As other highly selective institutions revive standardized testing requirements, Columbia’s decision not to follow aligns with their desired academic environment.
Given Columbia's dedication to a baseline level of humanities/philosophy in every student's education, why not continue to look at standardized test scores, but weight the verbal scores more heavily than other institutions relative to math scores?
I don't think the Reading and Writing section of the SAT translates well to the skills the Core curriculum values. The Reading and Writing section of the SAT is entirely multiple choice, whereas the Core assesses discussion and essay writing.
This argument makes some sense if Columbia is still committed to the Core, both in admissions decisions and curriculum. I have read that Columbia has been reducing the reading load of the Core and omitting some challenging authors common to the curriculum in decades past. I wonder if that's true?
Columbia does frequently update the syllabi for Core courses, and in some cases it was intended to reduce the reading load. However, I feel that Columbia is still very committed to the Core. All applicants must answer a supplemental essay question about it, and the Core takes up around 1/3 of a student's total coursework. I can't speak to what the Core was like previously, but as a current student, I feel that it is a very meaningful part of my educational experience.
Also Abolish Legacy Admission
Given Columbia's dedication to a baseline level of humanities/philosophy in every student's education, why not continue to look at standardized test scores, but weight the verbal scores more heavily than other institutions relative to math scores?
I don't think the Reading and Writing section of the SAT translates well to the skills the Core curriculum values. The Reading and Writing section of the SAT is entirely multiple choice, whereas the Core assesses discussion and essay writing.
This argument makes some sense if Columbia is still committed to the Core, both in admissions decisions and curriculum. I have read that Columbia has been reducing the reading load of the Core and omitting some challenging authors common to the curriculum in decades past. I wonder if that's true?
Columbia does frequently update the syllabi for Core courses, and in some cases it was intended to reduce the reading load. However, I feel that Columbia is still very committed to the Core. All applicants must answer a supplemental essay question about it, and the Core takes up around 1/3 of a student's total coursework. I can't speak to what the Core was like previously, but as a current student, I feel that it is a very meaningful part of my educational experience.