School Admissions Research Articles

Mitigating bias in medical school admissions and the MCAT to optimize equity.

Commenting on Robinette et al.'s strategy for battling racism in admissions, Seo encourages further consideration of subtle forms of bias as a means to optimize equity.

Quota-based debiasing can decrease representation of the most under-represented groups

Many important decisions in societies such as school admissions, hiring or elections are based on the selection of top-ranking individuals from a larger pool of candidates. This process is often subject to biases, which typically manifest as an under-representation of certain groups among the selected or accepted individuals. The most common approach to this issue is debiasing, for example, via the introduction of quotas that ensure a proportional representation of groups with respect to a certain, often binary attribute. This, however, has the potential to induce changes in representation with respect to other attributes. For the case of two correlated binary attributes, we show that quota-based debiasing based on a single attribute can worsen the representation of the most under-represented intersectional groups and decrease the overall fairness of selection. Our results demonstrate the importance of including all relevant attributes in debiasing procedures and that more efforts need to be put into eliminating the root causes of inequalities as purely numerical solutions such as quota-based debiasing might lead to unintended consequences.

Data Mining Implementation with Algorithm C4.5 for Predicting Graduation Rate College Student

Academic evaluation and graduation of students are critical components of an academic information system's (AIS) effectiveness since they allow for the measurement of student learning progress. Additionally, the assessment stating whether the student passed or failed would benefit both the student and teacher by acting as a reference point for future performance suggestions and evaluations. Using Decision Tree C4.5, a comprehensive analysis of the student academic evaluation approach was conducted. Age, gender, public or private high school status, high school department, organization activity, age at high school admission, progress GPA (pGPA), and total GPA (tGPA) were all documented and evaluated from semester 1–4 utilizing three times the graduation criterion periods. The article's scope is confined to undergraduate programs. An accuracy algorithm (AC) with a performance accuracy of 79.60 percent, a true positive rate (TP) of 77.70 percent, and 91 percent quality training data achieved the highest performance accuracy value.

CORRUPTION IN THE NIGERIAN EDUCATION SECTOR: CAUSES AND REMEDIES

This study focuses attention on the causes and effects of corruption on the education sector in Nigeria. It also proffers solutions to the menace. Indeed, the standard of education in the country has been negatively affected by corrupt practices manifested by school administrators, educators, students, students’ parents and government agencies. Some of the identified causes of corruption were poverty, poor remuneration for educators and moral decadence among students and educators. The foregoing negative inclinations have a number of unfavourable effects; the most pronounced among them is lowering of the standard and quality of education in the country. The methodology utilized in the study is descriptive analysis. This study recommended, among other things, that quality assurance unit should be established to monitor teaching, admission and examination practices in all Nigerian schools.

Why we should and how we can increase medical school admissions for persons with disabilities.

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 215, Issue 6 p. 249-251.e1 Perspectives Why we should and how we can increase medical school admissions for persons with disabilities Correction(s) for this article Erratum Volume 215Issue 10Medical Journal of Australia pages: 453-453 First Published online: October 20, 2021 Liz Fitzmaurice, Corresponding Author Liz Fitzmaurice Liz.Fitzmaurice@otago.ac.nz Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD Correspondence Liz.Fitzmaurice@otago.ac.nzSearch for more papers by this authorKenneth Donald, Kenneth Donald Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLDSearch for more papers by this authorCarl de Wet, Carl de Wet Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLDSearch for more papers by this authorDinesh Palipana, Dinesh Palipana Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLDSearch for more papers by this author Liz Fitzmaurice, Corresponding Author Liz Fitzmaurice Liz.Fitzmaurice@otago.ac.nz Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD Correspondence Liz.Fitzmaurice@otago.ac.nzSearch for more papers by this authorKenneth Donald, Kenneth Donald Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLDSearch for more papers by this authorCarl de Wet, Carl de Wet Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLDSearch for more papers by this authorDinesh Palipana, Dinesh Palipana Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLDSearch for more papers by this author First published: 24 August 2021 https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.51238Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume215, Issue6September 2021Pages 249-251.e1 RelatedInformation

Analysis and Enlightenment of American Ap Chemistry Curriculum Framework under International Background

