Comments for kevin p. siu http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog musings on technology, politics, and the world Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:03:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Engineering: Passion Lost and Found by oa http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2009/03/23/engineering-passion-lost-and-found/comment-page-1/#comment-657 oa Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:03:16 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/?p=393#comment-657 Hey Kevin! I loved your story. Now, I want to go into engineering too! Thank you, and all the best in all your future endeavors! Hey Kevin!

I loved your story. Now, I want to go into engineering too! Thank you, and all the best in all your future endeavors!

]]> Comment on An attack on meritocracy, or thinly veiled xenophobia? by Anonymous http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2012/01/31/an-attack-on-meritocracy-or-thinly-veiled-xenophobia/comment-page-1/#comment-654 Anonymous Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:34:13 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=665#comment-654 Your comments above assume that High School grades, which are grossly based on standardized testing, are the best tool for measuring proficiency. This idea has been repeatedly attacked by educational theorists. It would be very easy for a bright and motivated High School student to study specifically for these exams. In many cases teachers, feeling pressured to guarantee student performance on the exams, will spend all of their class time teaching students how to shine on the exams; ignoring other parts of curriculum that go untested. Furthermore, students may participate in diploma prep classes that specifically prepare them for standardized testing. Academic dishonesty, and parental pressure on teachers to give high marks have also been issues raised. The point is that all of this assumes that someone's ability to score high on one specific test translates to academic ability. Unfortunately, while these tests can be good tools for gauging student ability, they are not without biases. What UBC is doing then, is allowing students who may not have scored as high on these tests, to prove their academic merit in different ways. Furthermore, as motivated students in High School begin to react to these trends in admissions, I think you will see a higher percentage of them participating in activities that are deemed "rich experience," in much the same way that you see this in University students who want to beef up their resumes. I don't see how beginning this process at an earlier age is in any way detrimental to students or their communities, regardless of race. Likewise, when these students start to enter the work place they will find out that the selection process involves interviews, letters of intent, and requires a well-rounded resume. Why not start working on these skills in High School? Your comments above assume that High School grades, which are grossly based on standardized testing, are the best tool for measuring proficiency. This idea has been repeatedly attacked by educational theorists. It would be very easy for a bright and motivated High School student to study specifically for these exams. In many cases teachers, feeling pressured to guarantee student performance on the exams, will spend all of their class time teaching students how to shine on the exams; ignoring other parts of curriculum that go untested. Furthermore, students may participate in diploma prep classes that specifically prepare them for standardized testing. Academic dishonesty, and parental pressure on teachers to give high marks have also been issues raised. The point is that all of this assumes that someone’s ability to score high on one specific test translates to academic ability. Unfortunately, while these tests can be good tools for gauging student ability, they are not without biases. What UBC is doing then, is allowing students who may not have scored as high on these tests, to prove their academic merit in different ways. Furthermore, as motivated students in High School begin to react to these trends in admissions, I think you will see a higher percentage of them participating in activities that are deemed “rich experience,” in much the same way that you see this in University students who want to beef up their resumes. I don’t see how beginning this process at an earlier age is in any way detrimental to students or their communities, regardless of race. Likewise, when these students start to enter the work place they will find out that the selection process involves interviews, letters of intent, and requires a well-rounded resume. Why not start working on these skills in High School?

]]> Comment on An attack on meritocracy, or thinly veiled xenophobia? by Cam http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2012/01/31/an-attack-on-meritocracy-or-thinly-veiled-xenophobia/comment-page-1/#comment-653 Cam Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:18:16 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=665#comment-653 "At best, their new policy must be accompanied by curriculum change, or else they are setting up their new students for failure - those entering with lower averages are probably not going to magically out-perform their more academically-inclined peers." I think you're right on the money with this statement. The only way for a policy like this to be sustainable is to eventually reduce the difficulty of the curriculum. Like any 'affirmative action' strategy, which is what this is, the new admission standards are only going to hurt the ability of bright students to signal their talent. Employers will eventually place less value on a UBC degree and we'll remove the whole incentive for immigrants to attend in the first place (to get a job). Mission accomplished UBC. “At best, their new policy must be accompanied by curriculum change, or else they are setting up their new students for failure – those entering with lower averages are probably not going to magically out-perform their more academically-inclined peers.”

I think you’re right on the money with this statement. The only way for a policy like this to be sustainable is to eventually reduce the difficulty of the curriculum.

Like any ‘affirmative action’ strategy, which is what this is, the new admission standards are only going to hurt the ability of bright students to signal their talent. Employers will eventually place less value on a UBC degree and we’ll remove the whole incentive for immigrants to attend in the first place (to get a job). Mission accomplished UBC.

