CMC Admissions Official Quoted in U.S.A. Today

I'm somewhat opposed to early admissions for personal financial reasons, but I tend to think that colleges should have the right to admit students beforehand -- if only so they can see how much money they have to give out for financial aid.

Still, I can't help but wonder if it's a bad decision for the majority of the students who partake in it. Sure, you get into college a lot easier and sure it helps out the rich students at the expense of the poor who must shop around for financial aid at the end, but new research suggests that a lot of students who get in early ultimately regret their decision.

Traditionally, students applied early if they were sure they would enroll there. Adam Sapp, an admissions official at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., says that's still a good reason. But, he says, "perhaps this study will cause students and families to take more seriously the idea that (admissions) is more about fit than getting into (a selective school) four months ahead of their neighbor."

Grade Inflation: A Very Serious Problem at Pomona and Mudd

I haven't been able to get any information about Claremont McKenna, Scripps, or Pitzer, though I suspect that there's pretty much the same to report there. GPA has been rising and rising quickly at Pomona and Mudd (until recently). See graph, picture above. You'll notice that Pomona College 's average GPA has risen the most out of all the colleges profiled.

As you can see, Pomona's grades stay with the other colleges until the mid-to-late 90s. Could this coincide with President Oxtoby's tenure?  It looks as if Pomona's average GPA is a 3.5! 

That graph is from this blog by Stuart Rojstaczer, a statistician who researches grade inflation. You should check out his blog post in which he posted this graph.

Here's what he's written on the problem of grade inflation in liberal arts colleges. [Emphasis is mine]

the educational quality of small private colleges likely has been compromised by grade inflation. Not every student in a class is self motivated. It's hard to motivate those that aren't self-starters when they know that they will likely get a B+ for just showing up and going through the motions. If ten percent of a class consists of students with attitudes like that, you can still teach the rest well. But when the percentage creeps up to thirty percent, the entire educational process drags and becomes uninspiring. That's what I believe is happening at most small colleges today.

A chilling thought, indeed! 

We'll try to get more covered on this in the next issue of the CI, but until then!