Students demand a lot of services from GW, but drafting résumés probably isn’t high on the list.
Last week, the University announced that it may be reintroducing the co-curricular transcript, tentatively titled GW Portfolio, which would list a student’s extracurricular activities and have the University officially vouch for them. The fact-checking system to verify student activity claims has yet to be worked out.
This initiative, while a nice perk for students, is a waste of time, resources and energy. The portfolio would in essence be a replication of a student’s résumé, just on GW letterhead. It would likely not replace personal résumés for most students. Making an extra piece of paper listing activities is superfluous.
Creating a list of activities for students is more trouble than its worth. The crux of this project is that it provides a place for students to show their involvement outside the classroom, with the added clout of listing them on a “transcript” that bears the University’s stamp of approval.
All well and good, except that GW would have to verify everyone’s claims, which would take a lot of fact-checking. In the age of Google, any employer can do their own fact-checking, and few people would dare to embellish their résumés far beyond the facts. Does GW really need to employ people or a system to check up on our claims?
Administrators are on the right track with promoting student involvement, but this is a misguided change. GW can think bigger.
Initiatives have been proposed that do more than duplicate what students already have. A test bank, a comprehensive course evaluation Web site, better advising, free printing, streamlining bureaucracy, improving library and study facilities – all of these have been proposed by various University entities, and all require resources and energy.
When the University puts effort, serious thought and capital into a project, students benefit enormously. Take GW’s recent decision to increase financial aid for current and incoming students in light of the economic downturn – this was a major initiative that will provide students with a valuable and necessary service. When this University thinks big, students get more than just small perks, and the school is better for it.
The co-curricular transcript is not a detrimental initiative. It will not harm anyone, and most students will probably enjoy it. It is, however, entirely unnecessary and a waste of time, not to mention paper.
Let’s not reinvent the wheel. Employers can use telephones and Google. Students can make their own résumés. There are a lot of things students cannot do on their own, and that’s where the University can step in and step up.