American “AP course for short” has entered China in various forms. At present, the American University Committee has set up AP examinations in 38 subjects in 23 disciplines. According to the survey, AP courses have been widely offered in more than 15,000 high schools in the United States. This trend will promote the better connection between high school education and university education, and provide a broader platform for students. According to a nationwide survey conducted by the American College Advisors Committee, American universities have generally regarded students' performance in AP examination as the basis to measure whether they are qualified for college study. After completing the course, senior high school students take AP exams, and if they get certain grades, they can also get university credits and reduce or exempt university courses. Many American school admissions will also use AP scores as a basis for students' ability to study at a university. It is applied in one's own daily teaching to comprehensively improve students' chemistry literacy from the aspect and point of knowledge. With the continuous deepening of two-way exchanges in international education, characteristic education and open education have gradually been recognized by the public, and more and more Chinese people have gone to the world and are shining in various countries. This article discusses and analyzes the framework of related college prerequisite courses such as its AP design plan in the United States.

The Fair Process Counter-Effect: Procedural Justice and Protests in China’s School Admissions Reform

How does procedural justice influence protest emergence? This question has been neglected as the procedural justice and social movement literatures have taken disparate approaches to explain people’s response to substantive injustices. This paper fills this gap by developing a theory of fair process counter-effect, namely that procedural justice facilitates collective action. Based on longitudinal fieldwork conducted from 2010-2019 on school admissions in China, I find that a bureaucratization reform had the unintended consequences of inducing previously nonexistent collective protests. Characterized by transparency and equal treatment, the post-reform procedures improved procedural justice perception among parents while also inducing protests, as the procedures enabled parents to more directly perceive substantive injustices, use public information to form protest narratives, and mobilize through shared experiences and grievances. By identifying the fair process counter-effect, this study reveals that collective action is facilitated by fair procedures and suppressed by unfair procedures. In doing so, this study bridges the justice-based and mobilization-based perspectives in explaining responses to inequalities.

Stress and Perfectionism in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Social Work Students

Purpose To further inform faculty and clinical educators interested in facilitating the overall well-being of their students, areas causing stress for undergraduate (UGs) and graduate (Gs) students in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and in social work (SWK) were explored. The perceived stress levels as well as levels and types of perfectionism demonstrated by students, as well as the methods used to manage stress, were also explored. Method A survey of 193 CSD students (105 UGs and 88 Gs) and 137 SWK students (104 UGs and 33 Gs) from the same institution was conducted. The survey asked respondents to list their top 3 stressors, as well as the stress management practices in which they engaged, and to complete the Perceived Stress Scale and the Almost Perfect Scale–Revised. Results CSD UGs were the only group who indicated that the graduate school admission process was a major stressor; other stressors listed by UGs in CSD and SWK were similar. CSD Gs were the only group who listed clinic as stressful, and SWK Gs listed finances as a more prominent stressor than did CSD Gs. Stress management practices were primarily similar. No differences existed between UGs and Gs on measures of perceived stress and perfectionism. More CSD respondents demonstrated healthy aspects of perfectionism than did SWK respondents. CSD respondents' stress levels were lower overall than those of SWK respondents. Conclusions Similarities and differences existed between CSD and SWK respondents regarding stressors, stress management practices, perceived stress levels, and perfectionism. This information can provide faculty and clinical educator with insight regarding our students' overall well-being.

Improving Access to Medical Education for Underrepresented and Low-Income Students.

To the Editor: A growing body of literature reports improved patient outcomes with more diverse health care teams. 1 However, medical school matriculants from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds have grown by less than 2% since 1980, a rate disproportionate to their growth in the U.S. population and to the 47% overall increase in medical school applications. 2 Similarly, only 5% of students hail from the lowest quintile of household income. 3 Barrier analyses show that insufficient information about health careers and the lack of close mentors in health care are obstacles to students pursuing health careers. 4 To address these gaps in information and social capital, we and other students attending the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania designed The UpLIFT Guide to Medical School Admissions, 5 a free, comprehensive guide that encompasses the entire medical school application process, including (1) preparing an application, (2) applying and interviewing, and (3) navigating financial aid and school selection processes. The guide provides targeted support to underrepresented, low-income, and first-time students, hence the name UpLIFT. For example, initial users have noted that our guide addresses topics such as how to frame disadvantaged identities, which is particularly important in their applications. To our knowledge, this is the first such free and comprehensive resource that specifically aims to improve access to and help reduce disparities within medical education. The guide was launched online on August 27, 2020. Over 13 weeks, the resource has been viewed 7,223 times by 3,373 unique users at 34 undergraduate institutions. Future possibilities for this guide include its use as an official premedical mentorship text for peer premedical mentorship programs and its adaptation to multiple companion media platforms, such as video and podcasts. We hope this guide—and other similar resources such as pipeline programs and targeted mentorship groups—can equip underrepresented students to matriculate to medical school and enter the physician workforce. We urge other medical students and medical schools to pioneer similar initiatives that engage and help uplift medical school applicants and students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds.

