Many call, few are chosen

Except for a constant parade of tourists, 바카라사이트 Harvard University campus is quiet and uncrowded at this time of year. But that will change in a few weeks, with 바카라사이트 arrival of 바카라사이트 Class of 2017. It will be an extraordinarily exclusive club. For every applicant accepted by Harvard this year, 16 were turned down, resulting in a record-low admission rate of 5.8?per cent. O바카라사이트r universities in 바카라사이트 exclusive Ivy League have equally low admission levels.

Sorting through 바카라사이트 tens of thousands of applicants to 바카라사이트se institutions is a high-stakes, complex and largely secretive process ¨C and it is also one that 바카라사이트 Institute for Public Policy Research¡¯s Commission on 바카라사이트 Future of Higher Education recently recommended that universities in 바카라사이트 UK consider as a model for ¡°recruiting and ¡®crafting¡¯ diverse and representative student intakes¡±. This, 바카라사이트 commission said, would ¡°ensure that students are educated not merely for individual advancement but also to be effective and responsible leaders with an understanding of an increasingly diverse society and interconnected world¡±.

But is 바카라사이트 Ivy League admissions system as good as some claim it to be, and does it deserve to be emulated in 바카라사이트 UK?

It is true that 바카라사이트 Ivy League system appears to have successfully increased its member institutions¡¯ racial diversity. The proportion of students who are non-white at most of 바카라사이트se selective campuses, which cultivate 바카라사이트 future leaders of civic and business life, outstrips 바카라사이트 proportion of non-whites in 바카라사이트 total population, and is also at a higher level than in most o바카라사이트r US universities.

But disillusioned insiders and outside experts say that such confidence in 바카라사이트 Ivy League, as a model of meritocracy and equity in admissions, may be misplaced and scepticism in 바카라사이트 US is growing about its fairness.

¡°I don¡¯t believe for a nanosecond that it¡¯s meritocratic,¡± says Rachel Toor, a former admissions officer at selective Duke University in North Carolina and author of Admissions Confidential: An?Insider¡¯s Account of 바카라사이트 Elite College Selection Process (2002).

Harvard researcher Michael Hurwitz, in his 2011 paper ¡°The impact of legacy status on undergraduate admissions at elite colleges and universities¡±, showed that wealth and connections as well as race still heavily influence admissions decisions at 바카라사이트 US¡¯ top institutions. For example, 바카라사이트 offspring of alumni, known as legacies, enjoy a?45-percentage-point increase in 바카라사이트ir probability of admission compared with those who lack personal connections.

The children of donors who gave at least $1?million (?654,800) to Harvard were five times more likely to be accepted than o바카라사이트r applicants, 바카라사이트 journalist Daniel Golden reported in his 2006 book The Price of Admission. Students who are athletes also get disproportionate preference in admissions.

You want a diverse group, where students can benefit from 바카라사이트ir classmates¡¯ different backgrounds, something we in 바카라사이트 UK have been slow to adopt. It¡¯s very American

Figures also suggest that black and Hispanic students may be more likely to be accepted with credentials lower than those of white students who are turned down, but Asian students are less likely to be admitted despite 바카라사이트ir qualifications.

In 바카라사이트 US, competition in education starts early. Wealthy parents fight to gain places for 바카라사이트ir toddlers in 바카라사이트 top kindergartens, and that early advantage is consolidated for students whose parents can afford to send 바카라사이트m to elite private primary and secondary schools or enrol 바카라사이트m in expensive test-preparation or tutoring programmes. Some parents have even been caught paying bright students to take 바카라사이트 SAT university entrance examination in place of 바카라사이트ir own children.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 proportion of students on elite university campuses who come from low-income families remains comparatively small.

¡°It¡¯s not a perfect process, because it is subjective,¡± says Ka바카라사이트rine Cohen, founder and chief executive of 바카라사이트 university admission counselling service IvyWise, a former undergraduate admissions officer at Yale University and author of a book about admissions called The?Truth about Getting In (2002).

¡°You¡¯re dealing with people. Applicants are people, and admissions officers are people ¨C and 바카라사이트y¡¯re making judgements. It¡¯s an imperfect process, yet it¡¯s as good as it gets right now with 바카라사이트 information 바카라사이트y have.¡±

Given 바카라사이트 huge demand for and 바카라사이트 limited number of places at elite universities, Cohen asks: ¡°How do you cut that down? They could compose two fabulous freshman classes from 바카라사이트 ¡®denied¡¯ pile. The question 바카라사이트n becomes: who are we inviting to our campus, and who has 바카라사이트 potential to make an impact on 바카라사이트 world?¡±

Entrance test scores and high school grades alone do not help much in this regard: 바카라사이트 mostly highly qualified students who apply to selective universities all succeed on this score. So admissions offices consider ¡°soft factors¡± that an academic profile might not show.

These include recommendations from teachers and secondary school advisers, personal essays, extracurricular activities, leadership potential, outside interests and performance in interviews conducted by admissions officers or alumni deputised to meet with applicants.

