What should I put for race?

tokenadult
Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:15:47 +0000

in fact, I’m not sure a h.s. diploma is required



Harvard has long explicitly said that a high school diploma is NOT required for admission. Princeton says the same. (Oddly, some colleges that say they do require diplomas seem to have no problem admitting homeschoolers.)

[Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers FAQ (Learn in Freedom!)](Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers FAQ (Learn in Freedom))

But in general the most selective colleges are most likely to admit applicants who are indisputably ready for tough academic courses at the college level, and America’s system of K-12 schooling does not produce that level of readiness in all high school graduates. So some high school graduates, including some high school graduates with faultless grade averages from their particular high schools, have essentially nil chance of getting into such colleges.

I agree that there is disparate impact among different ethnic groups in how many high school graduates are ready for admission to a highly selective college. But I don’t think that is a fault of the college admission standards (especially because there are hundreds of other colleges that explicitly have open admission policies), but rather the fault of the K-12 school system. I happen to think, based on local examples I have observed, that local school systems get their feet held to the fire to improve their education more when colleges are choosy on the basis of full readiness for college.