What's in a Grade?

Ho Fai Tang, Age 14, St. Mark's School, MA U.S.A. 

What's in a Grade?

The chances of a student to be admitted to university should be determined not by race or ethnicity, but by their talent, potential and dedication. These are aspects of a human being that do not vary based on location or wealth. These are traits that cannot be bought or borrowed. No one can cheat their way through dedication; no one can fake talent, no one can buy potential. However, the measure of these traits is not purely consistent with scores or test results, nor is it made up only of activities. It is a mindset, a personality that prospective students around the world can have, no matter their religion, race, or gender. If a student in Mexico has the same dedication and potential as a student in Korea, they should be valued equally as potential candidates. Whilst students in poorer regions of the world may not be granted the same opportunities as those who are not, they are perfectly capable of achieving the mental capacity needed to accomplish greatness.

        Standardized test scores, grade point averages, community service, co-curricular activities. These are all things that should be taking into consideration when deciding a student’s admission decision. They are all important, more so than race, gender or ethnicity. Yes, those are also factors, but they should not overshadow the true intelligence of the student and their capabilities. The true measure of a student’s greatness should not be their country of citizenship, but their personality. A hardworking student with average grades who is a Hispanic without many opportunities should be given the same chance as a rich hardworking student Asian student with slightly better grades due to a larger series of educational opportunities.

        Potential and dedication are things that are hard to quantify or measure. That is why many educational institutions do not understand these traits about their students until years after they are accepted. They are not wrong for doing so. Measuring someone’s potential and dedication requires extensive background research, including interviews, IQ analysis, and educational history. This level of research allows schools to find students who not only have the potential to accomplish great things, but have done their best to do so with the resources that are available to them.

        There are those who would argue that schools need balance in their admission system through affirmative action. This is on the borderline of racism as it is racial discrimination against those who are from more educated areas. If students were to be judged based on dedication and potential, then students from rich and poor regions would have equal chances of getting in, despite one side possibly attaining higher grades than the other. As for the “race box”, that should remain in place and should still be a factor so that the admissions department can take into account the opportunities that each student has been given and what they have made of them.

        Of all the factors that are taken into account by the admissions department of a school, race and wealth should exist only to allow for context for the other, more prominent factors. A school’s decision should not be influenced directly by race; rather it should be background from the other factors to assist in finding the dedication and potential of the student. With this method, a school can be both equal and fair, without sacrificing its academic integrity.