This is a great read. Thoughts?
https://www.wpi.edu/news/wpi-marks-10-years-test-optional-status
This is actually not new information. WPI did studies in the early seventies which evidenced like results. WPI was not alone, but there is something about the American culture that encourages us to rank everything. Creativity and professional success cannot, and probably never will be reduced to a test score. We have elevated the admissions test scores to the rank of supreme adjudicator and proof that one applicant is better than another.
Four years of classwork, challenging coursework, genuine self-motivation, driving curiosity, a desire to accomplish some personal goal (“grit”?) actually count for a lot more than an admissions test… Even given the GPA/RIC data, today’s modern science/engineering developments require a lot of teamwork. Even Einstein had to call in a mathematician for help!
It is not a must that you be an athlete, but teamwork helps!
Lone geniuses working in isolation make great drama, but today’s reality falls more into the world of cooperation and of teamwork. More-so than ever, these teams are interdisciplinary. These too are skills that need to be developed in an environment which encourages interdisciplinary acceptance.
This TED Talk presentation by Angela Lee Duckworth: Grit: The power of passion and perseverance …summarizes “GRIT” and its importance in the learning/life process. View it at:
https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance
Enjoy!
:bz