America's elite colleges struggle to integrate low-income students

Applying to College
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"Harvard University, on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, represents the pinnacle of higher education. It’s often the school of choice for people from privileged families who make up the elite class of America.

If you’re already a member of the club, that’s great. But the doorway to success hasn’t always been open to everyone. That started to change in the fall of 1973, when the class of 1977 stepped on campus. Admitted alongside classmates like Microsoft pioneers Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were the ‘Harvard 15’ — fifteen high achieving Mexican-American students from low-income families.

Luis Fraga is one of them. Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, he believes his admission resulted from a decision made by the university ‘to admit small numbers of low-income students, first-generation-to-college students, and to see what that would be like.’" …

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/integrating-low-income-students-at-americas-elite-colleges/

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“Buell described his confusion in figuring out financial aid applications — “What’s FAFSA?” — and dealing with other questions that more affluent families might find routine. The applied mathematics major credits an online forum filled with what he calls “helicopter parents” with providing the insight he needed just to get into the Ivy League.”