Admissions controversy embroils Berkeley again: regents chairman questions low-scoring SAT admits, leaks report to newspaper - Noteworthy News

Black Issues in Higher Education, Jan 1, 2004 by Pamela Burdman

A look at UC's admissions numbers reveals just how individualized the process is. Of the students with low SATs, for example, some had high grades, such as a Latino student with an 870 SAT and a GPA of 4.33 (the additional points reflect honors or advanced placement courses). Others, such as an African American student, bad an 820 and a 2.94 GPA.

At the simulated application scoring session, admissions officials noted that a variety of factors can't be captured by grades and test scores--including whether the student is the first in his/her family to attend college, comes from a low-income background, or works a significant number of hours. Nor do the numbers reveal the rigor of a student's courseload, his/her commitment to community service or extracurricular activities, or whether he/she possesses special talent in music or sports.

In one application reviewed by admissions officials, a San Francisco student was recommended for admission despite earning a 910 on the SAT I. The student was a nonnative English speaker, who had challenged herself with courses at a local community college and two AP tests and served as student body treasurer, in addition to working 27 hours a week at her family's store. Officials gave her a score sufficient for admission to the campus, but not to one of the more competitive majors such as engineering.

Nevertheless, given the outside scrutiny from Moores and the state's newspapers, a Berkeley faculty committee responsible for setting admissions criteria has announced plans to review the applications of all students scoring 1000 or below on the SAT who are slated to be admitted as freshmen.

Ward Connerly, who spearheaded the 1995 ban on affirmative action, first publicly suggested Berkeley may be violating the ban on preferences, but later said he will withhold judgment until the study is complete.

Some observers noted that enrollment reductions could disproportionately affect minority students. "More minorities can be hart by the restricted enrollment and higher tuitions in states like California than by the affirmative action decision," noted Patrick Callan of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. "But it doesn't have the visceral galvanizing effect."