Category: Admissions

The Why and How of Holistic Admissions

A few universities in Canada are currently considering introducing holistic admissions.  But what does that mean, exactly?  And is it a good idea?  Making selections “holistically” is simply making decisions on things in addition to secondary school academic results.  In most of the world, this idea is pretty heretical.  Secondary school results (or matriculation exams such as China’s gaokao or the French baccalauréat) are the be-all and end-all where university admissions are concerned.  In these countries, there is a deep

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Romanian Higher Education

Romania isn’t a country that gets a lot of attention outside southeast Europe.  But it should.  And I am not just saying that because of my well-known overfondness for the country’s sausage rolls and pufuleti. In terms of economic growth, it lies only slightly behind Poland in its performance over the last 15 years, and in terms of politics it has an admirably liberal president in Klaus Iohannis and a political culture which is remarkably calm compared to neighbours like

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Selective Schools and Holistic Admissions

Hi Everyone. I’m Alex Usher and welcome to the World of Higher Education podcast. This is our first pod back from summer break. And although it’s back to school time for the entering class of 2023, it’s also when final year secondary school students in North America have to start thinking about the process of applying for fall 2024. Even though the next class is a year away, the recruitment, application and admissions cycle is already in high gear. In most of the

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