Holistic Review in Graduate Admissions: What we need to Know

Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce Webinar Series

Thursday, November 3, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET

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Webinar series on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce

Share findings from the USU/APLU/AAMC report (July 2016)

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One definition:

Holistic review is a flexible, individualized way of assessing an applicant’s capabilities by which balanced consideration is given to experience, attributes, and academic metrics (Source: AAMC, 2013)

Robust evidence from undergraduate and professional admissions, but less common among doctoral programs.

Holistic Admissions in the Health Professions (September 2014)

Schools using many holistic admission practices reported increased student body diversity

Student success metrics (e.g., graduation rate, GPA) remained the same or increased

Moderator:

Ambika Mathur, Ph.D. Associate Provost for Scientific Workforce Training, Development and Diversity, and Dean of the Graduate School at Wayne State University

Ambika Mathur, Ph.D. Associate Provost for Scientific Workforce Training, Development and Diversity, and Dean of the Graduate School at Wayne State University

Julia Kent, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Communications, Advancement and Best Practices at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).

Julia Kent

Assistant Vice President

Communications, Advancement and Best Practices

Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)

Holistic Review: Promising Practices and

Remaining Needs

Presentation Goals

• Highlight what we know about current state of graduate admissions

• Share “Promising Practices” and recommendations for graduate institutions seeking to implement more holistic admissions processes

• Identity pressing needs and priorities

A Working Definition

“A process by which programs consider a broad range of characteristics, including noncognitiveand personal attributes, when reviewing applications for admission.” (CGS, 2016)

Overview of CGS Project

• Sponsored by

• Activities: research, survey of CGS members, workshop with deans & other experts

• Final Report now online

• Session on project at 2016 NAGAP meeting (April 14)

CGS Student Life Cycle Survey: Topics Covered

• Who holds authority for making admissions decisions

• Relative importance of different types of admissions materials

• Applicant qualities deserving greater attention

• Availability and use of rubrics

• Barriers to holistic review and needed information

• Practices associated with holistic review

Academic Credentials are Considered First

Most graduate programs value quantifiable metrics (such as GPA and standardized test scores) in early stages of the admissions process.

They shift to considering more qualitative materials (such as letters of recommendations and personal or research statements) in later stages.

Source: CGS Student Life Cycle Survey

Qualities Deserving More Attention – Master’s Admissions

Source: CGS Student Life Cycle Survey

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10%

20%

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40%

50%

60%

70%

Pastacademics

Criticalthinkingability

Fit withprogram

WritingAbility

Grad school staff

Faculty and Staff outsidethe graduate school

Qualities Deserving More Attention – Doctoral Admissions

Source: CGS Student Life Cycle Survey

0%

10%

20%

30%

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Criticalthinking

Research,Work

Experience

Fit withprogram

Writingability

Graduate School Staff

Faculty and Staff outsidethe Graduate School

Promising Practices

1. Demonstrate a clear commitment to excellence through diversity throughout the graduate education system.

2. Gather and analyze department-specific data on graduate admissions.

3. Provide faculty members who make admissions decisions with the context needed to evaluate students appropriately.

4. Provide faculty with information on the appropriate use of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Promising Practices (continued)

5. Offer guidance on the optimal sequence for reviewing application materials.

6. Support communication and alliances between faculty and recruitment officers to ensure that admissions and recruitment efforts are well-aligned.

7. Provide faculty with rubrics for evaluating applicants so that admissions criteria are more transparent and consistently applied.

8. Consider alternative funding models (especially in doctoral programs) that might enable new thinking about admissions.

Pressing Needs & Concerns

• More data are needed that demonstrate the link between admissions criteria and student success.

• Limited staff and faculty time is considered the greatest barrier to performing more holistic admissions processes for graduate programs.

Further Information

Contact:

Julia Kent, [email protected]

Maureen McCarthy, [email protected]

Download the free electronic report at www.cgsnet.org and order additional print copies.

Keivan G. Stassun, Ph.D., Stevenson Endowed Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research at Vanderbilt University.

Nature (2014, 510, 303)

How GRE suppresses diversity

Miller & Stassun (2014, Nature)

23%

44%

8%

GRE does have some residual correlation with long-term success

Note: These are “in-group” correlations, i.e. after adjusting for the dominant correlations with gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.

Kuncel & Hezlett (2010)

Identifying Students With the Right Stuff

What roles are we

looking for?

Commitment and academic

potential

Productive, creative,

entrepreneurial researchers

Effective teachers and

mentors

Transformational leadership

What qualities

predict success?

Passion, “fire in the belly”

Ability to succeed in relevant courses

Ability in the laboratory

Persistence in the face of hardship (the “P” in PhD)

Entrepreneurial spirit

Two most important elements in admissions:

(1) basic academic preparation, (2) grit

“performance character”, “successful intelligence”

Stassun et al (2011, Am. Journ. Phys.)

fisk-vanderbilt-bridge.org

Measuring grit and growth mindset

Stassun et al (2011, Am. Journ. Phys.)

Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program “Firsts”

First Black woman to receive PhD in physics from Yale; NSF postdoc fellow.

First Black woman to publish first-author astronomy paper in Nature; faculty at Penn State.

First Sioux woman to earn advanced physics degree; postdoc at DOE national lab.

First Native Hawaiian woman to receive NSF graduate fellowship; postdoc at Caltech.

85% PhD completion rate, 100% placement post-PhD.

fisk-vanderbilt-bridge.org

Courtney Ferrell Aklin, Ph.D., Chief of Staff, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health

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Contact info:◦ Julia Michaels, Project Manager◦ [email protected] (202) 478-6071◦ http://www.uuhealth.org

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Addressing Unconscious Bias in Higher Education

Friday, January 13, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Eastern Time