Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Easing Pressure on Students Bares Ethnic Divide

Yes, I agree with you completely about the one shot/cram school thing.

The Irish system is like the UK one, except that students study 6 subjects, so they aren't as specialized as their counterparts in the UK. The Bac is somewhat more diversified, but has three basic tracks (science, social science & economics, and what we'd probably call humanities). The Swiss universities used to let anyone who passed the exam enroll in any course of study (well, I'm pretty sure you had to have taken tests in the required subject areas).

Switzerland can be libertarian in some ways, and this was one of them. The idea was, "You can enroll in medical school if you want to, but you have to pass to continue." So their various university courses would lose a lot of people after first year, but you could try if you wanted to. I like that system. I'm not sure if they still operate that way. Increasing population may have forced them to have entry requirements, but either way, it's all based on exam results.

That's how I kind of feel. I bet that area has a very competitive youth orchestra or two.

As for Suzuki method, unfortunately, it has become a tool for resume building for preschool admission that would get you into the right private K-12 school that sends dozens of kids into HYPS.

I've mentioned this before but I don't know any kids who got into HYPS because of musical accomplishments. I mean, I suppose if your child wins a major international competition or is giving concerns around the world, that's one thing but otherwise, I don't think it can really tip the scale. Sport, on the other hand, can be a huge factor. If you truly want your child to get into an ivy, instead of doing Suzuki violin, they should try out for as many sports as they can and hire a private coach or two. Some families pay $3000 a month to their tennis, golf, or whatever else coach PER child not because they believe their child has the potential to turn pro but because they know how to play the college admission game.

It's insanity.

Many if not most of the accomplished classical musicians who get into HYPS are Asian-Americans who also have great grades and test scores, so it will be difficult to point to applicants who got in primarily because of music. That said, the daughters of the Tiger Mother,who were famously pushed in music, both went to Harvard http://harvardmagazine.com/2015/07/the-tiger-daughter-intact . The year I got into Harvard, the other classmate to do so was a Korean-American whose primary EC was piano. The following year, a Chinese-American violin virtuoso got in from my high school. He is now an orchestra and opera conductor. They had good grades and test scores, too.

Now you are getting into politics. Because of differing levels of ability and motivation, as well as luck, there will always be inequality, and attempts to reduce it usually do more harm than good IMO.