I'm glad that I am not the age when it's time to apply for
admittance to college. I'm too stupid now for college and the
application process is, well, strange. I remember when I was a high
school student, the university would ask the applicant to furnish his or
her test scores, grades and to write an essay. usually it was something
boring like my life achievements and goals. But now they are getting a
little less concrete with their essay demands. The geeks hate it, but
the sloppy student who always did things the odd, but successful way,
finally feel better able to fit it.
Now a college might ask an applicant a question like, "Tell us your favorite joke and try to explain the joke without ruining it". I assume all those dirty jokes we hear and remember wouldn't be appropriate, but they shouldn't ask questions like that unless they are prepared for any joke. Good thing I am not applying. But anyway, a growing number of colleges have turned to more open ended and less obvious questions to see if the applicant is one who memorized huge amounts of information and reproduced successfully it on tests, or is the college wannabe a more creative type. Creative is in today, and the computer brained nerd is out. It's probably for the better too. Colleges worry that those high grade point average high school students are more likely to just be high achievers than to be independent thinkers. I think colleges want students who are willing to take more risks and not those who make all A's in classes but never think deeply about what they are studying. Those kinds of students make the college a better place.
Not only that, businesses interviewers are also starting to take the same tract when interviewing new hires. Right...I am not employable so I need not worry about it. Employers want to see if the applicant can think on the spur of the moment, and can respond to something they don't expect. In today's competitive world it's more important to use what we know than to recite the facts. A computer can handle the remembrance of information better than can a human.
I like this new trend. If the college applicant or job seeker are put off by the oddball questions for whatever reason, that's a good indicator that the school or job may not be the right fit. Now, tell me that favorite joke of yours.
Now a college might ask an applicant a question like, "Tell us your favorite joke and try to explain the joke without ruining it". I assume all those dirty jokes we hear and remember wouldn't be appropriate, but they shouldn't ask questions like that unless they are prepared for any joke. Good thing I am not applying. But anyway, a growing number of colleges have turned to more open ended and less obvious questions to see if the applicant is one who memorized huge amounts of information and reproduced successfully it on tests, or is the college wannabe a more creative type. Creative is in today, and the computer brained nerd is out. It's probably for the better too. Colleges worry that those high grade point average high school students are more likely to just be high achievers than to be independent thinkers. I think colleges want students who are willing to take more risks and not those who make all A's in classes but never think deeply about what they are studying. Those kinds of students make the college a better place.
Not only that, businesses interviewers are also starting to take the same tract when interviewing new hires. Right...I am not employable so I need not worry about it. Employers want to see if the applicant can think on the spur of the moment, and can respond to something they don't expect. In today's competitive world it's more important to use what we know than to recite the facts. A computer can handle the remembrance of information better than can a human.
I like this new trend. If the college applicant or job seeker are put off by the oddball questions for whatever reason, that's a good indicator that the school or job may not be the right fit. Now, tell me that favorite joke of yours.
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