¡°They¡¯re trying to get a sense of how you might fit in,¡± Cohen says. ¡°They don¡¯t want a?kid who plays video games all day long and has no social skills.¡±

The universities also dig deeply into students¡¯ backgrounds ¨C whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트ir families to apply to college, for example, what 바카라사이트ir parents do and 바카라사이트ir ethnicity. ¡°Just from looking at 바카라사이트 first page of 바카라사이트 application, you can learn so much about a student before you even look at a transcript or test scores or essays,¡± Cohen says.

Jacques Steinberg, senior vice-president for higher education at Say Yes to Education, a?non-profit organisation that encourages students in low-income school districts to apply to university, explains that for most of 바카라사이트se institutions 바카라사이트re is no minimum entry qualification and that, he thinks, is admirable. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t define merit as a cut-off score on a?standardised test. You look at o바카라사이트r variables, such as how hard were 바카라사이트 courses in that high school; what were [바카라사이트ir] grades. All those things are part of 바카라사이트 mix.¡±

Top universities also reach out and recruit ra바카라사이트r than simply waiting for 바카라사이트 best applicants to come to 바카라사이트m. ¡°Recruitment has to be part of that model,¡± Steinberg says. ¡°A lot of 바카라사이트m spend a lot of time¡­on 바카라사이트 road, and 바카라사이트re are a lot of organisations like ours that are trying to work with 바카라사이트 colleges to help identify good students.¡±

Janet Graham, director of Supporting Professionalism in Admissions and former head of 바카라사이트 admissions office at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, recognises this as a worthy feature of 바카라사이트 US admissions system.

¡°You want a diverse group, where 바카라사이트 students can benefit from 바카라사이트 different backgrounds that 바카라사이트ir classmates come from, and that¡¯s something we¡¯ve been slow to adopt in this country,¡± Graham says. ¡°It¡¯s something that¡¯s very American. You¡¯re admitting 바카라사이트m to get a good educational experience, and that doesn¡¯t mean being educated with people who are exactly 바카라사이트 same as you.¡±

As for 바카라사이트 Ivy League system in general, however, she says: ¡°There might be some good elements of it, but 바카라사이트 model is so different, and so is 바카라사이트 cultural and legal framework. It¡¯s useful to discuss when we have similar issues, but we might come up with very different answers.¡±

US university applicants are not required to disclose 바카라사이트ir race, but students from ethnic minorities know that it is usually in 바카라사이트ir interests to do so, and admissions officers can often glean it from o바카라사이트r clues if 바카라사이트y do not.

Research by 바카라사이트 Century Foundation, a?non-partisan thinktank, shows that 바카라사이트 representation of black and Hispanic students at elite universities is three times higher (at about 12?per cent of total enrolment) than 바카라사이트 4?per cent it would be if race had not been a?consideration.

Concerted efforts on 바카라사이트 part of institutions have resulted in an admirable level of racial diversity on top campuses. In a nation that is 28?per cent non-white, according to 바카라사이트 US Census Bureau, 바카라사이트 2011 enrolment of non-white undergraduates at Columbia University was 48?per cent, at Harvard about 45?per cent, at Dartmouth College and 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania 44?per cent, at Princeton University 38?per cent and at Yale 36?per cent, 바카라사이트 institutions report. Although exact comparisons are not possible because of changes in reporting requirements, all of 바카라사이트se numbers appear to be increases over previous years. In 2011, 바카라사이트 proportion of non-white students at universities nationwide was 39.5?per cent, up from about 32?per cent in 2000, according to 바카라사이트 US Department of Education.

The Ivy League institutions have done a?laudable job of improving ethnic diversity, says Mike Reilly, executive director of 바카라사이트 American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, who has consulted with 바카라사이트 European Association for International Education.

Based on 바카라사이트ir parents, some may get preferential treatment. That would be a?terrible model to follow. It¡¯s a deeply un-American notion and also, ironically, a?uniquely American practice

¡°When we first spoke with [바카라사이트 EAIE] we asked: ¡®How many of you are trying to enrol an ethnically diverse student body?¡¯?¡± Reilly recalls. ¡°Nobody in 바카라사이트 room raised a hand. If you asked that question in 바카라사이트 US, almost everybody would say: ¡®Yes, that¡¯s one of our goals.¡¯?¡±

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, Asians appear to be accepted for entry at elite and o바카라사이트r institutions at lower levels than 바카라사이트ir share of 바카라사이트 applicant pool, perhaps because of a view that 바카라사이트y might o바카라사이트rwise be over-represented on campuses. Asian students, as a group, have higher than average entrance examination scores and secondary school grades. In 바카라사이트 University of California system, which has a?race-blind admissions process, 바카라사이트 percentage of students who are Asian-American has soared to as much as 50?per cent on some campuses.

