WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

GWU Overstates Top Percentile Of Incoming Students

Play associated audio
In September, U.S. News & World report ranked the George Washington University 51st in the nation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcjohn/2926300/
In September, U.S. News & World report ranked the George Washington University 51st in the nation.

George Washington University reported 78 percent of incoming freshman in the class of 2015 graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class, but it's actually 58 percent.

President Steven Knapp says the university wasn't intentionally overstating the numbers.

Since many high schools no longer rank their students by percentile, the admissions office guessed where accepted students fell in their class based on GPA and standardized test scores.

University officials say they've been using this methodology for over 10 years, and that the problem was discovered during an administrative reorganization.

In September, U.S. News & World report ranked the university 51st in the nation. The academic credentials of incoming freshman is a variable used for this and several other rankings.

NPR

Styling The NBA

Basketball star Carmelo Anthony is known off the court for his signature fashion flare. Host Michel Martin speaks with his stylist, Khalilah Williams-Webb, about what goes into dressing Anthony and other high-profile clients.
NPR

How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine

Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.
NPR

Libya 'Talking Points' Emails Put Petraeus Back In Spotlight

The role former CIA Director David Petraeus played in creating the discredited U.S. "talking points" about the violence in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead, including a U.S. ambassador, last year is under new scrutiny, as a Washington Post story suggests that Petraeus sought to shape the resulting memo to favor his agency.
NPR

Apple CEO Defends Tax Practices At Senate Hearing

Apple CEO Tim Cook faced tough questions on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. He defended a tax strategy that allows Apple to avoid taxes on tens of billions of dollars of profits. Cook also called on the Congress to lower the U.S. corporate tax rate.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.