In signing an agreement with MATC guaranteeing admittance to UW-Madison for a section of that school's students, Chancellor Wiley has further damaged this University's academic credibility. Like most other students on campus, I'm honored to be enrolled at UW-Madison and am proud of the effort I invested to achieve this status. To know that this institution, which many rank among the nation's elite, is guaranteeing any form of admission is disappointing.
That it would guarantee admission to students who attain a B average at a technical college is absurd. Selectivity in admissions significantly contributes to the value of a degree from any academic institution. A significant portion of the allure of this University is attributable to its high standards for admission, and the high caliber of intellectual achievement which accompanies it. According to this school's admissions' website, the ‘typical' admitted freshman ranks academically within 85-96 percentiles of his or her graduating class.
By contrast, an MATC site reports that less than one percent of its students graduated in the 90th percentile of their class. Admitting under-qualified individuals serves only as a means to print off more degrees bearing this school's logo, earn more money in tuition fees, and water down whatever level of prestige accompanies a UW-Madison diploma.
I certainly don't believe that every student from that institution with 54 credits and a 3.0 GPA is absolutely, without a doubt, qualified for and entitled to admission here. To guarantee admission to these individuals—most of whom would have been immediately rejected coming out of high-school—simply because they made a B average in four semesters of technical school is the sort of thing which destroys the academic credibility of a university. And I can't believe anyone could think otherwise. I'm even troubled by claims that the agreement is valuable inasmuch as it eliminates the worry of the application process.\ Worrying about admission is a very real part of the application process at any school, and one that every student ought to experience.
The bottom line is that this administration shouldn't be actively creating loopholes in the admissions process. Whoever was involved in this decision should know that the new policy is a slap in the face to current and past UW-Madison students, who legitimately earned their way into this school. It should be overturned. I ask students, professors and alums who still consider it an honor to be a Badger to send your concerns to Chancellor Wiley, because I believe there's still time to protect the integrity of this school.
Matthew Leiser
UW Sophomore
\
