Stanford - A different education for athletes

[Buffnik]

http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/stanford-athletes-had-access-list-easy-classes-9098

A drama class in “Beginning Improvising” and another in “Social Dances of North America III” were among dozens of classes on a closely guarded quarterly list distributed only to Stanford athletes to help them choose courses.

The list, which has existed at least since 2001, was widely regarded by athletes as an easy class list. More than a quarter of the courses on the list did not fulfill university general education requirements.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

So, teaching them what to do after they make a good play? Seems reasonable......

 

[Mick Ronson]

well, if you have to skip all the way to Social Dances III.....gotta be tough. It's like watching Joanie Loves Chachi and being expected to know wtf is going on...

 

[Duff Man]

Pretty much a non-story disguised as some major news event. Nice.

 

[absinthe]

http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/stanford-athletes-had-access-list-easy-classes-9098

A drama class in “Beginning Improvising” and another in “Social Dances of North America III” were among dozens of classes on a closely guarded quarterly list distributed only to Stanford athletes to help them choose courses.

The list, which has existed at least since 2001, was widely regarded by athletes as an easy class list. More than a quarter of the courses on the list did not fulfill university general education requirements.

speaking as someone who had a dozen friends and a wife go to Stanford the hard part is not the classes, its getting in. They have rampant grade inflation, tons of joke classes and you can drop with out it hitting your transcript up-to the date of the final. For the most part they have so much support even if you tried you'd have a hard time failing out.

 

[Buffnik]

speaking as someone who had a dozen friends and a wife go to Stanford the hard part is not the classes, its getting in. They have rampant grade inflation, tons of joke classes and you can drop with out it hitting your transcript up-to the date of the final. For the most part they have so much support even if you tried you'd have a hard time failing out.

That's what I've heard. Kind of the opposite philosophy as Cal, which has less stringent admissions but then tries to fail people out.

 

[Buffarino]

speaking as someone who had a dozen friends and a wife go to Stanford the hard part is not the classes, its getting in. They have rampant grade inflation, tons of joke classes and you can drop with out it hitting your transcript up-to the date of the final. For the most part they have so much support even if you tried you'd have a hard time failing out.

And at least as of a few years ago, there was no F at Stanford, so I don't know how you could fail out, either.

My experience with Stanford grads has been the same, although I am sure I don't know as many as you do. Getting in is the hard part.

 

[Maxer]

speaking as someone who had a dozen friends and a wife go to Stanford the hard part is not the classes, its getting in. They have rampant grade inflation, tons of joke classes and you can drop with out it hitting your transcript up-to the date of the final. For the most part they have so much support even if you tried you'd have a hard time failing out.

True. Same with the ivy league schools. Once you're in, you'd basically have to never come to class (and even then they wouldn't fail you out, they'd just have you take the semester off).

The biggest joke at Stanford (and I don't know if this is true at the Ivies or not) is that you can drop a class up to the day of the final without any negative record (not even an incomplete) on your transcript.

 

[Maxer]

That's what I've heard. Kind of the opposite philosophy as Cal, which has less stringent admissions but then tries to fail people out.

If you mean less stringent than Stanford, that's true. But getting into Cal is really hard now. I doubt I would get in now if I applied (was class of 2000). Most students with good grades and decent SAT scores can get into a UC, but usually not Cal or UCLA. And Cal fails people out (as I imagine most public schools do) -- it happened to friends of mine.

For comparison's sake:

Cal acceptance percentage: 21.6%
Stanford acceptance percentage: 8%
Colorado Acceptance Percentage: 84%

 

[CUSailor]

Not so fast...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-11-02-collegerates_x.htm

If you mean less stringent than Stanford, that's true. But getting into Cal is really hard now. I doubt I would get in now if I applied (was class of 2000). Most students with good grades and decent SAT scores can get into a UC, but usually not Cal or UCLA. And Cal fails people out (as I imagine most public schools do) -- it happened to friends of mine.

