<p>What do you guys think about this article? </p>
<p>Inside</a> Stanford?s Exclusive Admission Path - Palo Alto, CA Patch </p>
<p>Basically the article talks about how significant the boost that people connected to Stanford get.</p>
<p>Sorry ICK: you’re obviously fishing for people to agree with you. I echo the chorus of replies that you’ve rec’d on the Parents forum. Basically, this isn’t news at all. You’re holding an online call to arms ---- and no one is interested.</p>
<p>None of it is new information, nor is Stanford alone in its preferences. Every major university will give a preference to big donors. Every major university will also give preference to faculty children, because faculty recruitment/retention is perhaps the most important activity that a university administration does.</p>
<p>The article fails to mention that the children of legacies and rich donors are overwhelmingly more qualified on average than most others. SAT scores are highly correlated with income. These students are more likely to have gone to a private high school with more resources (e.g. a college counselor, free tutoring). These students get in at higher rates regardless of any preference that Stanford would give them.</p>
<p>This is magnified with faculty: not only do the children have a privileged upbringing, but they’re nurtured and raised by some of the most brilliant people in the world. Having a world-renowned professor for a parent makes it all the more likely that the student will be among the most intelligent/accomplished/qualified applicants. If admissions officers were blinded to the status of these applicants, I’m sure they’d still get in at 15%+ rates.</p>