Judging a candidate based on merit list is not the right thing to do
Academic scores especially the scores of board exams serve as the basic parameter for all the colleges to select students for their campuses. Some students feel that it is not fair to judge them only on the basis of their board exam score because they have got something more than the top scorers while the ones who have made it to the merit list swear by it being the best parameter. Let’s hear out what each group has to say:
Report cards don’t reflect intelligence – get rid of orthodoxy- Each individual is unique possessing certain qualitative differences. Grouping all the students under one umbrella of board exam scores means being ignorant towards a person’s capability to perform in a particular course and profession. Selecting a creative designer based on his marks rather than his designs or creativity is absolutely absurd.
- Choosing to have the score as the only criteria for selection of students hampers the dreams of those who are good at practical application of knowledge but are not equally good at making marks. Practical application is more important than ‘cramming’ and scoring.
- High scores in board exams can be achieved even after last minute preparation. It is important to assess the candidates on the basis of life time preparation and their seriousness in developing themselves in all the areas.
- The world is moving towards preparing all rounders and so should the colleges encourage in their selections. It is better to select the candidates based on a set of characteristics + score. This will help in following a more holistic approach in selection of candidates.
It is ideal to consider report cards for selection- When all the students know that their final academic scores are going to be the only criteria for selection, they are bound to work hard on their studies. With final score being the only parameter for selection you can easily distinguish between the serious and non-serious ones.
- Selecting the best students on the basis of scores keeps the selection process simple for both the students as well as the colleges.
- Not every student is interested in extra curricular activities. Even the ones who are interested in extra curricular activities are not necessarily interested in same kind of activities. This makes the selection process difficult as it is not possible to compare apples with oranges.
- Not everyone in school and junior college knows what they want from life. They do what excites them and it is with trial and error that they find out what really interests them. Keeping scores as the common selection criteria gives them an opportunity to try their hand at different things even if they don’t perform very well at them.
- Including extracurricular activities in the selection process will make the weaker students to succumb to the pressure of performing well at additional things.
When you hire a person, you hire his whole personality and not just his intellect. So, it is important to set a list of few important criteria which provide a holistic view of a candidate’s personality. Some people will excel in one area while the others in some other giving everyone a fair chance to make it to the final list.
