UC to Review New Admissions Policy

A University of California faculty committee on Wednesday defended the system against criticism that its most selective campuses rely too heavily on stories of students’ personal hardships in making admissions decisions.

But the panel’s report also urged UCLA, UC Irvine and UC Berkeley to review the role that hardship stories play in their admissions decisions, and to inform the public of their conclusions.

The faculty committee, known as the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, said it will look into requiring letters of recommendation for applicants, at least in part to verify the personal statements and other information submitted by students. In addition, the panel has assigned a subcommittee to evaluate the UC application with an eye toward, among other things, “reducing the possibility that [students] will submit personal statements substantially written by third parties.”

Still, Barbara A. Sawrey, chairwoman of the group and a chemistry professor at UC San Diego, said reviews so far have shown that “the vast majority of students are trustworthy with the information they give us.”

The 35-page report was intended to assess an admissions policy known as comprehensive review, which was launched for this fall’s freshman class at the six most selective UC campuses. Comprehensive review reflects an expansion of UC’s emphasis on personal achievement, rather than simply grade-point averages and SAT scores, in considering applicants.

Evidence of personal achievement taken into account by admissions officials includes leadership, special talents and personal stories of triumph over adversity. The panel, Sawrey said, has found that “this is largely a successful venture ... and we think we see ways that we can even make it better.”

But the plan has drawn criticism from parents and college counselors who say that too many students with outstanding high school records and SATs are unfairly being turned away by such campuses as UCLA and UC Berkeley. Instead, the critics say, less qualified students are being admitted who submit fabricated or exaggerated written statements saying they have overcome severe hardships.

The report is due to be discussed at the UC Board of Regents meeting next week.