Posted on 04/02/2018 6:47:14 PM PDT by ethom
Parkland survivor and March For Our Lives organizer David Hogg took hold of the national spotlight with a handful of his peers just a few short weeks ago. He appears to most of us as well-spoken, driven, mature and passionate about changing the world. Hogg, like millions of students across the country, is also a high school senior who applied to colleges last fall.
And it surprised many to learn that he didn’t get into all the colleges he applied to.
The New York Times reports that Hogg did not receive admission to University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Diego; University of California, Santa Barbara; and University of California, Irvine.
Representatives from UCSB, UCI, and UCSD would not speak to Mediaite on the record, and UCLA sent Mediaite the following statement about its and the University of California’s admissions policies: “To protect the privacy of all our applicants, UCLA does not comment on individual students’ admission decisions.”
A spokesperson explained further: “UCLA and all other UC undergraduate campuses use a set of 14 criteria in reviewing applicants. … At UCLA, the evaluation and decision process is done on an ongoing basis from the time we receive the applications in November until the admission decisions are released in late March. UCLA does not change admission decisions based on new public information. However, applicants who are not admitted are afforded the opportunity to submit a formal appeal to their admission decision.”
As it turns out, all four of these institutions have appeals processes for rejected students, but instances of successful appeals are exceedingly rare. A successful appeal will bring to light new information about the applicant that was not present in the original application, and it is not clear whether Hogg was rejected before or after the horrific events in Parkland.
A great deal of the questions we may ask about Hogg’s acceptance to schools hinge on when exactly the admissions committee convened and if they ever reverse decisions before sending them out to students based on new information. The ins and outs of college admissions are as closely guarded as state secrets, and I was thoroughly stonewalled by campus staffers in my pursuit of those answers. Without them, any concrete assessment of whether and how much Hogg’s activism factored into admission committees’ decision on his application is impossible.
Yet, a theoretical exploration of how much his and others’ activism ought to matter in admissions decisions is still worth exploring.
This calculus may also vary from school to school. Fellow survivor and activist Emma González of “We Call BS” fame was reportedly given an early ring by Drew University in Madison, NJ offering her admission. It’s unclear, of course, whether Emma would have gotten in anyway, but her moving speech clearly had an effect on the admissions team at that institution, and they obviously were still in the process of reviewing applications. Bear in mind, though, that Drew has an undergraduate class of about 1,400 students each year, and UCLA, for example, boasts an undergrad class size of 30,000-plus. The process of reviewing an applicant at each of these schools is bound to be somewhat different. (Though the intricacies of these differences are maddeningly opaque to the outside world.)
It’s also worth considering the ethicality of heavily weighing a student’s activism. Hogg and his peers had the spotlight thrust upon them, and they took up the mantle with grace and poise. Students not given that – shall we loosely call it – “opportunity” will be at a disadvantage in comparison. Should that be right? On the other hand, should we disregard the incredible perseverance, tirelessness, and dedication with which these students are pursuing their cause and inspiring a nation when we evaluate their potential contribution to a college campus? Surely not.
One of the more ethically muddy things to consider, also, is whether student activists who are seniors this year should take a gap year to focus on their activism and, during the fall 2019 application cycle, apply to more prestigious schools than they would have before the shooting. Would we consider that dishonest? Gaming the system? Or making the most of a horrible situation and looking to get the best education possible because they now have a better chance of access to it?
Hogg could not be immediately reached for comment by Mediaite, though he did tell CNN’s Alisyn Camerota last week that he is considering a gap year, in order to go on the campaign trail.
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Follow Rachel Dicker on Twitter @rachelmdicker.
This Hogg kid can’t spell.
Anyone who thinks hiding in a closet during a shooting is a qualification for college doesn’t understand what education is for.
How about a free bus ticket to Parris Island, Fort Benning, Great Lakes Naval Training Depot, or Lackland AFB, instead. . .
Hogg seems more like a Chico State type. . . (evil grin)
not sure what that means.
Have you seen the movement to add arts to STEM -> STEAM? When I first saw it at democrat rally for a local candidate (I snuck in just to see what they were saying), I said, “What’s the point?”
Chico State is a notorious party school with exceptionally low admission standards. . .
Wasn’t camera Hogg at home when all this was going down? How’s he a victim?
Wasn’t camera Hogg at home when all this was going down? How’s he a victim?
They aren’t “listening” to him as much as they are using him as a human-shield to promote their agenda.
That was a running joke in Herb Caen's column in The San Francisco Chronicle when I lived in the Bay Area...based on an item sent in by a reader. (Today is Herb Caen's 102nd birthday.)
The March for our Lives demonstration in DC was planned months BEFORE the shooting at the school that spontaneously triggered this march.....so WTF?
Maybe this needs its own thread or has been hashed out before and I just havent seen it.>
Tell me what you think.
Chico State is also the home of Jimmy the Intern, from Larry Correia’s “Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent” audibooks. . .
Interesting. But I would want proof of the veracity of this bombshell. Especially who requested it.
White male with solid but unspectacular grades doesn’t get you into the school of your choice. Enjoy your safety school.
And it surprised many math illiterates who suppose that “millions of students across the country” can be accepted into a few elite universities just because they wanna to learn that he didn’t get into all the colleges he applied to.
I’ve looked. There are two stories. He told them both. One of them is a lie.
I’ve looked. There are two stories. He told them both. One of them is a lie.
**********************************************************
I went outside to pick up the paper and was wearing pajamas. I went outside to drive to the store and was wearing blue jeans.
Question: Which statement is a lie?
Answer: Neither...one sentence was about something that happened at 6:00 am and the other sentence was about something that happened later at 7:30 am.
The same thing happened with the goofy Hogg; he was at school at 2:15 at the time of the shooting and was at home later when he rode his bike back to school.
Clarity in thinking is the American Patriot’s friend.
That’s strange. This performance march was already planned long before the killings on Feb. 14. It’s ominous, even sad to think this may have been coordinated and prepared for, with the shooter’s part included.
This wouldn’t be the first time circumstances seemed to hint at some kind of organized murder of our citizens. The Sandy Hook killer, Adam Lanza, and the Batman Movie killer James Holmes, both had interesting backgrounds, with fathers employed in influential positions of high finance.
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