]]> Comment on An attack on meritocracy, or thinly veiled xenophobia? by Vincey http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2012/01/31/an-attack-on-meritocracy-or-thinly-veiled-xenophobia/comment-page-1/#comment-652 Vincey Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:58:11 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=665#comment-652 Kevin, you did a lot in high school too! You ran yearbook, and played in concert/gold band and jazz band every year. Weren't you also in the engineering club? And you wrote a lot of math competitions - this one might sound nerdy or academic, but it was kind of fun for those involved, I think? I think you were still sociable in high school; you already had some rich experiences to talk about; you just did even more when you got to university. I still agree with many of your other points though. I think the term "over-achieving" means different things to different people. To me, it meant good grades *and* participating in a lot of extracurriculars. I've done that in high school and in university. I saw a lot of other high academic achievers at our high school particpating in a lot of acitivities as well. I gotta admit, it's been a real challenge to keep my grades up while spending my time at a lot of extracurricular activities. Reflecting on my high school days, it was nice to have the luxury of doing extracurriculars because I enjoyed them, not because I was worried about a university application a few years down the road. (And this was on top of extra language and math classes on the weekend too.) Kevin, you did a lot in high school too! You ran yearbook, and played in concert/gold band and jazz band every year. Weren’t you also in the engineering club? And you wrote a lot of math competitions – this one might sound nerdy or academic, but it was kind of fun for those involved, I think? I think you were still sociable in high school; you already had some rich experiences to talk about; you just did even more when you got to university. I still agree with many of your other points though.

I think the term “over-achieving” means different things to different people. To me, it meant good grades *and* participating in a lot of extracurriculars. I’ve done that in high school and in university. I saw a lot of other high academic achievers at our high school particpating in a lot of acitivities as well.

I gotta admit, it’s been a real challenge to keep my grades up while spending my time at a lot of extracurricular activities. Reflecting on my high school days, it was nice to have the luxury of doing extracurriculars because I enjoyed them, not because I was worried about a university application a few years down the road. (And this was on top of extra language and math classes on the weekend too.)

]]> Comment on An attack on meritocracy, or thinly veiled xenophobia? by Geoff http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2012/01/31/an-attack-on-meritocracy-or-thinly-veiled-xenophobia/comment-page-1/#comment-651 Geoff Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:02:12 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=665#comment-651 I'm sorry, you had extra math classes, piano lessons and went to language school? How do those not qualify as "rich life experiences"? You want to talk about the kid who had to work 30 hours a week every day so he could afford university, or just pay the family bills? What about those who've had to overcome extraordinary circumstances to go to school? This isn't a US private school application, they're not asking for your mothers maiden name or ethnicity. They just want to make sure you can communicate an idea and do a few things other than study. As someone who got received the Governor General's award while maintaining 30+ hours a week of extra curriculars, I don't have too much sympathy for those who don't have enough time. I’m sorry, you had extra math classes, piano lessons and went to language school? How do those not qualify as “rich life experiences”?

You want to talk about the kid who had to work 30 hours a week every day so he could afford university, or just pay the family bills? What about those who’ve had to overcome extraordinary circumstances to go to school?

This isn’t a US private school application, they’re not asking for your mothers maiden name or ethnicity. They just want to make sure you can communicate an idea and do a few things other than study.

As someone who got received the Governor General’s award while maintaining 30+ hours a week of extra curriculars, I don’t have too much sympathy for those who don’t have enough time.

