<p>Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren (who has been doing some very useful work recently checking on how economic recovery programs are working) has suggested that if school enrollment were decoupled from what neighborhood you live in, then many United States families would be more financially secure. Many families overbuy housing and become “land poor” to make sure they can stay in a better rather than worse school district. That leads to a high risk of personal bankruptcy. (Warren is a professor of bankruptcy law at Harvard Law School, and all her writings on legal and public policy issues are very thoughtful.)</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but there is no way that “affluent” kids have a leg up in college admissions these days. Diversity is the driver in virtually every Admissions Office.</p>
<p>Got evidence with that? Here are some links about the issue. The overall picture in the past decade has been that high-ability, low-income students are at a clear disadvantage in the college admission process compared to low-ability, high-income students. (The links below are in approximate chronological order of publication, from oldest to newest.) Is anything changing recently about this? </p>
<p>The educause paper ffp0621 by Gordon Winston and Catharine Hill is very interesting, and it is certainly well done. Nevertheless, I feel that it is affected by the same issue that I mentioned earlier: In our area, a family headed by two public school teachers would have had an income in excess of $91,701 in 2003–the cut-off for “high” income. (The local papers report teachers’ salaries in our district.) This is apparently sufficient to place the family in the top quintile of household incomes in 2003, but I do not think that such a family qualifies as “wealthy” by any means.</p>
<p>Look at the published diversity statements of virtually every university. Look at the admissions profiles for any top tier university. There are marked differences in the middle fifty percentile test scores between minority and non-minority students. Look at the published financial aid information for these same universities. They all tout the elimination of loans from their need based financial aid. This is not intended to be racist or elitist, but the most difficult thing to be in the admissions pool is another smart white kid from suburbia who had his 529 plan wiped out by the collapse of the financial market.</p>
<p>Actually, the most difficult thing at any university is being poor. Many of the underrepresented minority students who are admitted are quite well off. Take a look at what colleges publish (when they do publish this information) about the income ranges of families with students attending each college.</p>
<p>Agree with post 165. “Evidence?” Not quite yet, as I doubt that there’s enough published since the colleges began considering low income/high-achievement as a tip for admission, which began around 2005 (possibly a tad earlier, not sure).</p>
<p>I admit that this is based largely on anecdotal information, but I can’t imagine a smart kid from an economically disadvantaged family (particularly if he is a member of a minority), not finding a school that will pay most, if not all, of his/her tuition. The schools seem to fall all over themselves to attract smart, minority or disadvantaged kids. I recently spoke to someone whom the CollegeBoard mistakenly classified as Hispanic. He received calls/letters from Stanford, Berkeley and other top tier schools – until the error was corrected. Then they all stopped calling.</p>
<p>For a case in point from this website, go the Michigan post and read the thread entitled “Interesting Phone Call”. How many non-minority/non-disadvantaged kids with the same or better credentials get a call from the University President asking what she can do to get them to commit to Michigan?</p>
<p>There are still very few students of certain ethnic groups/race with high stats and the type of academic profile that is way up there. That is what makes those students sought after by many schools. Once that situation changes, such student will no longer be underrepresented and will no longer be wanted. </p>
<p>Disadvantaged kids that have the academic profile to succeed in top schools are also rarities and sought after by many of the top schools. However, once you get below a certain threshhold, the schools will lose interest. There are many, many schools in my area that don’t blink an eye at applicants who are disadvantaged or of the desired ethnic/race groups that the top schools seeK. The reason is because there are plenty of them in the applicant pool. In fact, a great number of their students fit in that category.</p>
<p>Most students can find a school where they are wanted. That is part of the strategy of Momfromtexas’s getting full ride scholarships. You apply to schools that really want you and you are a rarity in their applicant pool.</p>
<p>One of the big issues is lack of awareness and/or interest on the part of the disadvantaged kids. It may seem unthinkable to the people here on C.C, but plenty of kids have no idea what the ‘top schools’ are, or why those schools might be better for them than their local state school. And the sticker price of 40-50K is very forbidding. If you are getting paid $6/hr for your current job, it might be hard to believe that any college will actually give you that kind of money in the form of financial aid. Result? You are less likely to try.</p>
<p>All I can tell you is that I am one very angry parent of a very talented student - and I am not alone. ACT 34, top 10% of class, National Merit Scholar, Eagle Scout, outstanding musician – Cornell - rejected; Northwestern - rejected; Vanderbilt and Michigan - waitlisted. The two essays for Michigan? “How would you add to the diversity of Michigan?” and " Describe adversity in your life and how you overcame it."<br>
He’s not gay or transgender; he didn’t escape from Somalia; and he wasn’t raised in a crack house. I guess he’s just not interesting enough.</p>
<p>Clyde, when did your son get his apps into Michigan? I know many, many B students who have gotten in there as long as they got their apps in early. A lot of the state flagship look primarily at gpa/class rank, test scores and the date of the application.</p>
<p>It’s a shame capable people like your son are rejected for less qualified applicants b/c he didn’t tutor homeless, crack babies in math 4 times a week. Think about transferring to UMich or Cornell (my alma mater where I transferred into). Cornell has somewhat easy transfer admissions and they’re much less random.</p>
<p>Clyde10, so you finally heard from Michigan (wasn’t it just yesterday?)? How on earth could a university wait until mid-April to give decisions?! What is the matter with that place?</p>
<p>I am sorry for your son. It certainly doesn’t seem fair.</p>