Education for Sale!

Applying admissions standards that closely relate to success--particularly for doctoral students--is a bit of a crap shoot; I wouldn't get too caught up in it.

There are many factors in one's life than can prevent success that have nothing to do with academics. These would be difficult to predict with admissions standards.

The transition from ABD to doctorate is a difficult one, indeed, and something many graduate students simply are not prepared for. Some get through it, but I agree: the best GPA indicates an ability to pass coursework. It doesn't predict nearly as well the likelihood someone will complete an acceptable dissertation.

As I said before, for the marginally qualified (on paper) student, provisional admission is the way to go.

We've seen that many foreign schools require the student to submit--in varying levels of complexity and completeness--what amounts to a dissertation proposal prior to admission. The schools want to know what it is the student intends to contribute to the field. Part and parcel with this is an understanding of the dissertation process. I would have to think that would be a pretty good predictor of success. Perhaps not a completed proposal, but....

UIU requires its applicants to prepare and submit an admission essay. The applicants have to discuss themselves, their prior experiences, their anticipated learning experiences, and their anticipated learning outcomes. While not exactly scholarly (which it could be if they wanted to apply that standard), it helps the school decide whether or not applicants have given some thought to what they want to do as doctoral learners. This is critical in a self-directed program. It also give some indication of the applicant's ability to write.