“As I stand here and look back at that episode of history, I could almost hear the camel bells echoing in the mountains and see the wisp of smoke rising from the desert,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2013. Xi’s poetic pomp voiced a nostalgia for the second century BCE, when … Read more
“And they lived happily ever after””—a classic footnote to a classic Disney-style animated fairytale. The idea of animation as a happy children’s medium along these lines is so persistent that it has seldom been adjusted over the past five decades. Indeed, in this so-called “golden age” of television we have seen very little recent progress … Read more
The Harvard Graduate School of Education released a report in January titled “Turning the Tide,” which recommended that college admissions should de-emphasize standardized testing in favor of activities such as community service. The report is but the newest installment in an ever-growing confederation against standardized testing. Critics of standardized testing often accuse testing as contributing … Read more
In a 2014 article, Steven Pinker advocated for college admissions systems to prioritize test scores during the admissions process. Pinker makes two major claims: university spots should be granted to those who are best able to utilize the academic resources that colleges offer and aptitude-measuring standardized tests are the best way to predict professional success. … Read more
Meredith Vieira is an award-winning journalist who has hosted various TV programs including The View, NBC News Today, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and The Meredith Vieira Show, among many others. Vieira has hosted major events ranging from the 2014 Winter Olympic Games to President Obama’s inauguration. She is also known for her extensive … Read more
It’s Saturday evening. The science center is lit with fluorescent lights and humming with quiet energy. To my left stands table after table of tech booths, manned by caffeinated recruiters and filled to the brim with branded memorabilia. To my right are heaping boxes of ‘Noch’s, platters of Kong, and tubs of JP Licks. … Read more
The Graduate School of Education’s recent report on new college admission guidelines, though well intentioned, could severely skew the admissions system and harm the low-income students for whom it purports to advocate. The report proposes an admission system that de-emphasizes standardized tests and long lists of extracurricular activities, while emphasizing service-based activities. This proposal limits … Read more
August 15, 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of a single Korea from Japanese colonization. On that day last year, a 70-person North Korean choir stood at the 38th parallel in Panmunjom, awaiting the arrival of a South Korean orchestra with which it would perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and a Korean folk tune, “Arirang.” The South Korean … Read more
The modern university strives to assemble classes of students hailing from a variety of backgrounds and interests to create the “conditions for social transformation,” as Harvard’s mission statement imagines. Holistic admissions processes that assess character in addition to academic merit are vital to identify well-rounded students who can contribute to such a transformation. However, today’s … Read more
On Super Tuesday, the inconceivable became conceivable. Barring a potentially messy brokered convention in Cleveland this summer, Donald Trump has emerged as the inevitable GOP nominee. One of America’s two major parties, the party of the “Great Emancipator” Abraham Lincoln, is now led by a bombastic billionaire businessman who refused four times last Sunday to disavow the endorsement … Read more