Should Affirmative Action Consider Social Class?

[siserune]

<p>

@epiphany

Comparing populations rather than individuals, those admitted due to one or more preferences are expected (and have been documented, in the case of athletes, minorities and legacies) to have overall lower academic credentials and lower performance after enrollment.

</p>

<p>The poster AdOfficer has previously noted that at her college admitted athletes have a history of maintaining high academic performance after admission.

</p>

<p>Nonsense. Either you’re misremembering, or AdOffice redefined “high academic performance”.</p>

<p>Despite enormous incentives, nobody has ever found the unicorn of a “hooked” preferred admissions category (of statistically relevant size) that performs as well as the regular admits. In the other direction we have an endless parade of gloomily consistent reports of underqualification and underperformance, from community college to the Ivy League (including some from the Ivy admissions directors themselves!).</p>

<p>

I don’t think your generalizations are all that helpful.

</p>

<p>The generalizations (if that is what they are) were accurate. Helpful is in the eye of the beholder.</p>

<p>

They may be cautionary; however, colleges do admit individuals rather than populations.

</p>

<p>The opposite is true. Colleges enroll populations, using what amounts to (and with today’s software, sometimes literally is) a statistical approach, with individuals regarded as fungible.</p>