I know that our institution is very particular about the requirements for acceptance. Students' essays have to be particular when naming the degree they wish to obtain, as well as listing the proper name of the school. A GPA of 2.0 is desirable. But for those who do not meet that GPA requirement, an interview with a department head take place to grant a student admission. We want to set the student up for success the best way we can before they begin classes.
At our school, we haven't significantly altered the requirements for several years. We did make the following changes back then:
We stopped requiring a portfolio submission from students who were in our most art-driven program. This was not to reduce the entrance standards, but rather we discovered that it was unfairly discriminating against very talented students who came from less well-funded schools. Those who came from well-organized programs were schooled on how to prepare a portfolio, while those from smaller, less advantageous schools lacked the knowledge and guidance to prepare such materials. Thus, we allow students to bring to us examples of their work in any form, even links to a personal website, etc. Our program has very intensive and thorough training (and even classwork for credit) on how to prepare and structure such portfolios, but we feel that this is in part why students choose our school. We don't require that level of sophistication in students before they can even apply.
We modified our testing requirements, as we found that--at our school at least--they were not necessarily a strong indicator of success. Case in point: one of the best animation students I have EVER recruited happens to be severely dyslexic. ACT scores weren't pretty. We gave her special tutoring and removed her from the high-pressure timed testing environment for math, and she was well able to master the material. As for her art--that took care of itself.
I believe that having more qualified students at the beginning of the school start make teaching and learning easier for instructors and all the other students
Students are required to pass an entrance exam to evaluate their competence in Math , Reading, Vocabulary and Grammar .
I find it bes to conduct a complete interview with the prospect student including past education experiences. Asking good questions to bring out all issues the student may or may not have.
Yes, my institution has made exceptional adjustments to ensure that all students have the best chance to succeed.
Our institution has a entrance assessment to help gage if the students can be successful with our curriculum. We are required to gain copies of high school diplomas for all clock hour programs. We also have the other programs sign the high school GED attestation.
I think that is neat. That if a student doesn't pass there are classes to help them. Nothing is worse then sending someone into class who really isn't ready for it.
In order to ensure a better quality students we changed our admission requirements. On top of our entrance test we added placement exam which allows students in need to increase their basic skills by taking remedial classes before entering the actual career program.
We try to enroll the students into the programs that are best suitable for them. Once that is completed the admissions test is taken.
I believe if a student is successfule in a program the student is more likely to graduate.
Our school has provided a entrance acceptance wonderlic test to ensure that students can handle the academic rigor for the degree programs they are wishing to enroll in.
I believe that the heightened awareness of student success will contribute to better graduation rates. Just being aware that not all students may be a good fit for our school will make admissions agents more careful about setting expectations.
The school I work for has had an entrance exam in place for many years. I think that has added to our success. It has increased the graduation and the placement rates. Employers know that our students are qualified to enter the program and learn the required knowledge for the career.
Prospective students must have either a HS diploma or GED from an accredited institution. So called "diploma mills" are not recognized, and do not allow students to enroll in our school.
The instituion I work for recently switched versions of our nursing entrance exam, making it more difficult for students to easily pass. This ensures that the students who do pass have a good foundation and understanding of material. It also helps make the student aware of the difficulty level of testing they will be entering into.
Asking difficult questions during the admissions interview is part of building a foundation for finding success in college. This can be done without turing qualified students away. There is nothing wrong w/ saying that "College should not be easy. You'll need find ample time each week to work on your classes. Let's discuss different time management strategies that might work for you."
My role is as a re-entry specialist, and all returning students need to be both academically and financiall approved before they can return. For students who have not met Satisfactory Academic Progress (as clearly outlined in my school's catalog) during their previous enrollment(s), an appeal process is involved that requires the returning student to complete electronic documents outlining the reasons for their previous struggles and an outline of what steps they will take to find success once back in classes. These answers are then reviewed by the appropriate Dean, who then makes a decision on approval or denial.
We have an assessment test that students have to pass with a certain score. SAT and ACT testing is not a requirement for acceptance into our college.
I agree that entrance exams are a necessity. All schools should have a standard by which they initially assess a student's ability to be successful. Some students do need remedial preparation prior to starting college, and this will show the need up front and help them be more successful in the long run.
