Should elite schools be expanding capacity?

And yet Harvard, Princeton and Rice are all doing it. :thinking:

Sure they do.

Nope. The model isn’t “anyone who signs up can take courses.” Rather, it’s expanding to allow more equally qualified kids to enroll.

Same. It makes me wonder how well U. Chicago really does at the “fit” part of admissions. I know they are trying to brand themselves as a school for more than nerds, but it seems as if they are making some missteps.

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Who determines “equally qualified”.

But many, MANY of them are and they educate lots of students. That list is far more extensive than the Berkeleys and Virginias.

That’s the whole gist of this thread
does Harvard need to expand its class size. There isn’t any evidence that I’ve seen that supports it other than bringing more money into the institution.

Good for them.

The schools themselves admit they could fill their classes three times over with students just as qualified as the ones they admit.

We’re back to “a degree from Harvard gives a disadvantaged kid more of a boost than one from West Virginia University does all else being equal.” And what’s the argument NOT to expand enrollment at these schools? If supply can better meet demand, why not?

Yes - and no. They still chose who they chose - for a reason.

There are many “Harvard” men who work for - name your school - University of Kansas. The entire “elite” thing gets so built up - it’s marketing.

You have people under such duress financially yet are willing to spend another $200K - because I can get my degree from Harvard.

That’s, in most cases, warped and misguided thinking. And that’s who we are saying are the best and brightest.

They could fill their classes with equal statistical people no doubt. But are they equal? No, if they were, they would not have chosen others over them.

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Again, Harvard Extension School already offers a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree program, taught by Harvard faculty, on campus if desired. Students can have concentrations (Harvard speak for major) in various fields including English, computer science, mathematics, economics, biology and several others.

Explain to me why this doesn’t already meet your requirements.

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Because it’s the degree itself that helps disadvantaged kids. A degree from Harvard Extension School doesn’t cut it.

I would love to see this evidence. I have seen dozens- probably HUNDREDS of resumes of Harvard grads who claim to be Harvard College grads-- and it’s not until you either log on to Degreechek or another clearinghouse, or request a transcript (which is not uncommon for new grads) that you see it’s Harvard Extension, not Harvard College.

The majority of employers probably don’t care. So where is the evidence that Harvard Extension doesn’t help a disadvantaged kid???

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do they meet demonstrated need? or is that a pay full price extension?

“hey could fill their classes with equal statistical people no doubt. But are they equal? No, if they were, they would not have chosen others over them.” Nope. At a certain point it’s a lottery and the schools are very open about that.

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Might I remind members of the forum rules: “Our forum is expected to be a friendly and welcoming place, and one in which members can post without their motives, intelligence, or other personal characteristics being questioned by others."

The conversation is getting a bit salty; please be mindful and support one another instead of throwing shade.

and

“College Confidential forums exist to discuss college admission and other topics of interest. It is not a place for contentious debate. If you find yourself repeating talking points, it might be time to step away and do something else. Some topics, such as politics, religion and moderation on the forums, lend themselves to debate. If a thread starts to get heated, it might be closed or heavily moderated.”

As a result, I am putting the thread in slow mode to hopefully allow the conversation to return to civility.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/guidelines

Why must you be a science winner to be smart enough to go to MIT? Ever watch Good Will Hunting? Science winners are typically children of privilege. Privilege should not be the reason someone gets to go to MIT.

How would you decide if a student is smart enough to go to MIT?

The reason it doesn’t address the issue (although I am personally neutral on whether or not these schools should increase capacity) is that what we are talking about here isn’t actually education. A fantastic education is available at lots and lots of colleges, but prestige and connections . . . that is another story. It is by attending elite schools, largely populated by students from upper middle class/wealthy families, that students can make the connections they desire. In terms of education I’m sure a degree from Harvard extension is great, but it is disingenuous to suggest that those students will be able to access the same connections, opportunities etc. as their brethren at Harvard.

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