, The Dropout Dilemma) about a student who almost effortlessly completed high school but struggled in college. Michael VanAdams, an example given in the mentioned article, is a good example for this situation. VanAdams performed exceptionally in high school but failed to do the same in college. He had a rough start which snowballed into dropping out by the end of his first semester. Future college students like VanAdams that drop out have thus deprived another student's chance at gaining a higher education. Freshman drop-outs will always happen, no student is perfect, but colleges can help reduce those drop outs by revising their acceptance policies dealing with class rank. Statistics and research has shown that one in three college students will drop out before finishing college (ParentsCountdowntocollegecoach.com, Statistics of the college drop-out). Those dropouts have taken spots from other students who could have been able to succeed through their entire college years.
Why should a student be denied greater education because of an unfair number given to them during high school? College admissions offices work hard to decide who is truly best for their college, but there is always room for improvement. College Admissions need to focus on more personal aspects of the students and less on their class rank. Other information provided by students, such as extracurricular, standardized test scores, personal information, and high school performance, and could be used in the deciding of acceptance or denial. Yes, this process will require more effort, but the impact it could have on the students and the college will be well worth it.
Most likely nothing will change in near future. At least not enough change that it would benefit me in my application process for college. To counter my dilemma, I have worked hard at improving other areas of college admission process. Participating in my school's National Honor Society, being a distinguished member of my schools Kiwanis Key club, along with a member of the varsity swim team and a school newspaper reporter. I'm taking 5 AP subjects in my senior year. I have had the honor to participate at the National Student Leadership Conference, Chicago IL and National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC in my Junior year. I volunteer in our local community such as Allen Food Panty and at St. Jude Catholic Church serving food to RCIA group. But for the benefit of all prospective students applying to college, the Class rank system should undergo revisions, therefore benefitting both colleges, and students who are truly academically prepared for their college career.
