By Qandeel Suleman

Caleb Zhang, presented a bill proposing to eliminate automatic admissions at Texas public universities for Texas applicants. The bill was voted to be sent to the House of Senate Action.

“Automatic admissions solely looks at a student’s rank, it does not consider a student’s application holistically,” Zhang said.

Furthermore, the bill presenter cited information from colleges outside of Texas, such as California, who use a holistic review process in which grades and rank are the only matter of significance. In these schools, extracurriculars and leadership roles also hold a greater significance in the admissions process.

“Harvard University has revealed that a student’s rank and grades only comprise 25 percent of their application, while essays, SAT scores, and extracurricular activities comprise the other 75 percent,” Zhang said.  

During his three minute presentation of the bill, Zhang repeatedly integrated situations in which the current automatic admissions process is not only unfair, but even discouraging students in their attempt to apply.

After introducing his bill, Zhang was questioned about the effects and clarification of his intention with his bill along, to allow his fellow delegates to send the bill into the House of Senate Action.

“Students would still have an advantage over their other peers because they do still have a higher rank and they will still be rewarded for their hard work, however this will just be supplement to your essay to and to other activities outside of school,” Zhang said.

Even when presented with the information of the benefits of automatic admission, Zhang stated there was no actual correlation. Additionally, the committee added an amendment to strengthen the original bill by not allowing a college to hold rank at more than 50 percent of their acceptance criteria. The bill was voted to be sent to the House of Senate Action.

As Zhang filled out his own college application, the automatic admission process was  “something that was on [his] mind a lot.”

“A number does not define a student,” Zhang said.