Students UBC moving to broad-based admissions for all programs

milquetoast · Feb 3, 2012

UBC announced last week that the broad-based admissions program, which was previously available in select faculties like Arts and Commerce, will spread to all faculties with a common set of questions.

“We’ve had [a] really positive experience with it, so what we’d really like to be able to do is expand that,” said James Ridge, UBC’s registrar and associate vice-president enrolment.
Judging on more than grades reduces reliance on high school transcripts as they become more subjective, according to AMS President Jeremy McElroy.

“The move away from standardized testing in high schools and…not requiring provincial exams in BC specifically changes the scope and scale of students that are applying to UBC,” he said. “With increased competition, using marks as the only metric wasn’t necessarily getting us people who would benefit most from being at UBC.”

The application allows students to name up to five activities, which can either be academic, club-based, related to employment or family responsibility. “There isn’t a right or wrong submission,” said Ridge, addressing concerns that students who had to work or help with family during school are at a disadvantage. “You simply can’t buy the best responses. There’s no way to do that.

http://ubyssey.ca/news/broad-based-admissions556/
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Not sure I like the direction this is going. The grades only system had its problems (grade inflation at certain schools and with certain courses) but mandatory broad-based admissions just introduces another layer of subjectivity. The admissions process will be all about "playing the game" and ass kissing.

Why did they even make provincials optional? Without some form of standardization, any admissions criteria becomes subjective and inherently flawed.

I remember back when I went through this, people from my high school would take Journalism 11 or 12 (can't remember) because it was a guaranteed 100% and was one of the non-provincial courses that SFU accepted.

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Students UBC moving to broad-based admissions for all programs

milquetoast Senior Member

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