Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Hyde Schools => Topic started by: Ursus on September 13, 2007, 11:17:58 PM
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I wonder what tailoring went into this presentation, prior to it being given to the Hyde kids? And I wonder how much the presentation was subsequently tailored by Malcolm, in order to post it in his blog? One edit that seems to have been missed is this statement, italic emphasis mine:
Harold reminded us that the admissions offices most want to see evidence of
genuine scholarship.[/list]
What are the chances of that happening at Hyde? Actually, it is possible: just stay away from the hot-potato topics, i.e., pretty much anything that is close to home or meaningful to you.
Some asides about Harold Wingood: He's not at Hyde anymore, but still gets pulled there from time to time. His older brother did not have a happy time there, and one hears virtually nothing about him anymore, save by mention of association with his siblings, who still warrant the good press. Meanwhile, Harold's younger sister, Joanne Winwood Goubourn, is one of Hyde's major league success stories.
Harold also has another connection to the current Hyde, namely his former, more intimate, associations with his sister's friend Laurie Gauld Hurd. I do recall Harold and Laurie undergoing disciplinary actions based on the nature of that extreme intimacy while all of them were still students. I wonder if Ol' Joe still remembers that one.
From Malcolm's Blog:
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Hyde Symposium Notes #3 (http://https://www.hyde.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=40561)
8/9/2007
Each year Hyde's teachers are called upon to write college recommendations on behalf of our seniors. Hyde alumnus Harold Wingood '74, Director of Admissions at Clark University (MA), presented a workshop on this very topic. A career college admissions professional, Harold has served in the admissions offices at Bowdoin, Duke, Tufts, and Washington University (MO) where he was a the director.
Harold began with a quiz: What factor matters most to college admissions offices when they consider applicants? (Most of us failed.) Harold then proceeded to lay out the prioritized four-part process of consideration utilized by most selective colleges. Given that I have a daughter applying to colleges this year, I was keenly interested.
- Degree of Difficulty: First and foremost, the most critical factor concerns what level of courses the student has taken, the degree of difficulty. Harold encouraged students to take the most challenging course load they can. An average grade in a challenging AP course matters more than an A in a standard course.
- Grades Earned: The college wants to know how well the student has performed in the context of his or her circumstances. The ideal of the well-rounded student is a myth. What colleges are actually looking for is a well-rounded class.
- Teacher Recommendations: What matters most is a candid assessment of how well the student has performed in the classroom. We even perused and dissected four sample recommendations, some from some very prestigious secondary schools. Don't dwell on character qualities of the candidate to an extent that eclipses an explanation of their actual academic effort and performance. For sure, the admissions office wants to know about the integrity, the persistence, the reliability, and the diligence of the candidates. However, Harold reminded us that the admissions offices most want to see evidence of genuine scholarship.
- Standardized Testing: Most of the Hyde teachers originally placed standardized testing at a higher point than Harold did. He reminded us that several of the most selective colleges have actually abandoned SATs. The admission process appears to be weighted most heavily in the areas where the student has the most control over the factors. In other words, all students have the power to take a very demanding course load and most can influence their grades with high effort. It is much harder to improve an SAT score. Harold reiterated his over-riding point: Students aspiring to the most selected colleges need to understand that the college is primarily interested in the extent to which they are engaged in the classroom.
It was great to have Harold with us. I attended Hyde School with him and his brother (Ken '71) and sister, Joanne Goubourn '75, our head of school at Hyde-Bronx.
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I do recall Harold and Laurie undergoing disciplinary actions based on the nature of that extreme intimacy while all of them were still students. I wonder if Ol' Joe still remembers that one.
Of course, only at Hyde School would sex between consenting teenagers (often legally adult) be considered "extreme intimacy!" I always considered the sexually active kids to be brave, subversive agents against Hyde's orwellian antisexualism. Big Brother (almost) always got them in the end, though--off to a little work-crew reconditioning.
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I do recall Harold and Laurie undergoing disciplinary actions based on the nature of that extreme intimacy while all of them were still students. I wonder if Ol' Joe still remembers that one.
Of course, only at Hyde School would sex between consenting teenagers (often legally adult) be considered "extreme intimacy!" I always considered the sexually active kids to be brave, subversive agents against Hyde's orwellian antisexualism. Big Brother (almost) always got them in the end, though--off to a little work-crew reconditioning.
Seems like in this case Big Brother also vacuumed out their brains more than a little. These two could hardly be termed " brave, subversive agents" anymore by any stretch of the imagination. They sold out and signed up with the "character conditioning brigade." Hail troops! Pfft!!!
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Harold reminded us that the admissions offices most want to see evidence of genuine scholarship.
Component utterly absolutely most emphatically necessary to genuine scholarship is... critical thinking.
How can critical thinking be nurtured at Hyde, when part and parcel of the entrance fee is slavish devotion and belief in "the cause?"
Should you question this set-up, let alone the veracity of certain principles (given that those who espouse them do not in any way, shape, or form follow these principles themselves), where does that lead you?
Out.