For comparison's sake:

Cal acceptance percentage: 21.6%
Stanford acceptance percentage: 8%
Colorado Acceptance Percentage: 84%

 

[Buffnik]

If you mean less stringent than Stanford

I meant relative to Stanford.

 

[absinthe]

If you mean less stringent than Stanford, that's true. But getting into Cal is really hard now.

That said, Jason Kidd got into to cal.

 

[sackman]

I have a hard time believing CU accepts 84% of it's applicants. That just doesn't sound right to me. Dply? Can you shed some light on this?

 

[Buffnik]

That said, Jason Kidd got into to cal.

At least Kidd could probably spell SAT. Marshawn Lynch got into Cal.

 

[absinthe]

At least Kidd could probably spell SAT. Marshawn Lynch got into Cal.

took the test 7 times to get an NCAA qualifying score

 

[Buffnik]

took the test 7 times to get an NCAA qualifying score

Wow. Surprised the dude didn't just go straight to the NBA.

 

[Lt.Col.FrankSlade]

That dropping up until the date of the final would be awesome.

I can't count the number of times I have had a dream that I was back in school, and I skipped a class about 50 times -- too many times to get anything other than an F -- and of course the deadline to withdraw has already passed.... Then I wake up, look around, and realize I haven't attended school since the 1990's.

 

[CUFan]

That dropping up until the date of the final would be awesome.

I can't count the number of times I have had a dream that I was back in school, and I skipped a class about 50 times -- too many times to get anything other than an F -- and of course the deadline to withdraw has already passed.... Then I wake up, look around, and realize I haven't attended school since the 1990's.

I have this nightmare as well. It is quite a relief when you wake up and realize it is 2011 and not the '90's.

 

[Maxer]

At least Kidd could probably spell SAT. Marshawn Lynch got into Cal.

I don't think anyone would claim that the entrance requirements are the same for scholarship athletes. I think it's been pretty well established that just about every school with a major sports program (with a few notable exceptions) will take kids that get the minimum NCAA qualifying score (as much as UCLA tries to claim they don't, they do, just like us and everyone else).

As to Lynch v. Kidd, Jason Kidd can barely put a sentence together. Marshawn is probably marginally smarter (don't let the gold teeth fool you).

 

[Maxer]

Wow. Surprised the dude didn't just go straight to the NBA.

i suppose he could have, but he graduated high school in '93 - there were no high schoolers drafted directly into the NBA from 1975 (Daryl Dawkins) to 1995 (Kevin Garnett).

 

[dply]

I have a hard time believing CU accepts 84% of it's applicants. That just doesn't sound right to me. Dply? Can you shed some light on this?

I don't believe that statistic. We may accept 84% that finish their applications. If it is a poor student we usually don't deny them right away we make them get more tests taken (Act/sat) and things like 7th semester grades. But even with that I'm still doubtful of those numbers. I personally put on more denials than admits.

 

[Maxer]

Not so fast...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-11-02-collegerates_x.htm

So your list has:

Cal at 23.9% (+2.3% from the # I posted)
Stanford at 13% (+5% from the # I posted)
Colorado at 84.8% (+0.8% from the number I posted)

Not exactly a "You can't handle the truth!!" moment.

 

[sackman]

So your list has:

Cal at 23.9% (+2.3% from the # I posted)
Stanford at 13% (+5% from the # I posted)
Colorado at 84.8% (+0.8% from the number I posted)

Not exactly a "You can't handle the truth!!" moment.

dply works in the CU admissions office. See his response to the question. I think the figures quoted are comparing apples to oranges.

 

[dply]

dply works in the CU admissions office. See his response to the question. I think the figures quoted are comparing apples to oranges.

I'll find out for sure next week but looking over the numbers it seems a little odd that CU Denver and UCCS have rates in the 64%-65%. I can assure you it is much easier to get into those schools than Boulder.