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Here’s what I don’t get. In what way are these middle and lower class students “exceptional?” The article claims that they get lower SAT scores because of finances, and that their ECs are inferior because of finances. We also hear that their schools are inferior because of finances. So how, exactly, would a college know that such a student is exceptional?</p>
<p>My view is that none of this is a scam–it’s just the business of running a top private university that trades on academic excellence and prestige. A certain percentage of admits are reserved for reasons of self-preservation of the college: developmental admits, legacy admits, and athletic recruitment are all needed to keep alumni giving money (and to make it more likely that the alumni will be able to give money). The rest of the admits really are exceptional. Unfortunately, as many have noted, access to resources makes it more likely that a person who has the potential to be exceptional will be able to demonstrate it. A certain number of slots are given to people–URMs–who are exceptional in context, but perhaps not when compared to non-URMs.</p>
<p>There simply is no method for identifying people who *might *be exceptional if given better resources.</p>