See 20/20 last night? College Admissions and affluence

Applying to College
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<p>Just wondering if anyone else saw 20/20 last night - they had a two hour program on Priviledge in America. One segment was on college admisssons to ivy league and more selective schools. A former administrator from Duke was on and stated that up to 50% are given admission on everything EXCEPT their qualifications (this being either they are :
1. from influential parents/relatives (well connected in politics, well connected in Hollywood, well connected in business)
2. legacies (parent/grandparent/other who went there and possibly also who contributes financially to the school)
3. children of "potential" financial contributors (in other words, your dad is a neruro surgeon so even though he doesn't contribute financially to the school now, he might in the future if they admit his kid).
4. of course , atheletes.
5. famous (hollywood famous or politcial famous - even fashion famous, business famous, etc...)</p>

<p>So that leaves maybe another 50% that can be filled withh kids who actually have good grades, good SATs, community service and real potential. </p>

<p>Lesson: don't get your panties all in a wad just because you are rejected - there are a lot of factors going into play here and your qualifications are only a small part of them.</p>

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<p>kids have to realize college is a business.</p>

<p>as soon as they have an appreciation for the fact that money makes the world go around they'll have an appreciation for college acceptances and rejections.</p>

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<p>Only those who chase prestige are likely to be disappointed. That is probably the majority of the kids on the cc.</p>

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<p><kids have="" to="" realize="" college="" is="" a="" business.=""></kids></p>

<p>I said this exact thing to my D the other day. I'm not sure if she got it, but it made her think a little.</p>

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<p>do you have the link for this?</p>

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<p>Upload it on youtube</p>

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<p>The former Duke pres said 50%, but a book out by a Wall St. Journal reporter says 60% of the seats at top colleges are taken by the hooked.</p>

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<p>I think it is very important for kids to be aware - it's not all about them, and how hard they work, or how good they are; there are many, many other factors that go into play in the world in which we live. So, "rejection" by these overrated schools shouldn't be taken to heart. There are many ways to get a quality education.</p>

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<p>i cant find it on youtube.. who wants to help!</p>

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<p>

One should read the book "Price of Admission" which details how this happens.
Upon thinking about this, I am not sure that what is happening is actually a bad thing. Middle class folks with abilities are finding it hard to go to the prestigious colleges, and are forced to go to the State Univs or lesser privates which should keep them vibrant for the rest of the population. Imagine all the kids with merit and other EC abilities ending up in the top 50 schools. The remaining hundreds of schools will suffer somewhat.</p>

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<p>I missed it :( stupid sweet 16 lol.</p>

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<p>Michele Hernandez's book "A is for Admission" says about 40% of seats at Ivies are taken by applicants with some kind of extra hook (minority, legacy, athletes, etc.), leaving 60% for applicants that deserve the spots</p>

<p>collegebound2007, are you insane?! the question isn't about who gets the brightest students, it's a question of fairness! how is it fair that people whose relatives are famous but maybe haven't worked that hard in high school take the spot at a very selective college over a person that has worked his/her butt off in high school, but ends up at a state univ.?</p>

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<p>well of course it's not fair. and from your username, it's even less fair because of the amount of qualified asian applicants.</p>