Colleges Set to Stop Taking Applications on Rolling Basis

As controversy ripples out over some private universities’ use of the difference in academic levels among high schools as a criterion in choosing new students, the country’s private institutions are struggling to find methods to select students.

Most private colleges believe that they need a new method to discern the differing academic levels among high schools because they cannot trust high school GPAs.

Some colleges will raise the ratio of essay writing and interviews against other criteria. Others are considering stopping taking applications on a rolling basis.

“We will maintain the basic frame of the current application process,” said Kim Young-soo, the admissions director at Sogang University. “Differing academic levels among high schools are a problem. We will select excellent new students by first checking their scholastic abilities with essay writing, and then by giving in-depth interviews to find out their potential.”

“As long as there is GPA inflation, a new method should be devised to cull applicants,” said Kim Jong-deok, admissions director at Hankook University of Foreign Studies. “An opportunity should be given us to make discrete questions for interviews and essay writing if college-supervised exams cannot be allowed.”

“We don’t plan to repeal rolling basis applications or introduce our own exams,” said Lee Gi-tae, admissions director at Kyunghee University. “While the general framework will be here to stay, shouldn’t we develop a new way to gauge the differing academic levels during the admission process?”

“We are considering many measures, including one using GPAs, for the first stage of the application process, where scholastic aptitude tests are conducted. However, GPA inflation baffles us,” said Cho Jae-hoon, admissions manager at Hanyang University. “We are waiting for the final version for college admission guidelines for academic year 2008.”

The repeated emphasis by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development on its bedrock principle against the reflection of differing high school academic levels in admission processes mounts some pressure on private colleges.

“We may change the details of the admission process in an attempt to reduce conflict with the ministry,” said Lee Chungs-seok, admissions manager at Korea University. “We will consider the premium scores we used to use to normalize the difference in academic performances among high schools.”

“There was talk among colleges in favor of the repeal of rolling-basis applications a year ago for the lack of sufficient information about the applicants,” said an admissions officer at a college. “The controversy over the unofficial high school rankings will further fuel the talks.”

“Private colleges use rolling basis applications as a way to scout for excellent students, an admissions officer at Yonsei University said. “In that context, the differing levels of academic performances among high school should be reflected in the culling process.” He said, “The barrage of criticism and suspicions over the high school rankings continues; repealing rolling basis applications may be the way to go.”

“Given the state of things, rolling basis applications will decrease,” said Hyun Seon-hae, admissions director at Sung Kyun Kwan University. “We are mulling cutting the number of rolling basis applicants for the spring semester.”