Ohio State will continue to promote student diversity by adding new essay questions to the undergraduate application.
The Faculty Admissions Committee adjusted the application this summer in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision which allows diversity to be a factor in accepting new students.
“It’s an attempt by our university to attract a diverse pool of students,” said Bill Hall, vice president of Student Affairs.
All applicants for the freshman class of 2004 will be required to answer the four new essay questions.
“It gives students an opportunity to talk about experiences, attitudes and hopes in a way that will reveal a lot about themselves,” said Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies.
The questions ask applicants what they expect out of OSU, what fictional character they identify with, what they have learned from a public figure who is different from them and what they expect to be concerned with in five to 10 years.
Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions and first year experience, said the committee added another personal element to the application.
Prospective students are now asked what contributions they made in community and high school roles.
“So it is okay if you’re not the captain of the team,” Freeman said. “This is another way to give students the chance to tell us more about themselves.”
Student’s answers will help the admissions committee get a sense of each applicant as an individual, said Mike Goodman, president of Undergraduate Student Government.
“One thing that’s really nice is that OSU, the second largest university in the country, really is putting an emphasis on one-on-one,” Goodman said.
Academic factors will still be most important in deciding who gets accepted, Freeman said.
The 35-person reviewing committee expects about 20,000 applications in all this year. Certain students will automatically be accepted or rejected by looking through their application for the first time. The students who are not immediately accepted will be looked at for further review.
Freeman said these questions will help narrow down the 7,000 applicants who are in the middle ground.
A 20-year reviewing process must be changed to accommodate the new application. Students must wait eight to 10 weeks instead of four to six weeks for a response.
“It represents quite an investment in my staff,” Garland said. “I know it will be hard.”
Goodman said he commends OSU for taking the time to instill a new application process.
“It will cost more and require more staff, but they are sticking to their word to keep this a diverse university,” Goodman said.
The new process will be under weekly review to make sure it is working properly.
“We want this to be fair and we want the students to know what we are looking for,” Garland said.
