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Linking directly to some interesting points raised in the HN comments. Original article, in non-paywalled version.
Few select comments. Interesting how some still manage to defend nepotism.
if a donor's kid get accepted in exchange for $10 mln donation - that funds 20 scholarships to underrepresented students - is it a good policy or not??? would you rather have no legacy admits and ZERO scholarships whatsoever ? or would you prefer to have some number of legacies + scholarships and new buildings funded from their donations ???
Zero legacies. If the university is suppised to produce good students ir shouldnt be that 1 student in 21 is a complete dud. Because that's how it works, they are duds, who cant be kicked out and they will get their diploma even if they cant read. In theory (not reality) those who finish top universities should be top people. To tell it other way: would you be happy if 1 car in 21 didn drive? Or 1 apple in 21 was poisonous The top universities have long watered down their achivements anyway. Most is just pure nepotism.
You're completely missing the point of private universities. The value proposition isn't in a better education: they offer a marginally, if it all, better education than equivalent tier public schools. What they offer is connections. Those rich kids whose parents bribed their way in? Extremely valuable connection to make. That's why private universities do the whole "eye-watering ticket price, but most students have some level of merit-based scholarship" setup. Mingling the talented and the well-connected is an extremely valuable proposition for everybody involved. If you're looking for a school made of exclusively meritocratic gifted scholars, that's what elite public schools like Cal are for. But if you want a school that creates the most opportunities for success, private schools are where that's at.
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I think this will backfire. Soon their universities will be lacking money and funding. Not saying that legacies are a perfect way to raise funding, but I believe it is necessary.
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I think the biggest difficulty will be that it is nearly unenforceable. There are always ways around. Money will find ways.
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Are you saying rich kids get in through sports they dont even play? lol That is unbelievable.....
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Truly unbelievable!
Operation Varsity Blues should have been in the fiction section of Netflix~~
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There was that scandal a few years back, maybe 5 years now? I cant remember the names, but some famous parents and some girls were involved?
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wasnt this already implicit and not explicit? ie you cant give $10 mil donation for the price of one child getting in...it just so happen that your kid will get in.
How does this change anything? they dont even get fined or anything. so now you just have a useless new admin job to track this shit and keep a naughty list? im not surprised but fuck CA theyll make a gov job out of ANYTHING over there 🤣
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