Post by David HaardtPost by Dr A. N. WalkerProlly. Compare references -- the really informative ones
tend to be from top schools, [...]
In other words, teachers at "top schools" have learned to play the
make-the-AT-happy game.
I don't think that's quite a fair summary. There is, of
course, more than a smidgeon of truth in it -- top schools are
top by virtue of doing things better, inc in the PR dept. But
my word was "informative". A large majority of the UCAS forms
that I see have essentially worthless PSs and references. The
PS might just as well have said "I am a normal 17yo who wants to
go to univ", and the ref might just as well have said "John is
expected to do well at A-level" [full stop]. It would make *me*
happy to see 100 consecutive forms that say *exactly* that [apart
from "John"] rather than 100 that spend two pages of small typing
to say the equivalent.
In the sea of edu-speak, the occasional oases of normal
prose that actually tell me something about John are indeed a
pleasure. Esp when they are *brutally* frank -- "John is an idle
layabout, but his parents are rich. If he gets better than DDE
it will be a miracle, but he might just about survive even at your
place if he pulls his socks up. He is a great lad to talk to, as
long as you keep him off football." I bet Ian's "careers bird"
never writes references like that. I suspect that Eton no longer
writes references like that either, which is a pity.
The problem is, of course, that all the advice from UCAS
and the univ entrance guides tends towards bland conformity. If
I can do just a little to get some individuality and anarchy back
into the system, I shall be pleased.
--
Andy Walker, School of MathSci., Univ. of Nott'm, UK.
***@maths.nott.ac.uk