<p>Publisher's Weekly has a review of an interesting new book critical of elite schools' legacy admissions policies. Apparently Caltech and Cooper Union are singled out for praise. Wonder what the book really says since it's not out till September:</p>
<p>This is a funny, small coincidence. The author of this book (Dan Golden) actually interviewed three students on the Caltech admissions committee, one of whom was yours truly. He also interviewed Rick Bischoff, the Director of Admissions, and from what we glean, Caltech got a pretty positive look in view of our refusal to give preference to rich, well-connected, or well-born people.</p>
<p>So I am curious to see whether he quoted me in this book and what I said.</p>
<p>"Asian Americans are the new Jews."</p>
<p>Heh, interesting :)</p>
<p>Yeah...I love that at my school, it's a six way tie for Valedictorian. That's not surprising, being as I'm a rising sophomore. What is funny, if not surprising either, is that all six of us are Jewish or Asian and play or used to play in band or orchestra.</p>
<p>Psh, only six valedictorians? I laugh at you from my position amongst our sixTEEN of them!! And we're all white because my town is 99.9% white anyway. <em>can't wait to move to Massachusetts</em></p>
<p>Our school had 21 valedictorians. Probably about half were white... One Black, one Indian, one Hispanic, the rest Asian.</p>
<p>21? Wow. The biggest tie my school has had in my memory (the decade or so my siblings and I have been there) is two. My school gives +1 per AP class and +.5 per honors (5.0 is an A in an AP, 4.5 in an honors, 4 on level), then -1 per letter down (F being zero no matter what). Valedictorians always end with ~4.76 at my school. Our Valedictorians end up taking like 20 AP's (not exagerating).</p>
<p>Oh, and sorry for thread hijacking.</p>