Universities Weblog

(Source: abc.go.com)ABC's new reality series, "The Scholar," debuted last Monday. The show, in which 10 kids battle for a "full-ride" college scholarship, is supposed to give an inside look at the college admissions process. Judging the contestants is a panel of three admissions officers: One we know is from UC-Berkeley, while the other two are identified only as representatives of the Ivy League (but we know they're from Columbia).

The first episode, of course, introduced us to the contestants. Not surprisingly, they're racially, ethnically and geographically diverse. One is home-schooled, another is portrayed as a pompous ass, and some are rather reserved. Most get along, though personalities are already beginning to clash, especially as they realize they're in a competition.

For their first task, the contestants were divided into two groups and given brain teasers to solve. accuracy counted, as did speed. The winning team's captain (determined by a quiz on U.S. space history) would face off against two team members in a competition (this time, on American literature) to determine who would receive a $50,000 scholarship and a trip to the final round. The pompous kid lost because he couldn't name the author of Gone With the Wind (A: Margaret Mitchell). To be honest, the literature questions were rather easy.

A few aspects of the show struck me as odd. First, the admissions tribunal appeared stiff, smug and condescending, particularly during the three-on-one interviews with each contestant. Admissions folks I've known are nothing like that, even in the Ivy League. Second, the kids seem to believe this competition—that is, getting the money—is their only chance to grab the brass ring. Truth is, if they're so academically qualified and come from modest means, financial aid will make their college dreams possible. Most of them are aiming for the Ivies, which are fairly generous with aid packages. Other colleges could perhaps offer substantial merit awards. They don't "need" the full-ride scholarship, but I imagine they want it. And third, the show doesn't appear to follow the traditional reality-show format of eliminating contestants. Everyone sticks around until the end, though only some will contend for the title.

So what does "The Scholar" tell us about the college admissions process? Thus far, about as much as "The Apprentice" tells us about working in the corporate world.

(Source: College of New Jersey)So the New York Times profiles New Jersey's "hot" college. Princeton? Nope. Try the College of New Jersey, a public school enrolling 6,000 undergrads on its stately Ewing Township campus.

The College combines good academics with a beautiful setting at a bargain price. In-state students pay $8,200 (out-of-staters add another $4,000). U.S. News ranks it as the top public institution in the Northeast region, and Barron's classifies it among the 70 "most competitive" colleges in the country. Not bad for a school that began life with the unfortunate moniker of Trenton State College.

In fact, the name change caused a bit of in-state angst. Princeton objected because it was originally called the College of New Jersey, a name it held for 150 years before becoming a university in 1896. Evidently the Princeton purists felt their school had sole rights to that name and wanted to avoid confusion. Looks like they lost that battle, or at least conceded.

In any case, the "new" College of New Jersey may not yet be Princeton, but it's pretty good, and a decent value to boot.

(Source: Columbia University)Bummed because there's no more "american idol," "The Apprentice" or "Survivor"? Fear not, reality TV junkies. Simply tune in next Monday to see the debut of "The Scholar."

The show features 10 kids vying for a "full-ride" scholarship to their college of choice (another four will receive $50,000 awards). They'll compete in a braniac olympics to determine the winner, and will be judged by three admissions officers—two from Columbia and one from Cal-Berkeley.

Here's the ABC promo:

The opportunity of a lifetime is about to come true for one of America's best and brightest high school students in an original, new, one-hour unscripted series that will give the winner a college education from a top-rated school of their choice. Filmed on location at the University of Southern California, The Scholar will be the first show ever to celebrate higher education as the ultimate American prize.

For the chance at a full ride to the college of their choice, ten qualified high school seniors from economically disadvantaged backgrounds — who might not otherwise have an opportunity to attend one of America's top universities — will compete for a full scholarship, a prize that could be worth as much as $240,000. They will have to demonstrate excellence in the areas of academics, leadership, creativity and community service, while facing sudden-death oral exams defending themselves to an Ivy League scholarship committee.A shameless exploitation of needy kids or an informative look at college admissions? Or both? It's too early to tell, but I'll continue commenting as things progress, assuming the show captures and keeps my interest.

(Source: UC-Davis)According to a new study from UC-Davis, affirmative action has been on the decline for a decade. Spurred by legal action and the perceived threat of it, universities—especially public ones—have largely abandoned the consideration of race in admissions. As a result, at many institutions the percentage of minority students has dropped dramatically.

Here's a bit from Inside Higher Ed:

Examining data from 1986 through 2003, [the authors] found that the proportion of public four-year colleges that considered minority status in admissions fell from more than 60 percent to about 35 percent. For private institutions, the drop during those years was from 57 percent to 45 percent. The study examined about 1,300 four-year colleges, and excluded institutions that had only one major, seminaries, historically black colleges and for-profit institutions.

[Author] Grodsky said that it seems clear that many colleges abandoned affirmative action in admissions even though they were not forced to do so. "We suspect that colleges were responding not only to actual litigation but the threat of litigation."You can read more here.