IQ not the sole qualification for prestigious schools

Students, some with their parents, wait to enroll for the new semester at Tsinghua University in July 2013. Liu Huaiyu / China Daily

Even though Tsinghua University has denied that she is one of its professors, Wang Jing, who claims to be a faculty member, has still aroused hot discussions among domestic media with her recent comment that only those with a high IQ can enter this top university. Comments:

Wang said that most of the Tsinghua students in her survey have an IQ over 129. There are at least 100,000 students who have an equal or even higher IQ, why do only a few enter top universities? Wang is not doing any serious social study and her conclusion is rather absurd.

Gu Yanzhi, a researcher at Changjiang Education Research Institute, May 30

Wang's conclusion might be cruel, but it reflects a problem in our education: Teachers and parents always want a child to do the best in academic performance and enter the best university possible, which sometimes causes pain to those who have no good academic potential. Why not let children be what they are, and allow them to choose a way of life that suits them?

Yangtze Evening News, May 22

Listing high IQ as the qualification for entering top universities such as Tsinghua is a serious misunderstanding of their policies in admitting students. Actually, universities need to provide a platform for students to grow healthily. Those with a high IQ but low moral standards might possibly do society harm.

Wang Junchao, a professor at Tsinghua University, May 30