Message Board Archives
White Privilege and the Legacy problem
Casper
2019-03-13 07:19:03
How elite US schools give preference to wealthy and white 'legacy' applicants.
At Harvard, the acceptance rate for legacy students is about 33%, compared with an overall acceptance rate of under 6%. Countless powerful Americans have followed their relatives to elite universities. In 1935, when John F Kennedy applied to Harvard, the first page of the application form asked where his father had graduated from college. “Harvard 1912,” he wrote. He was admitted, though his academic record was not especially strong. In 1964, George W Bush followed his father and grandfather to Yale, despite lackluster grades.
Harvard's incoming freshman class is one-third legacy - here's why that's a problem
Top schools now have record low admission rates, but only some students have to worry about what that means for their chances. Legacy admissions, at elite institutions especially, put a select few at a distinct advantage.
Harvard's incoming class of 2021 is made up of over 29 percent legacy students, reports The Harvard Crimson. Last year's applicants who had Harvard in their blood were three times more likely to get into the school than those without.
The case is the same at Stanford. In fact, across the top 30 schools in the U.S., one review from 2011 discussed in the Washington Post found that children of alumni "had a 45 percent greater chance of admission" than other applicants.
Legacy students tend to be wealthy and white, students who, as a group, are already disproportionately represented at college. The New York Times found that, at five Ivy League schools, Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, Penn and Brown, as well as 33 other colleges, there are more students from families in the top one percent than from the entire bottom 60 percent.
That's not an accident. In fact, in the early 20th century, universities introduced a preference for legacies on purpose to exclude less-desirable applicants, such as immigrants, and to keep their campuses homogeneous, Think Progress reports. Princeton adopted a comprehensive admissions process in 1922, which led to a drop in its Jewish student population. The chairman of Princeton's Board of Admissions acknowledged that he had wanted to solve their "Jewish problem."
Emir
2019-03-13 08:18:40
In reply to Casper
I would like to see this congress do an investigation and bring in the presidents of all the elite universities for cross examinations- (just like what congress did to the big banks and Wells Fargo)
They need to answer and justify why the college admission for their institution is corrupt, expensive, unfair, is mysterious, lack transparency, protect alumni and the rich, any it leads to depression for parents and students alike.
We have to get to the bottom of this and if they cannot reform themselves then the public will decide- re- regulation.
Drapsey
2019-03-13 08:44:18
In reply to Emir
What if they discover that the O'man's acceptance to Harvard was tainted?
Notice I did not mention GW and Yale.
camos
2019-03-13 09:04:04
In reply to Drapsey
What if they discover that the O'man's acceptance to Harvard was tainted?
he went there for law school ,after graduating from Columbia, these issues are with undergraduates.
camos
2019-03-13 09:06:27
In reply to Drapsey
Notice I did not mention GW and Yale.
GW was president of a Frat at Yale, these Frats tend to require GPA above 3.3 ,so bad was he?
Drapsey
2019-03-13 09:13:21
In reply to camos
GW was president of a Frat at Yale, these Frats tend to require GPA above 3.3 ,so bad was he?
Who knows, the 3.3 GPA might've been derived by exactly the same methodology used in his 'acceptance' to Yale in the first place.
Don't know enough about the topic (GW and Yale, that is), (as usual) I'm just kicksing.
Drapsey
2019-03-13 09:14:12
In reply to camos
he went there for law school ,after graduating from Columbia, these issues are with undergraduates.
Yuh think Columbia should be investigated also?
camos
2019-03-13 09:18:29
In reply to Drapsey
Oman was a top student if my memory is correct, he went to Columbia from some small exclusive liberal arts school on the west coast, might be Pomona.
Emir
2019-03-13 09:25:26
In reply to Drapsey
Come on Draps you so much better than that- this is a very very very important issue and it means so much to so many Americans- see my post again.
It is not about a single individual.
When you dumb down the post it attracts comments that deviate from the main topic- just look at the comments below your post. 
Drapsey
2019-03-13 09:25:52
In reply to camos
Oman was a top student if my memory is correct, he went to Columbia from some small exclusive liberal arts school on the west coast, might be Pomona.
Come on, camos.
Now nitro / Nickatour (sp) / maj have nothing to post about the topic.
camos
2019-03-13 09:45:18
In reply to Casper
The Asian group that is asserting that affirmative action in admissions is robbing them of spaces in elite colleges need to re focus their effort.
nitro
2019-03-13 09:58:43
In reply to Drapsey
This is above my education level.
Thanks for keeping the discussion at a high grade level.
Drapsey
2019-03-13 10:21:53
In reply to camos
The Asian group that is asserting that affirmative action in admissions is robbing them of spaces in elite colleges need to re focus their effort.
Oh, those 'Asians'.
I guess they wanted to silently slip into the affirmative action qualifications just like how they have silently (and effectively) taken over the Minority Business category.