A multi-pronged, antiracist approach to optimize equity in medical school admissions.

Increasing the number of physicians who identify as an underrepresented minority (URM) has been a focus for decades. Despite the US Department of Health and Human Services establishing The Council on Graduate Medical Education focussing on the underrepresentation of minorities in medicine in 1990, US medical students in 1998-1999 were15.2% URM and twenty years later, URM students comprise only 14.6% of matriculants. This reflected our experience at University of Maryland School of Medicine despite our diverse community where over 60% of the population identify as Black or African-American. We share our strategies to mitigate bias in the admissions process and our resulting outcomes. We implemented multiple interventions including interviewer training, recruitment strategies, holistic screening, changes in the interview process and increased racial, ethnic and gender diversity on our admissions committee. These changes were made over a two-year period initially focussing on the committee, followed by focussed interventions for interviewers. With these interventions, we demonstrated an improvement in the number of URM applicants that matriculated. In 2019, we had the first class that was in which no one ethnicity or race comprised the majority of the class, with 54% of matriculants identifying as students of colour. In 2020, in addition to sustaining a majority of the class identifying as students of colour, the proportion of URM students increased from 10%-13% for the preceding 3years, to 24% of the entering class. The number of physicians who identify as URM must be increased for the benefit of our patients and health care system. Unconscious bias training for interviewers, focused recruitment strategies, holistic screening deemphasising the MCAT, blinding interviewers to MCAT scores and GPA, and increasing admissions committee diversity are five concrete steps that yielded the desired outcome of increasing URM representation among our medical school matriculants.

Conducting a synchronous virtual multiple mini-interview using Webex for medical school admissions.

Implication StatementCOVID-19 pandemic restrictions abruptly changed the way interviews for medical school admissions have been conducted. This study is unique as it highlights the first successful virtual synchronous multiple mini interview (MMI) in Canada. Our low technical incident rate, troubleshooting strategies and approach may reassure other medical schools considering conducting a virtual MMI. Success was achieved with collaboration, a strong organizational and communication strategy, learning along the way and a priori contingency plans. Virtual interviewing in academic medicine is likely here to stay, and future work to highlight the impact on applicants will help to build on the diversity mission in undergraduate medicine admissions.

U.S. medical school admissions and enrollment practices: status of LGBTQ inclusivity.

The failure to collect information on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) identity in healthcare and medical education is a part of a systemic problem that limits academic medical institutions' ability to address LGBTQ health disparities. To determine whether accurate sexual and gender minority (SGM) demographic data is being consistently collected for all US medical schools during admissions and enrollment, and whether differences exist between collection practices at osteopathic and allopathic schools. Secure, confidential electronic were sent via email in July 2019 to 180 osteopathic (n=42) and allopathic (n=138) medical schools identified through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Student Guide to Osteopathic Medical Colleges database and the American Association of Medical Colleges Medical School Admissions Requirements database. The nine question survey remained open through October 2019 and queried for; (1) the ability of students to self report SGM status during admissions and enrollment; and (2) availability of SGM specific resources and support services for students. Chi square analysis and the test for equality of proportions were performed. Seventy five of 180 (41.7%) programs responded to the survey; 74 provided at least partial data. Of the 75 respondent schools, 55 (73.3%) allowed applicants to self report a gender identity other than male or female, with 49 (87.5%) of those being allopathic schools compared with 6 (31.6%) osteopathic schools. Similarly, 15 (20.0%) allowed applicants to report sexual orientation, with 14 (25.5%) of those being allopathic schools compared with one (5.3%) osteopathic school. Fifty four of 74 (73.0%) programs allowed matriculants to self report a gender identity other than male or female; 11 of 74 (14.7%) allowed matriculants to report sexual orientation. Demographics collection practices among American medical education programs that responded to our survey indicated that they undervalued sexual orientation and gender identity, with osteopathic programs being less likely than allopathic programs to report inclusive best practices in several areas. American medical education programs, and their supervising bodies, must update their practices with respect to the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity demographics as part of a holistic effort to address SGM health disparities.

