Over the years various methods of selecting students for college have been considered. The Irish system is rather unusual, so academics and researchers here have been looking closely at what other countries have done, writes Emmet Oliver.
The following are the main options:
Standardised or aptitude tests
Used widely in the US as a way of selecting students for third-level. The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is the most well-known and is used all over the US. It usually comes in a multiple-choice format and the verbal and mathematical abilities of students are tested. The major disadvantage of such tests is that students can be "coached" to do well. They also do not indicate whether a student is suitable for a particular course or not. However, supporters of this approach say the tests are completely scientific and are free from unfairness or corruption.
School references
Third-level entry systems such as Britain's UCAS process have used references from school principals and teachers as a way of judging a student's suitability. The practice was even used in the late 1970s by Irish universities. However, this approach is regarded as a very unscientific way to select students. While some believe that teachers who have worked closely with students best know their abilities, others have argued that such a system would not be transparent from a student point of view.
Personal statements
This approach is currently used in Britain and the US, where students are asked why they would be suitable for a particular course. The statement is included in the overall application submitted to the college. The problem with this approach, according to the Points Commission Report of 1999, is that there is no guarantee the statement is genuine. Also websites have cropped up in the US selling personal statements. According to these sites, their statements are guaranteed to get you into one of the top Ivy League colleges.
Interviews
Used widely as a way to select students for third-level in various European countries and in Israel. This method was used in Ireland until the late 1980s. The interview is meant to be the most effective way of assessing whether a student has an aptitude for a particular course. But the idea has been rejected here because of the prevailing view that in a small country such as Ireland influence will be brought to bear on the process. Some teachers have also argued that holding interviews only increases the pressure on students in a traumatic final year. The counter argument is that the current Leaving Cert system means students can gain entry to courses they may have absolutely no interest in.
Random selection
Has been used in the Netherlands. This system is based on the view that once students meet the minimum requirements of a course there is no reason why they should be excluded based on their overall academic score. This system would simply allocate places based on random numbers. While its supporters, many of them academics, claim the system would at least give every student who met the academic requirements an equal chance, the public and parents in particular, appear not so keen.