I agree and there's a lot in my comment to point to that. But my point is to distinguish between the metrics and the goals. I'm certain the author included in their CV that they had a pending paper when applying, so there is a signal, albeit a weaker but publishing is a weak signal to begin with.
I agree that you need to use metrics. But we need to be clear that metrics are not enough and very incomplete themselves. With something like admissions, I'm not sure there's anything except noisy signals and the strongest one by far is the interview.
> Since someone incapable of writing such a paper is probably unsuited for a PhD,
I very much disagree with this. The explicit purpose of schooling is to train people. Many undergrads are not going to have the opportunities to publish. It is not hard to train someone to write something publishable and this is not something I would be much concerned with myself given how much writing they're going to be doing over the next few years. The far more valuable skills are in being able to perform research which is quite ambiguous (there are at least 2 ways to read this sentence and both are correct: research type v measure). Your first 2 years of your PhD are almost exclusively training, with more class work and learning how to begin research. This isn't a job you're applying for, it is a training program.
I agree that you need to use metrics. But we need to be clear that metrics are not enough and very incomplete themselves. With something like admissions, I'm not sure there's anything except noisy signals and the strongest one by far is the interview.
> Since someone incapable of writing such a paper is probably unsuited for a PhD,
I very much disagree with this. The explicit purpose of schooling is to train people. Many undergrads are not going to have the opportunities to publish. It is not hard to train someone to write something publishable and this is not something I would be much concerned with myself given how much writing they're going to be doing over the next few years. The far more valuable skills are in being able to perform research which is quite ambiguous (there are at least 2 ways to read this sentence and both are correct: research type v measure). Your first 2 years of your PhD are almost exclusively training, with more class work and learning how to begin research. This isn't a job you're applying for, it is a training program.