Melbourne Uni removing ENTER?!!

[xXNovaxX]

http://www.theage.com.au/letters/
couldn'y find exact article, but the next day letters appeared in The Age, with comments and suggestions that Melbourne Uni is looking at using a range of criteria other than the ENETR to accept students in a bid to supposedly (note talking marks) "accept more people from a a range of backgrounds"

Range of testing includes Including

- Using civic test (mixed with civics) to why u wanna study at Melbourne, and contribution to the public good as a result
- Personal essays
- Aptitude tests for those with lower ENTERS who are capable of becoming high achievers
- expanding special entry schemes


They have finally acknowledged that the ENETR isn't everything, and comes after a report found that out of the people that get over 90, only 11% come from public schools (EDIT for millionth time :2funny:). i know so many people who are very intelligent, but because of feeling unwell on a particular exam, SAC etc have had their marks crash

I think its a great idea, because a 2-3 hour test for subjects during exams can never make up for a whole years work . The Uni found that many people who have lower ENTERS, tend to perform very well in Uni compared to their counterparts in better schools.

[m@tty]

http://www.theage.com.au/letters/
Less than 11% of students form Victorian public schools get an ENTER of 90% or higher.

This would indicate that Public schools are performing better than average, only 9.95% of the whole state gets an ENTER over 90.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

then there'll just be coaching colleges for doing these "civic tests", "personal essays" and "aptitude tests"...no problem.

[xXNovaxX]

^ hahah, you have a habit of hijacking my threads ^ ^. joking

[Flaming_Arrow]

^ hahah, you have a habit of hijacking my threads ^ ^. joking

thats not really hijacking he just posted his opinion

[xXNovaxX]

lol, don;t worry, inside joke haha, refer to my post of doing a LOTE at Uni/exchange student, xD. I welcome all opinions, im not silencing him.

[doboman]

then there'll just be coaching colleges for doing these "civic tests", "personal essays" and "aptitude tests"...no problem.

Exactly. And again; those disadvantaged will be those who dont have the mo-la-lah for such tuition.

[kat148]

Here's the actual article:

Melbourne seeks fairer student entry system
Farrah Tomazin
August 17, 2009

MELBOURNE University may revamp the way its students are selected, admitting that tertiary entry scores can be false academic measures and don't give enough chances to people from poorer backgrounds.

In what could mark a significant shift at the elite Parkville campus, an internal discussion paper has called for a rethink on the university's reliance on the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank - otherwise known as the ENTER score.

It argues that there should be more emphasis on other selection methods, such as aptitude tests, special entry access schemes, civics tests, or personal essays.

The paper acknowledges that the ENTER, which is based on the grades a student gets throughout the VCE, is not always a precise measure of academic performance and students who ''who suffer from systemic or educational disadvantage'' can struggle to get high entry scores despite high academic potential.

The paper said students in schools with average lower ENTER scores tend to perform better once they get to university than their counterparts from high-performing schools, suggesting that ''preparation in some schools is focused on achieving ENTER, rather than skills for university''.

''ENTER scores can also give a false sense of precision in assessing academic prowess. Just how large is the difference in academic potential with a student of 86 and one with 87, even though a single point might separate entry to and exclusion from a particular course?'' asks the discussion paper, Refining Our Strategy.

The paper canvasses a range of options to complement the ENTER system, including:

-Aptitude tests for students with lower entry scores who are capable of becoming high achievers.

-A civics test or personal essay identifying why a student wants to study at Melbourne ''and the contribution to the public good they have made - and intend to make as a result of their education at Melbourne''.

-An expansion of special-entry access schemes.

Vice-chancellor Glyn Davis said more should be done to assist students from poorer backgrounds to get into higher education.

''I am always nervous about an institution that is elite in the wrong sense,'' he said. ''No one has a problem with elite when it means merit; the very best students, and driving people hard. But if elite is a synonym for privileged, then that's not an institution that people want to be associated with.

''So you've got to ask yourself all the time, 'are we confident that the current ENTER system is the best way and the fairest way of getting the right students'?

''We haven't concluded that it isn't, but we've asked … 'are there things we could do to supplement it to get a broader range of opportunities'?''

