Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 100 posts

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#91

Post by andyidsinga »

eadler wrote: post #85
spiritplumber wrote: post #78

I tried the "rejection rejection letter" joke with Stanford after applying and being rejected (2009). I ended up working on a project with a Stanford prof for six months after that. It was fairly fun, and it let me decide that I didn't want to do grad school, so win-win there. History is made by those who show up. If you're told to not bother showing up, SHOW UP ANYWAY! I never had to escort a security person out of…

By any chance, was the Best Buy story related to http://improveverywhere.com/2006/04/23/best-buy/ ?

this is interesting - snopes calls it "legend". The text for the letter is great http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/rejection.asp

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#92

Post by pgl »

dom96 wrote: post #59
ig1 wrote: post #15

This is pretty much standard practice in Europe. If you're storing/producing an information about an individual as an organization you have to operate on the assumption that the individual has a right to read it as in most cases they do.

I currently attend a university in the UK and would like to request this information. But I'm not sure what the best way to do so is, who should I contact at my university (I presume the admissions department) and how should I request this information? Should I quote the Data Protection Act? Does anybody have experience doing this?

You can make a request through the site WhatDoTheyKnow: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/search/university/all

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#93

Post by gizmo686 »

clarkm wrote: post #41
jacobolus wrote: post #34

> At least one student has received the records, and said he was surprised by what he got back: several hundred pages, including a log of every time his electronic identification card had been used to unlock a door, [...] It seems totally unnecessary to indefinitely store every door swipe. Sure, store the swipes used to access the rare book room or the chemistry lab for 6 months or a year, but there’s no reason for e…

This is one of the reasons that Richard Stallman refused to use his RFID card at MIT. If a door was locked, he would just tailgate someone in. Eventually CSAIL just gave him a key to a back door.

My university offers "Shabat" keys, as some students religiously object to using the RFIDs on Shabat (Friday night through Saturday), due to it being electronic.

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#94

Post by misingnoglic »

kevinwang wrote: post #53
zaroth wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"On the Common App used by most top colleges, applicants are asked to check a box waiving their right to ever see the recommendation letters written by their high school teachers and counselors. But students who did not check the box can get copies of those, too."

although if I recall correctly, it seemed obligatory to check that box in order to get our recommendation letters sent through Common App.

Yeah, my college counselors basically said "if you don't click this box the college will disregard your letters of rec."

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#95

Post by spiritplumber »

eadler wrote: post #85
spiritplumber wrote: post #78

I tried the "rejection rejection letter" joke with Stanford after applying and being rejected (2009). I ended up working on a project with a Stanford prof for six months after that. It was fairly fun, and it let me decide that I didn't want to do grad school, so win-win there. History is made by those who show up. If you're told to not bother showing up, SHOW UP ANYWAY! I never had to escort a security person out of…

By any chance, was the Best Buy story related to http://improveverywhere.com/2006/04/23/best-buy/ ?

Sometimes the best way to prevent a physical fight is to carry the would-be fighters outside over your shoulders, and then offer to referee it. Securistas calm down very quickly when they realize they're not the only people in the room willing to use their hands.

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#96

Post by DanBC »

dom96 wrote: post #59
ig1 wrote: post #15

This is pretty much standard practice in Europe. If you're storing/producing an information about an individual as an organization you have to operate on the assumption that the individual has a right to read it as in most cases they do.

I currently attend a university in the UK and would like to request this information. But I'm not sure what the best way to do so is, who should I contact at my university (I presume the admissions department) and how should I request this information? Should I quote the Data Protection Act? Does anybody have experience doing this?

Search your university website for "data protection". You migt need to include "policy". They should have a page with instructions.

EG: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/finance/sec/dp/

They have to check your ID. They're allowed to make a small charge. They'll want to know what information you want. You can try saying "everything you hold about me" and they will give you as much as they can, but that will miss some information. For example, that wouldn't include all the occurances of your face on CCTV. You can request that but I think you need to be specific abot the date / time and there might be a higher charge.

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#97

Post by rab_oof »

michaelochurch wrote: post #73
rab_oof wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems a bit conspiratorial sensationalist. There's probably some subtle bias (humans are fallible, impossible to be purely objective) common to reviewers that could be brought to light with large-scale stastical analysis. Admissions have a tough job because they are inundated with candidates that appear good but the signals of quality, if known, would tend to be easily simulated... Defeating their use.

I don't care that much what admissions offices do, to be frank about it. If they want to put bigoted "holistic"/nonacademic bullshit into their admissions processes, then that's about #43,207 on my concerns list. I don't have kids so I'm at least 18 years from this being my issue and the whole fucked-up mix will be different by then (better? worse? who knows?) I don't think the fault is mostly with the admissions off…

Thiel and others would probably agree with the value of brand point. http://www.paulgraham.com/credentials.html

Get more than one (1) IITian on a ski/gambling trip, and it's rank and test war stories the whole way. :) (I aced (800) the SAT I math section without studying a single minute, no prep classes... Not a lie.)

One thing I noticed is how anything that disess Ivy/Pac 10 always gets down-voted. Doubting the value of pedigree is tantamount to Siné out of Charlie Hebdo for poking at a certain religion I guess. People might be down-voting because they hate the circumstances and then do that the same as down-voting a video containing something newsworthy but horrible on (video platform).

Perhaps I'll try an evidenced-based comment sometime with generous, neutral language and let the audience make up their mind.

On the plus side of (undergraduate) academia, it signals completion of a large task.. Which has some value.

(Bias: I've worked at a big brand uni on both the research and business sides.)

Re: Students Gain Access to Files on Admission to Stanford

#99

Post by hwatson »

kevinwang wrote: post #53
zaroth wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"On the Common App used by most top colleges, applicants are asked to check a box waiving their right to ever see the recommendation letters written by their high school teachers and counselors. But students who did not check the box can get copies of those, too."

although if I recall correctly, it seemed obligatory to check that box in order to get our recommendation letters sent through Common App.

You are allowed to keep your FERPA recommendation rights but, as misingnoglic, most universities will not pay much attention to your recommendations if you choose to do so.

https://appsupport.commonapp.org/link/portal/33011/33013/Art...

Post reply on HN