Texas Top Ten law

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 7:11pm

For those who don't know what this is, it's where the top ten students are automatically accepted to any public school in Texas. I think it's stupid because students who work their butts off in a larger school don't get accepted because someoen in a small school took their place. I think it should matter on GPA. I had a GPA of 4.78 (on a 6 point scale), but someone who went to a smaller school didn't have to work near as hard as I did to get up there with their 2.5. Or whatever. They'e trying to change the law, not that'll matter to me much.

Anyone else have any opinion?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 7:17pm

what about students who go to piss poor schools? go by gpa alone and you'll have very white schools and entire schools getting free rides as well as other schools lowering their standards to boost student gpas in order to get them some chance at a scholarship.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 7:25pm

A lot of people from my school and other schools deserved to get in. Shouldn't the smarter person be accepted first?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 7:29pm

in an ideal world in which there is complete equity in the distribution of assets and services across the board regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or geographic location thus allowing everyone the exact same opportunity to achieve, yes. since this is just the united states and not nirvana, no.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 7:44pm

Papa, it's nice to see you with such a "liberal" open-minded perspective. Hanging out here is having a terrific effect on you


Why don't they do it by percentage rather than pure numbers? Automatically admit the top 5% or so of every high school, that way no one is penalized or benefited purely on the basis on class size. When I was in high school, they had two ways of determining automatic admission to the public universities in the state: one based on percentile ranking (anyone in the 95th pecentile or higher got in); the other used a formula based on a combination of GPA and SAT scores -- I can't remember the exact numbers, but the higher the GPA, the lower the minimum SAT needed for automatic admission and vice versa (if you got a 1600, your GPA could be as low as a 2.8 or so to get in, while if you had a 4.0, your SATs could be as low as 1000).

That seemed to be fairer than a top ten system.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 7:50pm

nah, that's a result of having taught in the nyc schools, margo, and having a class in which three girls were brilliant and the rest could barely even spell their own names.

[musicgal04]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:14pm

I am one of those students who went to a piss poor school and while our top ten students were very smart and deserving of the benefits, pretty much the rest of the top ten percent didn't deserve it. What is upsetting for me is that we a had a kid accepted into the University of Texas College of Engineering, yet he failed physics in high school. at least he flunked out after a semester. Its just a shame that people like him can get into a good school like that, but students who chose to go to the "Math and Science Magnet" schools couldn't get in because they weren't in the top ten percent even though they were byfar the better student. The rule is horrible and just needs to go away.

[feinstein9]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 3:18am

actually it isn't the top ten people, it's the top ten percent. which meant at my old school, 30 people could get in automaticly, and at my newer school, only two could (even though the kids at the newer school were smarter and the ones at the old school were redneck dumb asses who are probably flunking out as we speak). the rule was created because minorities weren't given more "ponts" simply for being minorities. to give them a better chance, they created the top ten percent rule. while this rule is still in place, they revoked the minorities-no-points thing and now you *do* get more consideration if you're a minority. so now, there are two rules making it easier for kids from poorer schools to succeed, while UT is overflowing and can't really let in too many people who don't fit in the top-ten rule, so if you went to a private school and made a 4.0 and a 1400 on your SAT, you wouldn't really be guarenteed to get in.