【教育】300+ 所美国大学 2021 招生方向的共同声明 | HS2 ACADEMY 全方位教育机构

哈佛大学教育研究所通过其创办的 “Making Caring Common” 项目，在日前联合了包括耶鲁、哥伦比亚、布朗、达特茅斯、西北、卡内基梅隆及纽约大学在内的300所以上的大学招生处，发布了一份最新的集体声明，主要是明确的说明这些顶尖大学今年的招生方向，消除疫情期间产生的一些猜疑，以缓解申请者的顾虑，并且鼓励学生保持自我身心健康，平衡上课与生活，有意义的学习以及关怀他人. 随着全国乃至全球各地的学生都在经历着挑战和各种不确定性，招生负责人强调该项声明的公平性。

疫情下大学招生录取的五大考量：

1. Self-Care 照顾自己

把自己照顾好很重要，尤其是疫情下。招生部门知道，疫情期间很多家庭深陷经济损失与艰难，许多学生都在应对各种各样的压力。这样的危急时刻，关怀和照顾好自己是非常重要的。

2. Academic work 学术工作

疫情期间，学生的学术表现对於申请依然重要。但考虑到许多学生面临的现实情况，审核员评估申请人的学术成就时，会把这个因素放在疫情造成的影响之下，并对比申请人在疫情前和疫情后的学业表现。疫情影响下不方便考的AP, IB 或其他标化测试都不会影响申请学生的录取机会。我们会考虑学生如何利用有限的资源充实自己的课业学习。

3. Service and contributions to others 服务和对他人的贡献

招生部门表示，在今年这个特殊的申请季，他们更青睐能为社区，为他人做贡献的申请人。但他们强调，他们感兴趣的不是学生创立了某个新项目，不是学生体现了自己的领导力，也不是让学生在所谓的疫情义工奥运会中去拼比，而是学生真正发自内心和具有意义的贡献，包括回应因疫情而产生的诸多义工需求。

4. Family Contributions 家庭贡献

疫情期间许多学生可能需要承担家庭责任，包括看管年幼的兄弟姐妹、照顾生病的亲人、赚钱补贴家用等。而这些可能会影响到申请人的学习和活动。因此，招生部门鼓励学生把自己对家庭的重要贡献写在申请材料里，这对录取会有很正面的影响。我们在乎学生对自己的周遭社区及国家的贡献经验中的学习.

5. Extracurricular and summer activities 课外活动和夏季活动

招生部门表示，疫情期间学生不会因为无法参与课外活动而被扣分。这包括失去实习机会、暑期工作、夏令营、夏校课程和其他类型富有意义的活动。我们一直都觉得工作及家庭责任是最有价值的, 特别是疫情下.

让我们了解你的状况是很重要的. 如果学生有任何因疫情影响之不便, 例如没有网路可使用, 没有安静的地方可学习或其他家庭因素, 请务必在申请书上说明.

此联合声明的原文在这里：https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b7c56e255b02c683659fe43/t/5ef9bf0b67d0746239a5b429/1593425675919/FINAL+Statement_+TTT+Deans+20200629.pdf

What We Care about in this Time of Crisis: A Collective Statement from College Admission Deans

As admission and enrollment leaders, we recognize that we and the institutions we represent send signals that can shape students’ priorities and experiences throughout high school. This collective statement seeks to clarify what we value in applicants during this time of COVID-19. We are keenly aware that students across the country and the world are experiencing many uncertainties and challenges. We primarily wish to underscore our commitment to equity, and to encourage in students self-care, balance, meaningful learning, and care for others.

More specifically, we value the following:

1. Self-care

Self-care is of high importance, especially in times of crisis. We recognize that many students, economically struggling and facing losses and hardships of many kinds, are simply seeking to get by. We also recognize that this time is stressful and demanding for a wide range of students for many different reasons. We encourage all students to be gentle with themselves during this time.

2. Academic work

Your academic engagement and work during this time matters to us, but given the circumstances of many families, we recognize that many of you face obstacles to academic work. We will assess your academic achievements in the context of these obstacles. In addition, we will assess your academic achievements mainly based on your academic performance before and after this pandemic. No student will be disadvantaged because of a change in commitments or a change in plans because of this outbreak, their school’s decisions about transcripts, the absence of AP or IB tests, their lack of access to standardized tests (although many of the colleges represented here don’t require these tests) or their inability to visit campus. We will also view students in the context of the curriculum, academic resources, and supports available to them.

3. Service and contributions to others.

We value contributions to one’s communities for those who are in a position to provide these contributions. We recognize that while many students are not in this position because of stresses and demands, other students are looking for opportunities to be engaged and make a difference. This pandemic has created a huge array of needs, whether for tutoring, contact tracing, support for senior citizens, or assistance with food delivery. We view responding to these needs as one valuable way that students can spend their time during this pandemic.

We also value forms of contribution that are unrelated to this pandemic, such as working to register voters, protect the environment, combat racial injustice and inequities or stop online harassment among peers. Our interest is not in whether students created a new project or demonstrated leadership during this period. We, emphatically, do not seek to create a competitive public service “Olympics” in response to this pandemic. What matters to us is whether students’ contribution or service is authentic and meaningful to them and to others, whether that contribution is writing regular notes to frontline workers or checking in with neighbors who are isolated. We will assess these contributions and service in the context of the obstacles students are facing. We also care about what students have learned from their contributions to others about themselves, their communities, and/or their country (Please see Turning the Tide for additional information about the kinds of contributions and service we value). No student will be disadvantaged during this time who is not in a position to provide these contributions. We will review these students for admissions in terms of other aspects of their applications.

