The new mathematical formula that is now being used in the UNC athlete admissions process will help ensure that admitted athletes are academically competitive.
Prior to the signing of recruits, the admissions office must approve those recruits’ academic capacity. If admissions determines that a recruit doesn’t meet certain criteria, he or she must be sent to a special subcommittee to determine if an exception might be made for that recruit.
The new formula makes the screening process more thorough and more quantitative.
The formula, which was first implemented by the office in November 2012, seeks to predict the potential college GPA of a recruit based on his or her high school GPA and ACT or SAT scores. If the formula predicts a GPA that is less than 2.3, the recruit’s application is sent to subcommittee for review.
The previous guidelines for review — which remain in place — include whether or not the recruit has violated community standards, or if the recruit doesn’t meet minimum admissions requirements.
The formula could identify academically lagging recruits who might have otherwise slipped through the review process.
Of course, it is impossible to perfectly predict a student’s academic progress. For one, high school performance is not a complete representation of college performance, but this new method is better than the current form.
However, when selecting students, the committee should continue to avoid focusing solely on a recruit’s possible GPA. The formula may be a good guideline for recruits who need further review, but it shouldn’t make or break an application.
With this new formula, a deeper, holistic view of a prospective student can be taken into consideration before admission.
