The Academic Preparation Of Rural And Non-Rural Students Prior To Enrollment In A College Of Agriculture

Abstract

McCurdy (1982) noted that from Florida to California, a growing number of colleges and universities have increased academic entrance requirements for entering freshmen. Ohio increased entrance requirements by moving from an “open admission”’ policy to one that required a core of college preparatory courses for entering freshmen. The trustees at The Ohio State University implemented in autumn of 1984 a policy requiring entering freshmen to complete a college preparatory curriculum in high school in order to be admitted unconditionally. The college preparatory course requirements include four units of English, three units of math, two units of social science, two units of science, two units of foreign language, one unit of visual/performing arts, and one additional unit in any of the above required subjects except visual/performing arts. A student not meeting the requirements is admitted on a “conditional” basis, the condition being to take courses in deficient subjects that do not count toward graduation or to show competence in the deficient area(s) by placement tests (Raven & Warmbrod, 1990). Subsequently, in the autumn quarter of 1987, The Ohio State University also started to consider applicants’ class rank as an additional criterion for admission to the university as a new first quarter freshmen (NFQF) for autumn quarters.