4. Family contributions.

Far too often there is a misperception that high-profile, brief forms of service tend to “count” in admissions while family contributions—which are often deeper and more time-consuming and demanding—do not. Many students may be supervising younger siblings, for example, or caring for sick relatives or working to provide family income, and we recognize that these responsibilities may have increased during these times. We view substantial family contributions as very important, and we encourage students to report them in their applications. It will only positively impact the review of their application.

5. Extracurricular and summer activities.

No student will be disadvantaged for not engaging in extracurricular activities during this time. We also understand that many plans for summer have been impacted by this pandemic and students will not be disadvantaged for lost possibilities for involvement. Potential internship opportunities, summer jobs, camp experiences, classes, and other types of meaningful engagement have been cancelled or altered. We have never had specific expectations for any one type of extracurricular activities or summer experience and realize that each student’s circumstances allow for different opportunities. We have always considered work or family responsibilities as valuable ways of spending one’s time, and this is especially true at this time.

Reporting information that is important to students and to us. We will gather information from schools themselves about curriculum and academic resources and supports, but encourage students to communicate any factors specific to their circumstances that impeded their academic performance. Those factors might include, for example, lack of access to the internet, no quiet place to study, or the various family responsibilities described above. We encourage students to describe concretely how any of these circumstances have negatively affected their academic performance or ability to engage in activities that matter to them. It is helpful to know, for example, how much time students spent per week taking on a family responsibility, such as taking care of a sick relative. This information will be treated completely confidentially. Both the Common Application and the Coalition for College application provide opportunities for students to describe how they have been impacted by the pandemic.

这份共同声明虽然为疫情期间大学审核的要素。但这实际上是极有可能成为长期的招生录取标准。其实在2016年一月份哈佛教育研究所就已经发布过一个18页的报告文件 Turning the tide 改变录取潮流. 这份文件也是当时由许多美国大学联合开会后的会议摘要, 算是他们的联合声明.

改变录取潮流的原文在这里：http://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/files/gse-mcc/files/20160120_mcc_ttt_execsummary_interactive.pdf?m=1453303460

当时这个会议中, 所有知名大学都出席了, 这种教育界的世纪盛会, 重要角色当然要凑个热闹, 也就是说台面上的大学早在2016年都已经肯定了这个新的录取趋势, 宣称会以这个会议声明作为以后的录取方向.  一个鼻孔出气下, 虽然不是三审通过的法律, 但这份文件就成了大学录取的操作原则.

从这几年的实际的录取审核显示了这些顶尖大学已经付诸行动的 “改变了录取的潮流”.

摘要重点, 2016年这份关系许多莘莘学子前途的录取趋势报告, 结论如下：

– 录取以学生人品为主要考量
– 降低分数, 考试, 成绩, AP/IB课等学术因素
– 希望学生多参与“有意义的”社区服务
– 看重学生跨越种族, 文化及社会阶层的贡献
– 期望学生关怀他人, 协助解决自己家庭的困境
– 培养对未来有责任感的学生
– 重视有品质的社区服务, 而不是表上列一堆名目

当时这篇声明公布时, 我所接触大多数的家长听到这个新观念, 多半是不以为然, 或完全抓不到重点. 有些听懂了但比较激进的家长跟学生就乾脆投其所好的设法在申请表上开始捏造功绩, 想蒙混过关, 完全忽略教育的真正意义. 中国人“上有政策, 下有对策”的心态已经造成这几年许多名校 “中国学生会造假作弊” 的坏印象, 这部分则是另外的议题. 但事实上, 当时不是只有我们亚裔的学生跟家长觉得困惑, 许多美国的主流媒体当时对这份声明也存疑, 甚至开出了以下的玩笑 “难道我未来的开刀医生可能不懂医疗理论, 但是非常热心公益吗？”

华裔的父母重视教育, 无庸置疑地付出许多, 期望子女进入最高教育学府, 习惯上还是以 “公式化” 的方式培养子女, 照表操课, 保守行事. 尤其观念上也坚持大数的时间跟力气都要花在读书跟考试上. 就连做公益都喜欢被指定项目及时数, 对於没加分作用的社区服务, 就不太愿意让子女”浪费”时间了.  

从事补教业超过二十年, 我一直不支持填鸭式教育, 更不认同分数可以决定学生的前途. 孩子的养成教育本来就该五育并进. 不过, 如果本末倒置的过分强调课外活动, 而忽略了学术基础的巩固, 倒也让人纳闷高等教育设立的宗旨.

总而言之, 趋势很明显, 这些声明是在共鸣 “照顾低收入及弱势族群” 这个美国当今最热门的社会运动. 哈佛这类的教育界龙头老大当然要当仁不让的领头显示它是多麽的悲天悯人, 其他大学也定要跟进, 以免造成政治立场不正确的形象. 这些势不可挡的议题是很难争论的, 因为每个人的立场不同. 换个角度来看这件事, 以现在地球环境恶化的状态, 教育不能只是培养出一群群没有社会责任, 自私自利的下一代. 尤其现在e世代的新新人类, 几乎就是活在网路世界里, 对很多外界的事物都完全无感, 课外活动对於青少年人格与自信心培养能产生绝对的良性影响. 这些新的趋势似乎也是顺应这个世界的需求.

这些最新的录取趋势绝对值得重视. 实际上, 学生大学申请要能得到最好的结果是不能用公式化的方式得到最佳的效果, 除了要早期就要立定个人化的策略及规划等准备, 学生本身专注力的维持更是需要透过不断的督促及鼓励.

当然啦! 美国的四年大学有超过4千所, 选择一所各方面都适合学生, 对学生的未来有最大帮助的大学更是一个绝对重要的考量.