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Columbia Keeps Legacy, Abandons SAT [1]

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Date: 2023-03-05

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Last week Columbia announced they were giving up the SAT requirement but of course keeping the legacy admissions. Yet one more way to keep poor and disadvantaged kids out, and gain entry for the progeny of alum and other wealthy privileged people.

Standardised tests give a chance for smart kids from otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds to shine. Studies have shown that universal testing increases low income and minority students placement in gifted and talented programs.

Imagine for a sec that you maybe aren’t well to do, and your family life isn’t like milk and cookies from mom when you get home to do your homework. Most kids here hardly see their parents because their folks are always working. Many kids work to help pay for food and clothes for them and their siblings. The state limits the hours school kids can work here, not later than 10, not more than 3 week days, as I remember.

Not much time at all for homework. Mediocre grades. Computer games, hanging out, but your school forces all kids to take 3 weeks of test prep. And holy shit you ace it. Always liked reading and you did pass Algebra and Geometry (Cs). Turns out your scores are up there with the smartest kids in your high school. All of a sudden doors are opening up for you. Maybe college. Maybe one of those real good colleges.

Those are exactly the doors that the elite and privileged want to slam shut. You are competing with their kids. They can afford the extra curriculars. Sports here cost hundreds, a vacation to Machu Pichu that includes a week of voluntourism isn’t cheap and looks great on the resume that includes exactly the right vocabulary and story to catch the eye of an admissions officer. They can get an athletic admit because they row crew or are into fencing (not the stolen goods kind)

A heck of a lot of colleges do legacy, they make a lot of money to pay all those bloated admin faculties with huge salaries who are looking after those disappearing majors in all kinds of ridiculous things. . Lately the dropping of affirmative action has forced some schools to also drop legacy. If as seems likely, the Supremes drop affirmative action in higher ed, legacy will likely follow said Justin Driver of Yale (free link beyond paywall)

“If the Supreme Court outlaws affirmative action, legacy preferences will not be long for this world,” said Justin Driver, a professor at Yale Law School. Mr. Driver, an expert on the Supreme Court and education, supports race-conscious admissions and called legacy preferences “a little like rooting for Elon Musk to purchase the winning lottery ticket.”

Restoring equality of opportunity sure is giving a lot of people conniptions, for all the right reasons maybe.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/5/2156331/-Columbia-Keeps-Legacy-Abandons-SAT

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