UC Regents approve move to 'holistic review' of applications
By TOVIN LAPAN
Posted:01/21/2011 01:30:05 AM PST
The University of California Board of Regents on Thursday approved a move to an "individualized holistic review" system for evaluating undergraduate applications.
UC Berkeley and UCLA already use the system, which involves scoring an applicant's entire application as a whole, as opposed to assigning different scores to different elements of the application for a final tally. UC Santa Cruz will be moving to implement the system.
Currently at UCSC, undergraduate applicants are evaluated on 14 different criteria, ranging from grades and standardized test scores to geographic location and special talents. Each category has a point total and those scores are added up for a final application score.
"The methodology will change a little bit, but we have always been committed to really understanding the applicant and selecting those who can achieve academic excellence based on multiple measures," said Michelle Whittingham, UCSC associate vice chancellor of enrollment management and director of admissions. "We are looking for students that will enhance the intellectual, cultural and social environment here on campus."
The holistic review is designed to be more effective in taking into account the student's background and any challenges that could put them at a disadvantage to other students. Whittingham said it will allow for a more "fine grain" look at each applicant.
A student whose grades fell after a death in the family, for example, may get
a bump in her score if she were able to get her grades back on track. If a student attends a high school that does not offer the honors or advanced placement courses, which can boost an application, that may be taken into account.
The holistic review will apply to in-state, out-of-state and international students who are applying for freshman admission, but not to graduate students or transfer students, who are evaluated under different criteria.
The holistic review approach "relies on a wealth of data about students' schools and personal circumstances and their performance relative to peers who have experienced similar opportunities or challenges," UC President Mark Yudof said in a statement supporting the change, which was approved at the regents' meeting in San Diego.
Last year, after a series of racially charged events on UC campuses, the regents, UC administration, faculty and students discussed ways to improve the social climate on campuses.
Among other initiatives, Yudof supported holistic review as a strategy for improving diversity, and hopefully creating more tolerant campus communities.
Some regents at the meeting expressed concerns about inserting increased subjectivity into the review process.
Whittingham said the 25 members of UCSC's application review team attend 3½ days of training every year on how to evaluate applications and ensure objectivity. There are "checks and balances" in place to guarantee the reviewers are applying the criteria on a consistent basis.
Unifying the review process among all the campuses could also lead to greater efficiency for the UC system. Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed cutting $500 million from UC.
When a student applies to multiple UC schools, as many California residents do, then the application could be reviewed just once instead of by different admissions officials on different campuses.
"We want more information to evaluate the students," Whittingham said. "It's very important for students who are applying to provide as much detail as possible, and provide context so we can make better informed decisions. Don't tell us you simply participated in X' club. Tell us what you did."