Professor Davis' comments come after the Federal Government set a target for 20 per cent of higher education enrolments to come from people with low socio-economic backgrounds by 2020. This puts pressure on the elite sandstone universities that generally have lower proportions of poorer students.

He said the university's Melbourne Model - which requires students to do one of six general undergraduate degrees before they can specialise - had sought to draw a broader range of students into the institution.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/melbourne-seeks-fairer-student-entry-system-20090816-emcy.html

[xXNovaxX]

WOW! i was so close in summarizing the changes xD!!! Thanks Kat .

[midas_touch]

http://www.theage.com.au/letters/
Less than 11% of students form Victorian public schools get an ENTER of 90% or higher.

This would indicate that Public schools are performing better than average, only 9.95% of the whole state gets an ENTER over 90.

Inaccurate. You misquoted the OP, resulting in you interpreting the converse statement that 11% of public school students get >90. The statement actually says that out of the people that get over 90, only 11% come from public schools.

[QuantumJG]

http://www.theage.com.au/letters/
couldn'y find exact article, but the next day letters appeared in The Age, with comments and suggestions that Melbourne Uni is looking at using a range of criteria other than the ENETR to accept students in a bid to supposedly (note talking marks) "accept more people from a a range of backgrounds"

Range of testing includes Including

- Using civic test (mixed with civics) to why u wanna study at Melbourne, and contribution to the public good as a result
- Personal essays
- Aptitude tests for those with lower ENTERS who are capable of becoming high achievers
- expanding special entry schemes


They have finally acknowledged that the ENETR isn't everything, and comes after a report found that out of the people that get over 90, only 11% come from public schools (EDIT for millionth time :2funny:). i know so many people who are very intelligent, but because of feeling unwell on a particular exam, SAC etc have had their marks crash

I think its a great idea, because a 2-3 hour test for subjects during exams can never make up for a whole years work . The Uni found that many people who have lower ENTERS, tend to perform very well in Uni compared to their counterparts in better schools.

I think this is a great idea!

The VCE system is as corrupt as. What the year 12 students of this year as with every other year is that the private schools scoop up a HEAP of the 40's as the students at private schools can invest the money on intense courses to get extra information, tutors, etc. I was someone who could not afford TSFX or a tutor, when I definately needed one for english and could have used one to boost up my other subject's points a bit (I could have then been in that beautiful 90's area). If you go to a public school (excluding Mac Robertson and MHS) you are lucky to get in the 40's.

I was let through to do physics advanced (35 was required in specialist maths and physics - I got a 39 for physics and a 33 for specialist maths) and someone who went to a private school getting 40+ for both dropped out because it was 'too' hard.

My 2 cents: "A good ENTER can be bought."

[doboman]

I was let through to do physics advanced (35 was required in specialist maths and physics - I got a 39 for physics and a 33 for specialist maths) and someone who went to a private school getting 40+ for both dropped out because it was 'too' hard.

My 2 cents: "A good ENTER can be bought."

I concur. Your ENTER can be bought to a certain extent. As for the fact that the guy wo got 40+ in private school dropping out, it's simply because he wasn't spoon fed as he was in year 12. Happens all the time.

[Toothpaste]

then there'll just be coaching colleges for doing these "civic tests", "personal essays" and "aptitude tests"...no problem.

Paying $400 dollars for a preparation course for an aptitude test to get into commerce. Imagine that. "ComEntry" haha.

... UMAT styled test tweaked for engineering/sciences; TSFX-esque lectures on how to write an acceptable appeal letter to The University of Melbourne; elite schools forking out more money for sample 'personal essays'.

The money factor might still be there even though the intentions are to make it a fair playing ground. It would be very difficult to develop a flawless system that everyone would be satisfied with.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

As for the fact that the guy wo got 40+ in private school dropping out, it's simply because he wasn't spoon fed as he was in year 12. Happens all the time.

Explain plz, how was he spoon fed? Did he put no effort into VCE and was just "spoon fed" to 40+?

[doboman]

As for the fact that the guy wo got 40+ in private school dropping out, it's simply because he wasn't spoon fed as he was in year 12. Happens all the time.

Explain plz, how was he spoon fed? Did he put no effort into VCE and was just "spoon fed" to 40+?

Are you serious?

Also, I didn't say he put NO effort.