Ortaokul Öğretmenlerinin Görüşlerine Göre Ortaöğretim Merkezi Sınavı (LGS)’nin Üstünlükleri ve Sınırlıkları

The purpose of this research is to present the advantages and limitations of the Secondary Education Center Exam (SECE) conducted in 2017-2018 academic year in the opinions of middle school teachers. The study group of the research was consisted of 47 middle school teachers those who entered lessons the 8th grades as of the data collection period in Mamak district. As research method, semi-structured interview model, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. As the data collection tool, structured interview form is applied. The data obtained from the interviews have been analyzed using the method of descriptive analysis. The findings obtained in the research are given below: 1- According to middle school teachers, the advantage of secondary education center exam as regards previous high school admission exams is high distinctiveness and limitation of SECE requires high-level skills. 2- The distinctiveness of successful/unsuccessful students of SECE is high when it comes to yes/no questions. However, it is not qualified to discern from students who is solving problems fast/practical and high level skilled. 3- In SECE, difficulty of skill-based questions is coherent with learning outcomes in secondary education curriculum. Nevertheless, they are not coherent with assessment of high-level behaviors, extent, content intelligibility and schoolbooks. 4- In SECE, assessment of basic skills stated and aimed to improve in secondary education curriculum is adequate. However, the aims in curriculum are not adequate to question high-level skills. 5- According to middle school teachers, student achievement was affected by the students mostly register the closest school to their home and there is no obligation to have an exam.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOL SECTORS: A CASE STUDY OF KARACHI-PAKISTAN

Education is the most important factor for improving the personality of an individual. There are two main types of institutions in Pakistan: One is government and other is private school systems. Nowadays, many students in Karachi prefer to take admission in private schools due to their systematic academic curriculum, better education system and more recreational activities however their fee structure is expensive. The main objective of this research is to investigate why private school sectors’ results of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) usually better than the government school sectors. SSC results of five private sector schools and five government sectors schools have been collected over the period of 2013-2017.We have found that performance of private schools is better than government schools. The department of education must apply significant strategies in public schools of Karachi to enhance their performance so that they could compete with private schools. However, education policies have only vision, which suggests strategies to increase literacy rate, capacity building and enhance facilities in government schools of Karachi, but all these intentions and commitments should be fulfilled on their merit

El Sistema de Admisión Escolar, sistema de asignación centralizado en Chile

The way in which students are selected to access educational centers has a major impact on the outcome of education as a system. In Chile, during the second government of President Bachelet, a centralized system of non-discriminatory selection was implemented by law: the School Admission System (SAE), mandatory for all schools that receive public funds. The implementation of the SAE was gradual and has proved to be efficient, as it has been both operational and accepted by the

Factors associated with mental health depending on the type of stress related to admission among correspondence course high school students in Japan

Objective This study aimed to determine the factors associated with mental health based on the type of stress related to high school admissions for correspondence courses.Methods The targeted participants were 3,888 students belonging to 11 campuses of a high school providing correspondence courses. During the homeroom, the teachers in charge distributed and collected questionnaires directly. The questionnaire was designed to collect data concerning demographic characteristics, stresses, mental health, and life skills. Concerning stress, the questions inquired about stress before admission and after admission. Further, they asked about stress related to entry regarding the study, friendship, relationship with teachers, club activities, school events, home environment, health, and work. Kessler 6 was used as an index of mental health.Results Questionnaires were returned by 2,424 students (response rate of 62.3%). Regarding the change in stress before and after admission, students showed decreases in anxiety after admission in other areas, excluding work. Because of the k-means clustering analysis, based on the scores of the eight areas of stress related to admission, six groups were extracted. Factors related to mental health were extracted from each group. Health stress was strongly associated with the K6 score in all groups. For the study stress group, friendship stress group, family environment, and health stress group, stress related to admission were associated with the K6 score. Furthermore, for the complex school-related stress group, friendship and family environment stress were associated with the K6 score. In the high-stress group, the K6 score was significantly associated with study stress. As for life skills, stress management and decision-making skills were associated with higher mental health.Conclusions These findings indicate that it is important to understand students' needs and support them in coping with stress and improving their life skills according to their stress type. Support should be developed for high school students enrolled in correspondence courses.

