By Mark Peterson
Personally, my experience at Harvard, a master's degree and a Ph.D., has helped me in many ways to open doors to opportunities along the way. But it has been interesting to me that the word "Harvard" is met with such awe, particularly in Korea. Korea has an understanding of both hierarchy and the value of education, and Seoul National University is often assumed to be the best university in Korea, and Harvard is assumed to be the best university in the world. This may or may not be the case, but I have seen the reaction from many in Korea when the word "Harvard" is heard.
What does it take to get into Harvard? The assumption is you need the best scores on tests (ACT or SAT) and a perfect grade point average (GPA). Well, it turns out that's not true.
I was reminded of Harvard's admission policies a few days ago when I saw a press release about Harvard's change of admission requirements because of the COVID-19 situation. They announced that since many students, "particularly those from modest economic backgrounds," would not be able to take the standardized test, they would not be using it for consideration in admissions.
"Consistent with Harvard's whole-person admissions process, standardized tests are only one factor among many. Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years ― including community involvement, employment and help given to students' families ― are considered as part of our process."
The history of Harvard's policy of considering the "whole-person" and emphasizing "accomplishments" goes back to the 1960s. Until that point, the admission's standard was basically grades and tests, but things changed because of a medical doctor by the name of Chase Peterson (no relation).
Dr. Peterson had been an undergraduate at Harvard, and then got a medical degree there. After serving in the military and an internship at Yale, he returned to his hometown, Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1961. Harvard, at about that time, was changing its identity from being a premier university in the Ivy League, or in the northeast of the United States, to being a true national university. As part of that process, Harvard set up admissions advisory committees in various places across the country, and Chase Peterson was asked to be the person in charge in the Utah area.
After a few years, Harvard noticed that the students from the Utah area were outstanding in many regards, noticeably more so than the other students. The admissions office took notice and finally looked to Dr. Peterson to see if he could explain the differences.
Chase Peterson explained that he had a five-point standard for evaluating potential students. First and second were, of course, grades and test scores. But he added: (3) letters of recommendation from teachers and others, (4) evidence of leadership and (5) accomplishments. Simply put, he was recommending a student body president with maybe a 3.7 over the "bookworm" with a 4.0. And he looked for unusual accomplishments ― having published a book of poetry, having launched a rocket, having been a soloist with the local symphony, having the lead in a community theater production, being an outstanding high-school athlete and things like that. Things that made the student stand out, not just in the classroom, but in life.
Harvard was so taken by his radical approach, that they asked him to come back to Cambridge and be the Dean of Admissions at Harvard. In 1967, he accepted the offer. That started his career as a university administrator. Ten years later, he was asked to be a vice president of a school he had never attended, but in his hometown of Salt Lake, the University of Utah. And another six years later he became the president there.
Harvard's admission policies still today reflect the changes brought to the university by an M.D. on an advisory committee who said, let's look at the "whole-person." Look again at Harvard's statement from a few days ago: "Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years ― including community involvement, employment and help given to students' families are considered as part of our process." To my numbering system, it looks like there's a 6 (employment) and a 7 (help given to the students' families) that are being considered along with grades and test. The "whole-person" not the bookworm.
Should Korea reconsider the Korean ideal of hagwon, hagwon, hagwon (the after-school-till-midnight "cram schools")?
Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.
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What does it take to get into Harvard? The assumption is you need the best scores on tests (ACT or SAT) and a perfect grade point average (GPA). Well, it turns out that's not true.
I was reminded of Harvard's admission policies a few days ago when I saw a press release about Harvard's change of admission requirements because of the COVID-19 situation. They announced that since many students, "particularly those from modest economic backgrounds," would not be able to take the standardized test, they would not be using it for consideration in admissions.
"Consistent with Harvard's whole-person admissions process, standardized tests are only one factor among many. Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years ― including community involvement, employment and help given to students' families ― are considered as part of our process."
The history of Harvard's policy of considering the "whole-person" and emphasizing "accomplishments" goes back to the 1960s. Until that point, the admission's standard was basically grades and tests, but things changed because of a medical doctor by the name of Chase Peterson (no relation).
Dr. Peterson had been an undergraduate at Harvard, and then got a medical degree there. After serving in the military and an internship at Yale, he returned to his hometown, Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1961. Harvard, at about that time, was changing its identity from being a premier university in the Ivy League, or in the northeast of the United States, to being a true national university. As part of that process, Harvard set up admissions advisory committees in various places across the country, and Chase Peterson was asked to be the person in charge in the Utah area.
After a few years, Harvard noticed that the students from the Utah area were outstanding in many regards, noticeably more so than the other students. The admissions office took notice and finally looked to Dr. Peterson to see if he could explain the differences.
Chase Peterson explained that he had a five-point standard for evaluating potential students. First and second were, of course, grades and test scores. But he added: (3) letters of recommendation from teachers and others, (4) evidence of leadership and (5) accomplishments. Simply put, he was recommending a student body president with maybe a 3.7 over the "bookworm" with a 4.0. And he looked for unusual accomplishments ― having published a book of poetry, having launched a rocket, having been a soloist with the local symphony, having the lead in a community theater production, being an outstanding high-school athlete and things like that. Things that made the student stand out, not just in the classroom, but in life.
Harvard was so taken by his radical approach, that they asked him to come back to Cambridge and be the Dean of Admissions at Harvard. In 1967, he accepted the offer. That started his career as a university administrator. Ten years later, he was asked to be a vice president of a school he had never attended, but in his hometown of Salt Lake, the University of Utah. And another six years later he became the president there.
Harvard's admission policies still today reflect the changes brought to the university by an M.D. on an advisory committee who said, let's look at the "whole-person." Look again at Harvard's statement from a few days ago: "Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years ― including community involvement, employment and help given to students' families are considered as part of our process." To my numbering system, it looks like there's a 6 (employment) and a 7 (help given to the students' families) that are being considered along with grades and test. The "whole-person" not the bookworm.
Should Korea reconsider the Korean ideal of hagwon, hagwon, hagwon (the after-school-till-midnight "cram schools")?
Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.
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