Trendy new college pre-tests sign of what's wrong with higher ed
- By Wan Lixin
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, February 17, 2012
Fight for talent
Instead of wasting their time speculating on "a typical morning 20 years later," these experts would do well to consider a passage written 88 years ago by renowned scholar Wang Guowei (1877-1927), which was the topic of a written test question for admission toTsinghua University last year.
In a critique of the Chinese novel "A Dream of Red Mansions," Wang observed that "Western outlook is harmful in two aspects. First, it is rooted in such human vices as greed, competition, or aspiration for affluence, all suicidal in consequence."
The second is the scientific method, which aimed to conquer spatially, temporally, materially ... but should by no means to be allowed to work on the human heart, the human society, and the national character ..."
If these professors stopped fussing about what's supposedly written on the walls of a Harvard Library study room, they might remember that Beida's own spirit used to be summarized as "all-inclusiveness, and free exchange of ideas."
Apparently Beida today is very exclusive, as they care more about the "promise" of the students, rather than the quality of its instruction.
In a recent advertisement about the famed university, the spirit of Beida is evoked by neon lights, water, and sounds, playing much on Beida's past.
In order to lure the "best" [read: the highest scoring] freshmen, some top universities vie with each in pledging desired candidates more money as inducement.
Some even practice deception or sabotage to undercut rival schools' deals.
As this conflict escalates, charges and countercharges are sometimes traded among the "top league" schools.
Contrary to the practice in the West where students can be simultaneously accepted by several universities, these pre-tests are essentially a ruse used by individual universities to lock up desired candidates.
Some old scholars still reminiscence about how the old Beida once operated more like an open university, where virtually every eager learner could benefit from the lectures on offer.
Some top universities now have more money, larger campuses, taller buildings and more high-scoring students. But that's almost all.
The parents of the test-takers are rightly skeptical about what the test designers intend to elicit or measure.
It's tempting to compare the interview to a "Got Talent" in which a candidate is expected to perform whatever kind of antics that will impress the panel of judges.
From the cited samples it appears that test designers have mistaken miscellany for cutting edge.
In the age of information inundation, they have vastly underestimated the advantage of purity, focus, and dedication.
