It is time to put a stop to college legacy admissions

[bluestateguy]

Legacy admissions make a mockery of the idea that America is a meritocracy. Ivy League schools, in particular, have to give away 10-15% of their admissions slots to legacies, many of whom are of mediocre caliber, rather than Ivy League material. Legacy admissions only perpetuate class privilege.

We should duplicate all these states that pass voter referenda to ban affirmative action in public institutions, and do the same thing concerning legacy admissions: no state funding for any university that practices legacy admissions. By the way, many private schools do, in fact, get some form of state-funding. Both Cornell and UPenn get limited state funding. I suppose legacy admissions cannot be made illegal, but our tax dollars should not have to subsidize it. The Congress could also follow suit by banning federal funds to schools that use legacy admissions.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. I believe it was 25% at Yale

and the letters to the alumni magazine were irate when the university proposed cutting the percentage.

[lligrd]

2. Agreed. Very Stupid Policy

* is proof of that. Yale and Harvard should be extremely embarrassed to have their schools associated with him.

[PDJane]

3. It's insane......

it allows folks like George W. to get a good college education...a wasted education, as far as I can tell.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. " more suited for a SUNY school"

Jesus, that's one of the most elitist things I've seen lately. If that what they teach you at the "Ivys" you can have 'em.

[Book Lover]

8. Took the words right out of my mouth (nm)

[bluestateguy]

9. All right, that was a low blow on my part

and I have revised the original post.

[Book Lover]

10. Thank you for doing that

I appreciate it.

[jmowreader]

5. Most of the schools that do it are private

Face it: the only reason you want to get rid of legacy admission is that Shrub was a legacy into Yale, and once enrolled he didn't take advantage of his fine educational opportunity in the proper manner.

(I'm trying to be nice here; wasn't he either drunk or stoned the entire time he was there?)

[bluestateguy]

7. Al Gore's kids were legacies as well

I have always opposed legacy admissions.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

15. And Kristin Gore is now a published author only because of her father...

[AnotherGreenWorld]

16. I don't think that's the only reason the OP wants to do away with legacy admission...

"Ivy League schools, in particular, have to give away 10-15% of their admissions slots to legacies, many of whom are of mediocre caliber, rather than Ivy League material. Legacy admissions only perpetuate class privilege."

[Adsos Letter]

17. I don't know, but I wish he had spent more time in his History classes...

[lligrd]

6. Let's Put A Stop To Legacy Presidencies Too

while we are at it.

[spag68]

11. By the way

How about doing away with that "skull and bones" crap also?

[LostInAnomie]

12. "... the idea that America is a meritocracy" HA HA HA... Good One!!!

That's a line pushed by the "legacy class" and swallowed by the suckers. America never has been and never will be a meritocracy.

[valerief]

13. Of course, it is. The most qualified man rose to the top and became president.

Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[jmowreader]

19. For what, six whole hours?

And then the guy who lost ran to the Supreme Court, where the Reagan and Bush appointees thereon threw out the results of the election and installed him instead.

Number One Similarity between the current American president and a certain German leader of the past: both of them won their elections by one vote.

[Hekate]

14. It's just for private schools, afaik, and they can admit whom they will

The legacy admissions from wealthy families bring in money in family donations. It's a tradition.

Those donations can go toward the building fund and the scholarship fund.

Sure it's elitist. But that's why we have public colleges and why we used to have affirmative action, to counter that elitism with our tax money and bring quality education to the masses.

Instead of trying to get into Yale, work on getting into an outstanding public university like Berkeley or UCLA --and then when you graduate, lean on the state politicians to expand university access by building more campuses, because classroom space has not kept up with population growth.

Hekate

[Adsos Letter]

18. I agree...

...my daughter went to UC Davis and received an excellent education...now in her second year of med-school in Philly and honoring most of her coursework. She actually rejected an admission to Dartmouth, and chose a school in Philadelphia because they had the programs she wanted.

[Raejeanowl]

20. I Wholeheartedly Agree

In principle, wouldn't it just put a lovely brake on the flow of wealthy mediocrities ir produces?

Yet I wonder if juicy alumni donations and memorial bequests aren't ultimately more important to the financial bottom line at-say-Harvard, than any paltry state or federal contribution.

[Nikia]

21. In a way, legacy admissions helps poorer students go there

Most of the Ivies and other elite colleges offer a high level of financial aid, enabling outstanding poor students to go there. This is made possible by the donations of rich alumni. They don't want to alienate those alumni so they keep on giving their children some preference. As I understand, most federal funding comes in the form of grants and subsidized loans. Congress banning that kind of aid would hurt poor students who want to go to these institutes.

[hedgehog]

23. i'm wondering how many of the prestigious schools are maintaining their academic

reputations on the backs of the poorer students.

[hedgehog]

22. I wonder if this is a self correcting problem. The wheels turn slowly, but

when all the smart and hungry kids start going to the state universities, eventually the prestigious private schools will become a laughing stock. The real problem is to ensure that family wealth isn't an automatic entry into power. We don't need a pseudo-aristocracy. The "death tax" may be exactly what we need to keep our democracy alive.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

25. Maybe.

But there always will be capable, interested students at the elite schools. And those schools have most of the big name professors. Because of that, students at elite schools will always have an advantage in graduate admissions, working with the major names in their field. Then those students will one day become the professors.

It's self-perpetuating.

Maybe the big name professors who publicly espouse equality should begin to teach at state universities, and not just the more prestigious state schools, instead of elite institutions.

[Canuckistanian]

24. If it can prevent another George Bush, I'm all for it

And you'd think that the schools would be against it as well, because some of these unqualified students could really damage the reputation of the schools as well as causing resentment in deserving students.

[salin]

26. how do legacy admits work

can any child of an alum expect to be admitted? What about the child of a graduate school alum? It never occured to any of the kids in my family to apply to the Ivy where my father got a Phd. And I somehow doubt, given that we were not from a high prestige family that we would have gotten in had we applied.

[Nikia]

29. I doubt that any student could be admitted

Harvard and other Ivy league schools often turns down many students with very high test scores and high class rankings. I think that they do give applicants preferential treatment, but that if a student isn't a top 5-10% student, they aren't going to get in either. Average legacy students don't get into Ivy league schools anymore.

[leftofthedial]

27. this is aMurka, you commie!

You need to learn to respect your betters.






















:sarcasm:

[ljm2002]

28. I think that is a great idea...

...and as you point out it makes sense as a counterweight to all of the pushback on affirmative action. If 10-25% of admissions at these schools are indeed legacy admissions, they have no business at all cutting back on affirmative action admissions! and the laws should reflect this reality. I would definitely be for a law saying that schools practicing legacy admissions get no federal $$.