紐時賞析／申請大學 考試回歸短文退場

Applying to College? Tests Are In, Essays Are Out.

申請大學 考試回歸短文退場

A new era of college admissions is unfolding after years of turmoil.

大學招生正經歷多年動盪後的新時代。

Standardized testing requirements are being revived, or are under consideration, from coast to coast. Admissions officers at big public schools and top-tier private institutions are shedding some application essays. Administrators everywhere are fretting about what role artificial intelligence may play.

從美國東岸到西岸，各地大學陸續恢復標準化考試要求，或正在考慮恢復。大型公立學校與頂尖私立大學的招生人員，則開始刪減部分申請作文；各校人員也都在思考，人工智慧究竟會在招生過程中扮演什麼角色。

The COVID-19 pandemic led many schools to loosen their processes and, in many cases, rely more on components such as essays. But AI’s rise, questions about student preparation, the end of affirmative action and the Trump administration’s campaign to prioritize “merit” in admissions are driving a swing back.

新冠疫情期間，許多學校放寬招生流程，在不少情況下更依賴作文等申請資料。但如今，人工智慧崛起、學生準備程度受到質疑、平權招生政策終止，以及川普政府強調招生應以「績效」為優先，都推動大學政策重新轉向。

College applications were up during the last admissions cycle, after a more diverse pool of students applied and students applied to more schools on average. But demographic shifts are expected to send enrollments diving in the coming years. At the same time, higher education is wrestling with public mistrust and concerns about the value of college, especially as AI starts to reshape the workforce.

上一輪招生周期中，大學申請件數增加。申請學生組成更加多元，平均每名學生申請的學校數量也上升。但人口結構變化預計將使未來幾年的大學入學人數大幅下滑。與此同時，高等教育正面對公眾不信任，及人們對大學教育價值的疑慮；尤其人工智慧開始重塑就業市場後，這些問題更加受到關注。

As schools prepare for a future with fewer students and more AI, approaches that make applying to college simpler could help them cushion the impact.

在學生減少、AI增加的未來，若能簡化大學申請流程，或許有助於各校減輕衝擊。

The personal essay is still central to many college applications. But supplementary essays are falling out of favor.

申請大學的自傳仍是核心要件，但「為什麼選我們學校」這類就讀動機短文正逐漸被取消。

Tulane University, for instance, paused its requirement for applicants to write about why they want to attend the school. Concerns about potential AI-generated essays “were definitely a factor” in the decision, said Michael Strecker, a university spokesperson.

例如，杜蘭大學暫停要求申請者撰寫「為何想就讀本校」的敘述文。該校發言人麥可・斯特雷克表示，對可能出現AI生成作文的疑慮「確實是考量因素之一」。

What data universities need remains a significant flashpoint. The 2023 Supreme Court decision striking down race-conscious admissions programs lurks in many internal deliberations about requirements and processes.

大學究竟需要哪些申請資料，仍是爭議焦點。2023 年最高法院推翻以種族為考量的招生制度後，這項判決仍影響各校對招生要求與流程的內部討論。

The Trump administration has argued that the court’s opinion should be interpreted to banish any consideration of race in admissions. Many university leaders and lawyers privately contest the White House’s view, but a series of Justice Department inquiries into admissions practices across the country has left them unnerved.

川普政府主張，最高法院的判決應被解讀為禁止大學在招生時考量種族。許多大學主管與律師私下不認同白宮的看法，但司法部接連調查全國各地大學的招生作法，已令校方感到不安。

Many figures inside the Trump administration want schools to rely on measures they see as more merit-based, such as test scores and grades. For a variety of reasons, many schools that relaxed their testing mandates during the pandemic are bringing them back.

川普政府內部許多人希望大學依賴他們認為更能反映「績效」的指標，例如考試成績與學業成績。出於各種原因，許多在疫情期間放寬考試要求的學校，如今正重新恢復相關規定。

The testing debate is erupting anew in the nation’s most populous state, where the 10-campus University of California system is considering a resurrection of its standardized testing mandate. Given the public system’s prestige and size, a change could reverberate across the national landscape.

這場考試爭論也在美國人口最多的州重新爆發。加州大學系統目前正考慮恢復標準化考試要求。加州大學共有10個校區，具備高度聲望且規模龐大；因此，一旦改變招生制度，可能對全美大學招生格局產生連鎖效應。

文／Alan Blinder and Mark Arsenault，譯／國際中心

說文解字看新聞

【張佑生】

本文介紹美國大學申請方式的轉變，主要是拜人工智慧所賜。Personal essay由學生自己挑選主題，是招生官認識「這個人是誰」的主要管道，也就是中文的「自傳」，讓學生講自己的成長、經歷、價值觀或人生故事，仍是許多大學申請的核心要件(still central)。

Supplementary essays 是「為什麼選我們學校、這個系」的附加題，內容較短、較制式，學生往往需要為每所學校各寫一篇，這正好對應台灣頂大第二階段常見的「申請動機說明」或審查指定寫作。報導說這類作文正因AI代寫疑慮與審查負擔，而逐漸被學校取消(falling out of favor)。

降低衝擊cushion the impact不難理解，介係詞常用against或from：The helmet cushions the head against violent collisions.比喻用法例如：The tax cut should cushion the economy from the effect of soaring gas prices.

Reverberate簡單說就是echo但更正式，常用作比喻政策、事件的影響力擴散：The effects of that event still reverberate today. 或是最近備受矚目的美債：That's why hikes in bond yields can reverberate across the economy.