Physics Graduate Record Exam does not help applicants “stand out”

One argument for keeping the physics GRE is that it can help applicants who might otherwise be missed in the admissions process stand out. In this work, we evaluate whether this claim is supported by physics graduate school admissions decisions. We used admissions data from five PhD-granting physics departments over a 2-year period (N=2537) to see how the fraction of applicants admitted varied based on their physics GRE scores. We compared applicants with low GPAs to applicants with higher GPAs, applicants from large undergraduate universities to applicants from smaller undergraduate universities, and applicants from selective undergraduate institutions to applicants from less selective undergraduate institutions. We also performed a mediation and moderation analysis to provide statistical rigor and to better understand the previous relationships. We find that for applicants who might otherwise have been missed (e.g. have a low GPA or attended a small or less selective school) having a high physics GRE score did not seem to increase the applicant's chances of being admitted to the schools. However, having a low physics GRE score seemed to penalize otherwise competitive applicants. Thus, our work suggests that the physics GRE does not, in fact, help applicants who might otherwise be missed stand out.

Academic redlining in medicine

Despite concerted efforts over the past decade to increase diversity in U.S. medical schools, persistent applicant and enrollment gaps remain for students from underrepresented racial and economic backgrounds. To understand these gaps, we propose a new theory of ‘academic redlining’ as a widespread practice in medical schools that systematically excludes students from underrepresented backgrounds from entry into medicine through the nearly universal use of Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) cutoff scores. In this paper, we provide evidence that academic redlining via the MCAT disenfranchises students from underrepresented backgrounds prior to and during the admissions process due to structural racism, and describe the three core mechanisms that cause medical schools to engage in academic redlining: (1) the pursuit of institutional prestige, (2) market competition and pressure, and (3) market bands. Given the persistent lack of diversity in medicine—which contributes to devastating health care disparities—as medical schools redouble their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, structural alternatives within medical schools’ admissions and education practices are offered to curtail the practice of academic redlining in medical school admissions and medicine.

The predictive value of high school grade point average to academic achievement and career satisfaction of dental graduates

BackgroundIn a country where admission to dental schools is based solely on the cognitive abilities of students, the aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between high school grade point average and graduating academic achievement for dental students; moreover, determine whether a correlation exists between dental students’ graduating academic achievement and their career choices and job satisfaction.MethodsA five-year retrospective cohort study was conducted at the University of Jordan, involving (828) dental graduates first enrolled between 2010 and 2014. Correlations comparing high school grade point average and graduating academic achievement were done for the total sample composed of (736) students. A short survey was constructed to assess the career choices and job satisfaction for recently graduated dentists and correlate them with their graduating academic achievement.ResultsStatistically significant but weak positive correlation (0.3) was found between high school grade point average and graduating academic achievement for dental students (p ≤ 0.05). Statistically significant correlations were found between graduating academic achievement and career choices and job satisfaction.ConclusionThe significant positive correlation between the high school grade point average and graduating academic achievement of our dental students indicate that our school admission system depending on high school grade point average is a valid system. There was a significant negative correlation between the graduating academic achievement and both the career choices and job satisfaction among fresh graduate dentists in Jordan. This information is required to update the dental school admissions procedures in response to the changing dental educational landscape.

Minimizing Unconscious Bias in Nursing School Admission

The potential exists for unconscious bias to influence decisions throughout the admission process to nursing school and derail holistic admission review processes. Although little is known about unconscious bias in nursing school admissions, unconscious bias has been demonstrated in nurse educators at levels similar to the general population. This article examines concepts of unconscious bias, factors that may interfere with accurate and fair assessment of applicants to nursing school, and ways to mitigate unconscious bias in the application and admission decision processes. Interventions that have shown success in reducing unconscious bias center on increased awareness of the presence of unconscious bias and cognitive strategies that include motivation and effort to counter the unconscious bias. Creating structures in the admission process that promote fairness and reduce the risk of relying on automatic judgments can minimize the influence of unconscious bias on admission decisions. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(6):317-323.].