Race in MIT admissions.

underarchiever
Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:26:14 +0000

@Chris, many of those labs do need some connection to get into, because a completely untrained personnel does drag the research process a little bit. When the personnel can do something, she or he leaves. It is quite difficult to tell whether a person working in a prestigious lab has connection or not. It is highly likely he or she has, in one way or the other. But this should not be an issue. The more a student works on a project, the more ready he or she is for college or graduate school, regardless of connection. I also disagree with the heavy discount on applicants with proven track record of achievement because of his parents having high income. There is no proof that lower income students with lower score achieve more later in life than students with higher score and also having high income parents. It is likely that the high achiever will outperform the not-so-high achiever again. Wealth is not a predictor of achievement. Family culture is. Many studies involving East Asian populations prove it. In England, free school meal Chinese pupils not only outperform the rich white counterpart, but also their slightly wealthier Chinese group. I really don’t see why family economy has such an impact on the success of a student if the parents are serious on their children’s education. The assumption that lower income family would have dramatic less of opportunity is quite bogus. If parents do not seek the opportunity for their children, they will never have them, regardless income. The SAT scores and grades are a reflection of commitment and dedication on the part of students and their parents, not of privilege. To choose the best candidate, RACE and family economy should have no place in consideration. This is clearly a case of discrimination.