Advertisements and culture

The ad we analysed in class is that of Marlboro's, in around the 1950's. It tries to convey how people who smoke Marlboro are very successful, mentally and emotionally. The clothing of the two people (or couple) in the ad shows us this due to their affluent clothing. Also, going on a vacation in Guatemala wasn't the cheapest thing back then, as air travel was just emerging. They are the sort of people that everyone in todays society try to emulate: successful, affluent and living the life of their dreams. Hence it appeals more so to people's emotions to smoke Marlboro cigarettes so that they could get a taste of the high life, which leads us to conclude that in the ad, affluence and exoticness is highly valued.
Everyone wants to become affluent in todays society. Nowadays, we associate joy with materialistic goods like a huge flat-screen TV or a fancy car. Vacations to far-away places also indulge us more than they used to previously, as we think it is an indication of our affluence, and the demand for exotic goods is on the rise. This shows us how materialistic the world has become now compared to about a couple of decades ago. This shows us how materialistic the world has become now compared to about a couple of decades ago.
This ad, if you notice, has a small indication at the bottom where it says what sort of tips it sells. They mention they sell beauty-tips as well which shows that the ad was targeted a bit towards women of that time. The picture of the man lighting the cigarette for the woman also supports this claim. But no one is really marginalized or empowered in this commercial.  In conclusion, I think that the advertisement successfully does the job of marketing the cigarettes toward a large audience, as no social group is targeted.

The advertisement

Should Colleges Use Admissions Criteria Other Than SAT Scores and Grades? (Persuasive article)

Bard College, a prestigious liberal arts college in upstate New York, will offer students admission if they can write four 2,500-word research papers that earn a B+ or better by the college’s standards. This means that prospectus don't need to worry about low grades or SAT scores.

Is Bard onto something? Should colleges use other admissions criteria instead of SAT scores and grades to find the best candidates? (Bard has been ranked #45 in the Liberal Arts programs and have an acceptance rate of 35% !)

In short, colleges should use admissions criteria other than SAT scores and grades. Although the SAT is a good way to test someone’s initiative to study and to learn while also testing their knowledge on specific subjects but there are some people out there, a lot in fact that aren’t very good at math but are amazing writers. Bard Collage is definitely doing a good thing, if universities focus on a persons specific skills or what they are planning on going into. The research papers look like they would be good ways to test someone’s intelligence. You would obviously want to test the student based on what they want to learn in university, rather than a standardised test score?!

Sometimes, students are in difficult circumstances during high school, limiting their ability to perform to their best. For example, you could imagine yourself moving countries just because your dad got an amazing job in Austria! This would make it hard for you to adjust to the environment, which might in turn lead to poor academic performances. Would you yourself find this a valid criteria for judging you as a person?!

Maybe you fell sick on the day of the SAT. So what, you still have a gold medal in the IMO and have won the Google Science Fair! It's not a fair thing being assessed based solely on your academic achievement.

A lot of students also get stressed out due to their low grades and the standardized tests. Some even go into depression. You don't want the future generation's sensitive minds to become mentally and socially inactive do you?

The good thing is many colleges have started to review applications holistically, which has had a significant impact on the quality of education over the past few years. Your extra-curriculars and out-of-school achievements are recognised. Even though the standardised tests make an important part of your application, other criteria have developed a lot in importance. 

Due to this, the youth have found it easier to develop their own character, rather than studying in their cozy room all day. They have learned to step out of their zone of comfort and become more confident and active members of the society. They have started developing skills to become the citizens of the 21st century. Now, just being based solely on grades doesn't sound like such a good idea does it?

-Jonjo Shelvey

Shelvey has worked as an admissions officer at Garden University, now retired and gives college counselling