By snoadmin
While majors in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) bear a heavy burden, a higher STEM eligibility index is making sure that students are capable of carrying the load.
Starting fall 2013, all applicants for STEM majors will have to meet higher requirements to be accepted into their respected major, according to Lynn Mahoney, the associate vice president of undergraduate advising.
Currently, applicants are admitted to STEM majors based on their ability to meet or exceed the minimum “STEM Eligibility Index.” Each applicant’s eligibility index is determined through a ranking system that uses their high school GPAs and SAT or ACT math scores to determine their eligibility for the STEM majors.
Freshmen applicants have needed a minimum score of 2,900 on the “STEM Eligibility Index” in order to be accepted, according to the CSULB website. With the new changes, however, the minimum score for freshmen has been raised to 3,200. Transfer students will still have to meet a score of 3,502.
In addition, the new index for STEM majors weighs more heavily on the SAT math score, making it count double in the cumulative eligibility index, according to Mahoney.
These changes are set to take effect in fall 2013. However, Vice Provost David Dowell said that students who have not yet met the new requirements may still be admitted to the STEM majors.
“We [the university] understand that it will take about three years to get the word out to community college counselors and students,” Dowell said. “So we will continue to admit students who have not quite fully met new requirements for this transition period.”
Still, even after admission students in STEM majors will be of “pre-major” status until they prove their capability of completing their majors by passing certain lower division courses and meeting a GPA requirement, according to the CSULB website.
Dowell said the new standards were put in place to improve the success rate of students entering into these challenging majors and to reduce the rate of students who, out of extreme frustration, decide to switch majors.
“With increases in tuition and changes to financial aid, it is imperative that students graduate having earned not much more than 120 units,” Mahoney said.
Through implementing these higher standards, the university expects retention and graduation rates to increase as students come in better prepared, according to Laura Kingsford, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
“We find that students with weak quantitative skills generally do not make good progress in science and math programs and then end up changing majors,” Kingsford said.
Current CSULB students in STEM majors had mixed reactions to the new eligibility index. Nursing majors Natalie Jones and Scott Brandes said they “can’t imagine the admission process being any harder than it already is.”
However, biology major Mariah Serda said that even though the new requirements will make the application process for STEM majors more challenging, they could benefit the students who are eventually accepted to the majors.
“The classes STEM majors take tend to separate the students who put in the effort from those who don’t,” Serda said. “It would be helpful if all students in that major were already prepared to take on the challenge.”
