<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/articles/050502/2college.htm[/url]”>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/articles/050502/2college.htm</a>
<p>Great story; glad you posted so we could read.</p>
<p>My personal opinion: I'm really happy for lower-income students who are getting helped out by certain elite schools. But I've got to mention, I'm going to USC this fall and my family's paying full tuition, 45k ('SC wouldn't give me jack). It's not going to be a cake walk or anything, but my family's not going to be suffering paying that. It's really ironic because my dad went to USC and was EXTREMELY poor, so they gave him a giant load of financial aid. Now he apparently makes too much money, so his own kid (me) won't get ANY money from the same school. </p>
<p>Hah hah hah. Very ironic. I'm sure I'm not the only one...?</p>
<p>So Harvard and other prestigious schools might actually look at my application with an 1840 SAT because my single working mother makes only $26,000 a year? I doubt that.</p>
<p>mmmmm<br>
which one should be admitted:
student A: comes from a single-parented family, uneducated momwhite, whole family income is 30,000 a year, 1900/2400 SAT, mediocre ECs and RCMs, excellent essays, works at McDonald's 3 hours a day</p>
<p>Student B: comes from a rich family, with an income of 200,000 K a year, harvard-educated parents, 2400/2400 SAT, excellent ECs, RCMs, excellent essay, extremely talented at golf and squash.</p>
<p>i think u can argue both ways</p>
<p>My personal opinion is that socioeconomic status should take the place of race as a factor in college admissions. As a society we want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance, regardless of what their economic background is.</p>
<p>Amherst and Williams looked at my app and offered me acceptance. Mom makes under 20K. 1270 (on old sat) 2040 SAT2s. </p>
<p>Then again, don't think that that's the whole story. There are definitely other things on my app that made them turn their heads. </p>
<p>I did like that article though. It's true that income is more than just a number. Generally low-income people dont' live next to high-income people and therefore usually have a larger influence coming from the people who live off of food stamps or work low-paying physically demanding jobs rather than entrepreneurs, doctors, and lawyers. That affects whether a student takes SAT-prep, summer enrichment programs, ECs or even goes to college. Like that girl said, it's different talking about public-policy/poverty issues with people who have never experienced it. There's a big difference between knowing numbers and stats by heart and actually living in that environment. </p>
<p>Also, here's an extra tidbit that might help. I talked to the the Williams adcoms the other day and one thing they mentioned was that their goal for the 2009 class was to get a group of students who had a passion and love for learning. The lady I talked with said that was the difference between two similar kids getting in. She said they judged that spark of passion through Recs largely. (ecs too) So, that transcends income levels.</p>
<p>As a child of a family who's income never exceeded $33,000, I believe socioeconomic background is important to look at for the elite universities.</p>
<p>I'm studying college access right now, and the Los Angeles Unified School District is a prime example of the effects of low socioecnomic status. </p>
<p>First, why are there so few students from low socioeconomic backgrounds at top universities? Many of them go to "high risk" schools. That is, the curriculum isn't even designed to meet MIMIMUM college entrance requirements (i.e. for a Cal State), much less offers a strong AP program, if one is in place at all. Even if enough classes were offered, there's a shortage of books, a shortage of material that defines the college path, a shortage of counselors, a shortage of personal attention from teachers (many who are on emergency credentials anyway)... Gang culture or other risks such as drugs can be a potential problem. </p>
<p>But it doesn't end there. You all know that your PARENTS are a big driving force in your college admissions decisions. Many of these kids have parents who have never gone to college. Even if they valued college, they don't know anything about it... the requirements needed, what the SAT is, the entire admissions process, which colleges are available (some high schools recommend all students to attend community college first because that is the "normal" path to take), and the killer, the cost of college and the complexity of financial aid. </p>
<p>Thank you for posting the article. It helps shed some light to everyone on a topic that more often than not gets overlooked.</p>