SAT, GPAs still important criteria
UCLA is first and foremost an academic institution; and it
therefore follows that its primary consideration for admitting new
students should be academic merit.
In his submission, “GPA, SAT scores wrongly emphasized in
admissions” (Jan. 12), Jelani Lindsey calls for scaling back
the importance of GPA and SAT scores in UCLA admission decisions,
but offers no comparable alternative.
Lindsey argues that students originating from poorly funded,
inner-city schools are presented with limited opportunities, and
that this prevents them from competing with students from more
affluent high schools.
While this may be true, it should be noted that external factors
are already considered in the admission process. In fact, the
University of California application offers students the chance to
explain any personal or educational difficulties as part of their
personal statement. Items like SAT scores are not evaluated in a
strictly objective manner.
Still, extenuating circumstances should only explain academic
deficiencies, not necessarily compensate for them. Although GPAs
and SAT scores may not be perfect tools for predicting college
success, they are the best measures UC has.
If UCLA is to retain its academic reputation, the importance of
these objective criteria should not be ignored.
Alan Jern First-year, computer science
Armed marshals would prevent terrorism
In Rosamund de Sybel’s column, “U.S. plays world
bully with airline measures” (Jan. 13), she speaks of
paranoid edicts by security personnel, but readily shows her own
paranoia.
For example, Israel’s El Al Airlines has the pioneered the
policy of putting air marshals on all their flights, and has only
had one hijacking or successful terrorist incident on their
airplanes ““ in 1968. Was this fact intentionally omitted, or
was it selectively forgotten due to de Sybel’s anti-gun
paranoia?
As the war on terrorism has shown, when the good guys have guns
and are able to use them, the bad guys are crippled. Or maybe we
should significantly forget that we haven’t had another
terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001, and attacks on our troops
have diminished 22 percent since the capture of Saddam Hussein.
Joel Schwartz Class of 2003 alumnus Former Viewpoint
columnist