<p>I do not believe there is a shortage of qualified candidates. However, I do believe that some qualified candidates are better qualified than others.</p>
<p>“Lesser quality” students certainly deserve a chance a chance at a college education. However, the best and brightest students deserve a chance at the highest quality education possible. A student who applies to the University of Texas but is rejected almost certainly is still going to attend college somewhere.</p>
<p>In my hypothetical example (a freshman class of 10k is expanded to 12k), there clearly will be minimal difference between applicant #10,000 (the final admitted student) and applicant #10,001 (the first rejected student). However, I believe there will be a significant difference between applicant #5,000 (the average admitted student) and applicant #12,000 (the final admit in the expanded class).</p>
<p>In my opinion, it is better to maximize the experience of the smaller class than to water down the experience by forcing more through the system. Don’t increase numbers at elite public schools simply to gain revenue or add prestige.</p>