bluestateguy
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Sat Sep-08-07 10:59 PM
Original message |
It is time to put a stop to college legacy admissions |
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Edited on Sat Sep-08-07 11:26 PM by 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.
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Lydia Leftcoast
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:01 PM
Response to Original message |
1. I believe it was 25% at Yale |
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and the letters to the alumni magazine were irate when the university proposed cutting the percentage.
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lligrd
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:03 PM
Response to Original message |
2. Agreed. Very Stupid Policy |
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* is proof of that. Yale and Harvard should be extremely embarrassed to have their schools associated with him.
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PDJane
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:03 PM
Response to Original message |
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it allows folks like George W. to get a good college education...a wasted education, as far as I can tell.
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The_Casual_Observer
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:03 PM
Response to Original message |
4. " more suited for a SUNY school" |
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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.
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Book Lover
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:19 PM
Response to Reply #4 |
8. Took the words right out of my mouth (nm) |
bluestateguy
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:25 PM
Response to Reply #4 |
9. All right, that was a low blow on my part |
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and I have revised the original post.
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Book Lover
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:42 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
10. Thank you for doing that |
jmowreader
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:07 PM
Response to Original message |
5. Most of the schools that do it are private |
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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?)
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bluestateguy
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:15 PM
Response to Reply #5 |
7. Al Gore's kids were legacies as well |
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I have always opposed legacy admissions.
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AnotherGreenWorld
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Sun Sep-09-07 12:52 AM
Response to Reply #7 |
15. And Kristin Gore is now a published author only because of her father... |
AnotherGreenWorld
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Sun Sep-09-07 12:56 AM
Response to Reply #5 |
16. I don't think that's the only reason the OP wants to do away with legacy admission... |
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"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."
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Adsos Letter
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Sun Sep-09-07 02:59 AM
Response to Reply #5 |
17. I don't know, but I wish he had spent more time in his History classes... |
lligrd
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Sat Sep-08-07 11:09 PM
Response to Original message |
6. Let's Put A Stop To Legacy Presidencies Too |
spag68
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Sun Sep-09-07 12:09 AM
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How about doing away with that "skull and bones" crap also?
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LostInAnomie
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Sun Sep-09-07 12:17 AM
Response to Original message |
12. "... the idea that America is a meritocracy" HA HA HA... Good One!!! |
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That's a line pushed by the "legacy class" and swallowed by the suckers. America never has been and never will be a meritocracy.
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valerief
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Sun Sep-09-07 12:45 AM
Response to Reply #12 |
13. Of course, it is. The most qualified man rose to the top and became president. |
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Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:
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jmowreader
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:18 AM
Response to Reply #13 |
19. For what, six whole hours? |
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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.
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Hekate
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Sun Sep-09-07 12:48 AM
Response to Original message |
14. It's just for private schools, afaik, and they can admit whom they will |
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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
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Adsos Letter
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Sun Sep-09-07 03:04 AM
Response to Reply #14 |
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...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.
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Raejeanowl
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:27 AM
Response to Original message |
20. I Wholeheartedly Agree |
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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.
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Nikia
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:30 AM
Response to Original message |
21. In a way, legacy admissions helps poorer students go there |
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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.
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hedgehog
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:37 AM
Response to Reply #21 |
23. i'm wondering how many of the prestigious schools are maintaining their academic |
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reputations on the backs of the poorer students.
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hedgehog
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:36 AM
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22. I wonder if this is a self correcting problem. The wheels turn slowly, but |
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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.
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AnotherGreenWorld
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:50 AM
Response to Reply #22 |
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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.
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Canuckistanian
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:40 AM
Response to Original message |
24. If it can prevent another George Bush, I'm all for it |
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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.
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salin
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:52 AM
Response to Original message |
26. how do legacy admits work |
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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.
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Nikia
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Sun Sep-09-07 01:43 PM
Response to Reply #26 |
29. I doubt that any student could be admitted |
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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.
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leftofthedial
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Sun Sep-09-07 10:53 AM
Response to Original message |
27. this is aMurka, you commie! |
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You need to learn to respect your betters.
:sarcasm:
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ljm2002
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Sun Sep-09-07 11:37 AM
Response to Original message |
28. I think that is a great idea... |
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...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 $$.
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