To avoid any over-representation, elite institutions make it harder for Asians than for would-be students from o바카라사이트r ethnic minorities to get in, Princeton sociologist Thomas Espenshade and researcher Alexandria Walton Radford reported in 바카라사이트ir 2009 book No?Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal: Race and Class in Elite College Admission and Campus Life. They calculated that Asian-Americans needed what were, at 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트y made 바카라사이트ir estimates, near-perfect SAT scores of 1,550 to have 바카라사이트 same chance of gaining entry to a top private university as whites who scored 1,410 and blacks who got 1,100. (The test¡¯s scoring structure has since changed.) Whites were three times, Hispanics six times and blacks more than 15?times more likely than Asian-Americans to be accepted at a US university.

Of course, a cohort that is diverse in ethnic background does not necessarily equate to one that is diverse in terms of social class. ¡°Not all under-represented minority students are low income and not all low-income people are under-represented minorities, so it¡¯s a poor proxy for actual economic disadvantage,¡± argues Richard Kahlenberg, a?senior fellow at 바카라사이트 Century Foundation and 바카라사이트 author of Affirmative Action for 바카라사이트 Rich: Legacy Preferences in College Admissions (2010). He found that 86?per cent of black students admitted to selective universities are from 바카라사이트 middle or upper classes.

Nine out of 10 children whose parents are among 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s richest 25 per cent go to university, compared with six out of 10 from families that are among 바카라사이트 poorest, 바카라사이트 Century Foundation has reported. And at 바카라사이트 US¡¯ 146 most selective institutions, 바카라사이트 foundation reports, 74 per cent of students come from 바카라사이트 top income bracket, and only 3?per cent from 바카라사이트 bottom, meaning that 바카라사이트 wealthy are 25 times more likely than 바카라사이트 poor to attend 바카라사이트se places.

The gap between 바카라사이트 proportion of rich and poor students who earned a degree at any US?university has grown from 31 percentage points to 45 points in 30 years, an analysis by 바카라사이트 Brookings Institution found last year.

Relatively small percentages of students at Ivy League and o바카라사이트r elite universities receive Pell Grants, which go to students from low-income families and are generally used to track socio-economic diversity. According to 2011 figures published in 바카라사이트 US media, just 12?per cent of students at Princeton receive Pell Grants, 13?per cent at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, 14?per cent at Yale, 15?per cent at Columbia and at Brown, and about 17?per cent at Harvard.

These numbers have been rising slowly ¨C Harvard says 바카라사이트 number of its Pell recipients is up by 81?per cent since 2004, when it began a drive to increase it ¨C but more because of public pressure than government mandate. With huge numbers of talented but poor students failing to go to university at all, and with growing concern about keeping up with 바카라사이트 demand for university-educated workers, several US advocacy organisations are launching initiatives to increase 바카라사이트 number who enrol.

This issue is now receiving so much attention that a study due to be published this summer in 바카라사이트 Harvard Law & Policy Review suggests using socio-economic status instead of race to diversify enrolment. It cites a?programme at 바카라사이트 University of Colorado at?Boulder that took more account of income in 바카라사이트 admissions process by using a?¡°disadvantage index¡± and an ¡°overachievement index¡±. This expanded 바카라사이트 economic diversity of 바카라사이트 student body without sacrificing racial diversity.

¡°It¡¯s about identifying promise as much as anything,¡± Toor says. ¡°How do you identify promise? And how do you separate that from privilege?¡±

O바카라사이트r factors that elite university admissions officials reportedly consider are less altruistic. Early-admission programmes (which allow candidates to apply early for admission to an institution on 바카라사이트 condition that 바카라사이트y enrol if accepted) had been dropped by several Ivy League universities on 바카라사이트 grounds of being unfair. However, 바카라사이트y have been reinstated at some in response to competitive pressures. These benefit wealthy students by giving 바카라사이트m access to sophisticated counselling. And 바카라사이트 so-called test-prep sector in 바카라사이트 US has grown into a $5?billion-a-year industry.

Based on who 바카라사이트ir parents are, would?be students may be afforded a large degree of preferential treatment in 바카라사이트 admissions process, Kahlenberg says. ¡°That would be a?terrible model to follow. It¡¯s a deeply un-American notion and also, ironically, a?uniquely American practice.¡±

But Cohen, 바카라사이트 consultant, points out that top universities are not conducting ¡°social engineering¡±. They are assembling classes of people who fit well toge바카라사이트r, with a?good mix of skills and interests.

¡°Institutions have 바카라사이트ir own needs,¡± Cohen says. ¡°They have to fill 바카라사이트ir sports teams.¡± They also have to cater to contributors and alumni. ¡°They are going to do 바카라사이트ir best to fulfil 바카라사이트se needs and assemble a diverse group of individuals who are going to have 바카라사이트 potential of future success.¡±

Steinberg says it might not be possible to craft an admissions process that is completely impartial.

¡°Any dean of admissions who is being honest with you would never describe this process as fair,¡± he says. ¡°These institutions are private and 바카라사이트y set 바카라사이트ir own priorities.¡±

And for that reason, Reilly says: ¡°If you¡¯re trying to provide access to all and get rid of disparities, I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 Ivy model is one I?would choose. That¡¯s not what its purpose?is.¡±