]]> Comment on An attack on meritocracy, or thinly veiled xenophobia? by Anonymous http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2012/01/31/an-attack-on-meritocracy-or-thinly-veiled-xenophobia/comment-page-1/#comment-650 Anonymous Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:31:28 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=665#comment-650 Admittedly, I *aherm* skimmed it quickly because I'm lazy, and can only contribute one point based on my limited knowledge of your post. As someone who used to work in admissions, I think that the true reason why broad-based admissions is being implemented is as a barrier on Asians not because they are party poopers as Macleans asserts, but because UBC needs to establish a way to weed out language as a barrier to university success. At least in UBC's case, there was an alarming number of students who are unable to write in English at an elementary level, and couldn't put an English sentence together, let alone identify the object of that sentence. It is becoming an issue in terms of academic integrity (aka blatant plagiarism), as well as professors who are unsure of what to do in the case of group projects where some students are clearly struggling in terms of how they can contribute. Don't get me wrong, this isn't limited to Asians. Teenagers who *only* know English are proving to get dumber and dumber by the generation like grammar is going out of style. One student graduated, managed to land a job at a major accounting firm, sent an ill-drafted email out to a client, was subsequently fired, and the Dean found out, horrified that his faculty could be graduating morons who don't even have an ESL excuse. Now, UBC's trying to cover its butt by bringing in a mandatory writing course requirement, but the class is weak and there's not much you can do to help someone who is hopeless in the span of only 13 weeks. Additionally, TOEFL is nice but it doesn't really do much. In order to preemptively control the number of these students who are somehow surviving the system enough to get by but can't write for shit, they are sneakily working in a English-language component into admissions by having you *write out* your non-existent life experiences. For the most part, this does not affect the grade average of the incoming class (trust me, I checked, if you got the grades, you for the most part are accepted) but it does give the admissions office some leeway in denying students with exceptionally horrendous English. The original intention was actually aimed at Canadian-born, English-as-an-only-language igjits, so for the most part, Asians as a group won't be affected by this. This unfortunately does affect those Asian Canadians who are newer to Canada. Ironically however, this does not so much affect international students, but given how much they pay for tuition, I'd say the answer to that is obvious. Admittedly, I *aherm* skimmed it quickly because I’m lazy, and can only contribute one point based on my limited knowledge of your post. As someone who used to work in admissions, I think that the true reason why broad-based admissions is being implemented is as a barrier on Asians not because they are party poopers as Macleans asserts, but because UBC needs to establish a way to weed out language as a barrier to university success. At least in UBC’s case, there was an alarming number of students who are unable to write in English at an elementary level, and couldn’t put an English sentence together, let alone identify the object of that sentence. It is becoming an issue in terms of academic integrity (aka blatant plagiarism), as well as professors who are unsure of what to do in the case of group projects where some students are clearly struggling in terms of how they can contribute. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t limited to Asians. Teenagers who *only* know English are proving to get dumber and dumber by the generation like grammar is going out of style. One student graduated, managed to land a job at a major accounting firm, sent an ill-drafted email out to a client, was subsequently fired, and the Dean found out, horrified that his faculty could be graduating morons who don’t even have an ESL excuse. Now, UBC’s trying to cover its butt by bringing in a mandatory writing course requirement, but the class is weak and there’s not much you can do to help someone who is hopeless in the span of only 13 weeks. Additionally, TOEFL is nice but it doesn’t really do much. In order to preemptively control the number of these students who are somehow surviving the system enough to get by but can’t write for shit, they are sneakily working in a English-language component into admissions by having you *write out* your non-existent life experiences. For the most part, this does not affect the grade average of the incoming class (trust me, I checked, if you got the grades, you for the most part are accepted) but it does give the admissions office some leeway in denying students with exceptionally horrendous English. The original intention was actually aimed at Canadian-born, English-as-an-only-language igjits, so for the most part, Asians as a group won’t be affected by this. This unfortunately does affect those Asian Canadians who are newer to Canada. Ironically however, this does not so much affect international students, but given how much they pay for tuition, I’d say the answer to that is obvious.

]]> Comment on A 2012 Message to the Liberal Party of Canada by Andrew Doyle http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2012/01/01/a-2012-message-to-the-liberal-party-of-canada/comment-page-1/#comment-647 Andrew Doyle Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:40:03 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=635#comment-647 Well put Kevin. This sentiment is being echoed by all of the hopefuls for the National Executive, and our election results are being taken very seriously. The Liberals will bounce back only by listening to Canadians and producing good policy. Stay tuned for the Biennial... Well put Kevin. This sentiment is being echoed by all of the hopefuls for the National Executive, and our election results are being taken very seriously. The Liberals will bounce back only by listening to Canadians and producing good policy.

Stay tuned for the Biennial…

]]> Comment on Why shouldn’t Christmas be in schools? by Der Fleurer http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2011/12/17/why-shouldnt-christmas-be-in-schools/comment-page-1/#comment-640 Der Fleurer Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:51:07 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/?p=541#comment-640 I'd rather hear "merry christmas" than nothing at all. I’d rather hear “merry christmas” than nothing at all.

]]> Comment on Engineering: Passion Lost and Found by Peter p http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2009/03/23/engineering-passion-lost-and-found/comment-page-1/#comment-639 Peter p Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:25:22 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/?p=393#comment-639 Nice post! Bravo for going after what you want and having the courage to do so Nice post! Bravo for going after what you want and having the courage to do so

]]> Comment on Engineering: Passion Lost and Found by sk http://kevinpsiu.ca/blog/2009/03/23/engineering-passion-lost-and-found/comment-page-1/#comment-633 sk Sat, 28 May 2011 21:18:25 +0000 http://kevinpsiu.ca/?p=393#comment-633 I thank you for your inspiring story. I hope engsci will change my perspective as much as it did yours. I thank you for your inspiring story. I hope engsci will change my perspective as much as it did yours.

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