GRE changes hurtful to graduate schools

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Though American universities draw primarily from American
students when determining who they will admit, a school’s
commitment to achieving excellence automatically makes it necessary
to consider applications from the best international students as
well. This is especially true for graduate schools, where failing
to properly consider all qualified applicants might mean missing
out on a cure for cancer or another important advancement.

This is why eliminating the multiple choice aspect of the
Graduate Record Examination, the standardized test used to evaluate
prospective grad students, and incorporating a written essay
portion instead would severely damage graduate institutions.
International Students are not usually native-English speakers, and
requiring them to compete with native speakers would put them at an
unnecessary disadvantage ““ especially when the GRE already
offers a separate Writing Assessment test. If essay writing is
important to a particular college, it can simply require this
component instead of altering the existing system.

In deciding who is admitted to college, it is important that
everyone be considered fairly. Putting international students at a
disadvantage hurts everyone because knowledge and the ability to
contribute to a university are not entirely contingent on English
proficiency. Communication skills are certainly a part of the
picture ““ but one would hope the intensive academic
environment of a graduate school would bring out these abilities in
brilliant minds. A brilliant mind is sometimes even more valuable
than a brilliant pen.