Recent New Yorker article

Applying to College
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<p>I assume many of you read the Oct 6th issue of New Yorker, and one of the article there talked about the origin of Ivy League admission process ( to regulate the number of jewish students?) and how elite colleges have become more of a brand-name marketing business institutions rather than quality educational ones... (uh,,) </p>

<p>And at one point it mentions that Ivy League School used to look for 4 things?
(in 1960's ?)
Academic, Personality, Leadership (<-I'm not sure about that one.. )
and ATHELETIC
I don't know what this means (maybe I didn't read it right?)
So, Athletically talented people were more likely to get into Ivy schools than, say , musically or artistically talented people ? huh..
I was just curious..</p>

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<p>oh.. the 4 things were Academic, personality, EC, and Athletic
from <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/051010crat_atlarge%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/051010crat_atlarge&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Well the Ivies linked together to become the Ivy League for sports competitions, didn't they? In the beginning, I thought that was the point...so yeah, it makes sense that they would have valued sports more than music at the time. </p>

<p>I didn't know about the Jewish thing - I'm so glad times have changed.</p>

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<p>Those were the things they were looking for in the 1960's? How about today?</p>

5

<p>Well, now its not jewish but Asians (I'm Asian as well..)
Because the admin. process is so subjective nowadays...
They can make all sorts of excuses that would effectively limit the number of asians...</p>

6

<p>Hate me if you will, but I firmly believe that colleges must limit the number of applicants from any one race or religous affiliation. Having a school of mostly Asians does not promote much diversity just like having a student body made of mostly WASPS or jews. I believe that was the school's intent, but not to be prejudiced against any one race or religous affiliation. Not to stereotype anyone, but it is a pretty well known fact that Asians and Jews excel academically to a greater degree than blacks and WASPs and of course Hispanics. If college adcoms took only the top candidates without regard to race and/or religous affiliations; their student body would be made up of Asians and Jews. Being a WASP myself, I would not likely want to attend a school primarily made up of WASPs, nor would I want to attend a school primarily consisting of Jews and Asians. What I want, is a nice balance of everything - probably pretty close to what the college adcoms want, diversity. They may effectively limit the number of Asians, but also note that they effectively limit the number of WASPs to allow for more blacks and Hispanics. I find nothing wrong with that.</p>

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<p>GlassBox,
This is how I read the article:</p>

<p>(1) Ivies, but particularly H, have always been concerned about the stature & visibility of their alums, because of the reflection on H & the maintenance of their reputation as a U. Thus, historically they have selected not just for an applicant's qualities as a student, but for qualities such as "leadership," drive, & persistence within a competitive environment: those qualities H alums who were successful in careers, post-graduation, have been shown to have possessed. (Thus, those qualities of incoming freshmen became predictors that H was invested in.)</p>

<p>(2) Previously (1st half 20th century), the above qualities manifested themselves in athleticism, which was the primary non-academic supplemental litmus test for H worthiness. Increasingly, throughout the latter part of the 20th century & into the 21st, students accomplished in various COMPETITIVE e.c.'s have similarly proved to have many of the qualities previously associated (only) with athletes. Thus, an applicant highly accomplished in one or more competitive e.c.'s, whether or not that applicant is also an athlete, may be considered as having traits similar to what H has always sought in its athletes (including h.s. athletes who do not play on H teams).</p>

<p>(3) H is particularly concerned with leadership, because they particularly value their visibility/name & prefer to admit students who are likely to be visible in their careers, be successful, continue to be driven as they were in college & before college.</p>

<p>(4) The other Ivies play "follow the leader" with regard to many of the above assumptions.</p>

<hr>

<p>I don't remember if the following was noted in the article, but I will say that admitted students have said that, overall, extroverts do much better (are happier) at H than introverts. In that vein, it is my understanding that H strongly prefers to admit extroverts over introverts. My introverted D qualified for several Ivies & was accepted to several. She was not interested in applying to H; but if she had applied, I would have been surprised had she been accepted.</p>

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<p>Thank You for your considerate and thoughtful inputs...</p>

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<p>"I find nothing wrong with that"</p>

<p>lol, yes, most ppl don't find anything wrong with their own opinion,lol</p>