University Enrollment Opinion Essay
Essay Question:
- Should universities accept students who have poor grades but are very creative? Why?
Grades define the form of our educational system. Globally, the education system is dependent on grading performance. Focusing on grades disadvantages those students with poor grades yet are overly creative. Studies show that grades create risk-averse behavior, have turned out to be the end goal, and offer an inadequate form of feedback. Thus, in my opinion, universities should accept students based on creativity but not on grades.
First and foremost, grades create an inadequate form of feedback. Research shows giving students feedback is a fundamental requirement of education. Feedback is among the main motivations for students to improve. This is why rethinking whether grades are inadequate in providing student feedback is necessary. Studies indicate that grades adversely impact the teacher-student relationship. Besides, there exists a discrepancy between the one –dimensional grading character and the multidimensional nature of learners. Further, grades act like glass ceiling since acquiring a grade shows the completion of learning. These reasons justify that focusing on creativity provides a more adequate form of feedback than grades.
Second, grades are considered as the end goal. Unlike grades, creativity never stops; it is a continuous learning process. Poor grade students combine creativity with hard work to create and innovate new job opportunities. Most students are always in a position to memorize information from the class, but it will only take creative students to explore and design concepts they have to come up with a substantive business idea. With a high level of creativity, students can understand a problem and innovate a solution. Thus, unlike grades, creativity encourages personal development among students, helping them overcome grade-related prejudices.
Third, grades create a learning environment that restricts creativity and innovation. Accepting students based on grades implies failure, undermines the importance of creativity, and fades away the purpose of education. Focusing on creativity motivates students, exposing them to opportunities where they can grow their creative skills to the next level. Also, accepting creative students helps unlock their full potential as future creative leaders. Research shows that exposure to creative opportunities models learners to innovate new things useful in decision making and problem-solving. Besides, this promotes educational equity. Where educational equity prevails, the level of student performance improves.
In conclusion, students with poor grades should be accepted into universities for them to be motivated and learn the basic concepts to grow their creativity. They will also explore the wide range of things they can do in the future to better their lives. Also, creative students will become capable of expressing their creativity and applying creativity in problem-solving. Besides, accepting students based on creativity will motivate more students to enroll in the university. Thus, grades should not only be the basis of accepting students to the university; the aspect of creativity should also be considered.