universities artificialy inflating UAI cutoffs (1 Viewer)

easycheapgirl

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Universities artificialy inflating UAI cutoffs.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/unis-are-inflating-scores/2008/09/02/1220121234420.html

UNIVERSITIES are artificially inflating their entrance scores as a marketing ploy to lift the status of their courses and are then accepting lower-scoring applicants, says the architect of the university entry score system in NSW.
The technique allows students with lower results to get into prestigious courses without achieving the required university admissions index cut-off.
In a surprisingly candid entry on a Macquarie University blog site, George Cooney, the chairman of the NSW committee responsible for calculating the UAI, said some universities were admitting a high proportion of students well below the advertised entry cut-off marks for some courses.
"It concerns me that … the quality of the university program is in the public's view judged by the published UAI cut-off. If universities are allowing students in below that cut-off, it is not an adequate measure," he said.
A few were advertising the terms of their alternative entry schemes on their websites but others were not as transparent.
Last week Macquarie University joined the University of NSW, University of Technology, Sydney, and University of Western Sydney in offering up to five bonus entry score marks for students who performed well in HSC subjects that were directly relevant to their intended course of study.
Professor Cooney said while schemes such as HSC Plus at the UNSW had become more transparent, many others were less open. Almost half the students admitted to the UNSW commerce degree this year scored up to five points below the UAI cut-off of 95.2.
"I am cynical enough to see this scheme (and other similar schemes) as a way for universities to artificially boost their cut-offs for marketing purposes, as a course's quality/prestige is judged by its cut-off," he said.
"This is an ethical issue and needs to be brought to the attention of the NSW [vice-chancellors' committee] but I would not anticipate any change in practice."
Professor Alec Cameron, dean of the Australian School of Business at UNSW, said his institution had been increasingly open about the terms of HSC Plus.
"We have been scrupulously honest. … Other universities use other mechanisms and are far less public about how they are doing that."
Professor Cameron said the Victorian system, which published two entry scores, was more transparent. "In Victoria, the universities publish their UAI cut-off and then a lower figure, which is the range in which you may receive a place," he said. "We would argue that we have done that with the HSC Plus scheme."
The managing director of the Universities Admissions Centre, Andrew Stanton, said NSW universities had increased the transparency of their alternative entry requirements. "Nobody pretends the UAI is the only criteria that should be used," he said.
He said when students were just below the cut-off, it was appropriate to consider other factors.
A spokesman for the University of Sydney said its flexible entry scheme allowed students entry to some courses with a UAI of up to five points below the cut-off, if places were available.
Macquarie University's vice-chanecllor, Steven Schwartz, has criticised the use of a single entry mark to determine student entry.
Last week he launched the university's Academic Advantage bonus marks program and is seeking the approval of the university's governing body to introduce a university aptitude test for next year's intake.
 
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iamsickofyear12

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They have been doing this for ages. I know people who have been accepted with UAI's 15+ less than the cutoff.
 

Davo1111

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iamsickofyear12 said:
They have been doing this for ages. I know people who have been accepted with UAI's 15+ less than the cutoff.
+1

Bonus marks, 'entry tests', special consideration etc.
 

AsyLum

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Well if anything, the fact its getting media coverage may hopefully put to bed the idea that UAIs = prestige etc. Though I must admit the whole thing has calmed since I went through it, doesn't seem to be such a high importance being placed on UAIs and prestige, though it still happens (and thats not to say there are certain degrees that probably deserve it).
 

doink

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USYD does this all the time. If there are less applicants than spots they will let anyone in and just put the cut-off at something that is more to their liking. I mean seriously 85 UAI cut-off for engineering is more like the median uai.
 

BackCountrySnow

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doink said:
USYD does this all the time. If there are less applicants than spots they will let anyone in and just put the cut-off at something that is more to their liking. I mean seriously 85 UAI cut-off for engineering is more like the median uai.
That's nothing compared to UNSW.
I think in general USyd's cutoffs are pretty accurate.
 

Triangulum

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this isn't exactly news, it's been happening blatantly for years. i don't have a problem with it, uni recruitment departments have to pander to idiot parents who think that higher UAI = better/harder course so it's natural that they'll have to tinker with the cut-offs a bit.
 

Captain Gh3y

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Triangulum said:
this isn't exactly news, it's been happening blatantly for years. i don't have a problem with it, uni recruitment departments have to pander to idiot parents who think that higher UAI = better/harder course so it's natural that they'll have to tinker with the cut-offs a bit.
i wonder if there's a mathematical way of optimising the UAI cutoff to imply maximum prestige without discouraging anyone from applying coz it's too high :D
 
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xeuyrawp

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BackCountrySnow said:
ANU pegs its cutoffs.
Obviously. But do you think that it pegs them lower or higher than they would otherwise be, if set based on a quota (as per the norm, really)?

Anyway, to add to what has been said, there wouldn't be this issue if the UAI wasn't a shit system.

There aren't one tenth of these concerns about the UK A-Levels - the only significant extant issue is that the median of scores is steadily increasing.

[Late edit...] To be honest, I actually like the fact that ANU gives students a specific goal to head towards. It turns the whole UAI system on its head, but I much prefer it to the current ambiguous goals.
 
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I always ask this question,

Is UNSW and USyd law REALLY 99.30-.55 or is it just inflated?

Because what, 800+ kids get 99.xx a year? UNSW has 2200 graduates and Sydney 1700? I mean, how many people actually want to do law?
 
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xeuyrawp

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cannibal.horse said:
I always ask this question,

Is UNSW and USyd law REALLY 99.30-.55 or is it just inflated?

Because what, 800+ kids get 99.xx a year? UNSW has 2200 graduates and Sydney 1700? I mean, how many people actually want to do law?
You're going to get at least five answers to this, all different, ranging from 'No, I do USyd law and it's the greatest thing on earth' (the USyd law student) to 'I know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who heard that somebody got into USyd law with a UAI of 30 and got in because of an admin error/bribe/sex/letter/experience/good mark in legal studies.' (the bitter USyd-reject (UWS/UTS/MQ) student).
 

Graney

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Captain Gh3y said:
i wonder if there's a mathematical way of optimising the UAI cutoff to imply maximum prestige without discouraging anyone from applying coz it's too high :D
I would have definetly applied to some Sydney unis if I'd known I had a chance, all those years ago. I was well discouraged by their lofty standard.

Why are UAI's in a long term process of dropping statewide? Are all the UNI's financially dependent on constant expansion, well in excess of any growth in the quality prospective student population?
 
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PwarYuex said:
(the bitter USyd-reject (UWS/UTS/MQ) student).
Lol, to be honest I dismissed the awesomeness of USyd until I actually saw it. It is possibly one of the most beautiful group of buildings I've ever seen, everyone seemed really friendly and never in my life have I felt a greater desire to sit around on the grass.

Really makes me wish I'd worked harder this year.
 
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xeuyrawp

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cannibal.horse said:
Lol, to be honest I dismissed the awesomeness of USyd until I actually saw it. It is possibly one of the most beautiful group of buildings I've ever seen,
Hahah, you should see actually old unis - especially the ones in Western Europe which are pretty just because they're old.

Then there are the ones like Chicago which are pretty just because they're rich.

Really makes me wish I'd worked harder this year.
Work harder next year and apply to transfer?
 

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