Kath wrote: ↑Fri Jan 25, 2019 9:10 amSource?The Conservative wrote: ↑Fri Jan 25, 2019 8:41 am
If they wanted to go by merit, 50% or more of the people at Harvard wouldn't be there right now.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/a ... rd/373726/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/20/politics ... index.html“We could fill our class twice over with valedictorians,” Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust told an audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival, sponsored by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic, on Monday. That means admissions officers rely on intangibles like interesting essays or particularly unusual recommendations to decide who comprises the 5.9 percent of applicants who get in.
So in English, the majority of people getting into Harvard aren't getting in on Merit.Family wealth and connections to the school; athletic superiority; and an African-American or Latino background all significantly enhance an applicant's chances. In some instances, students whose families pledged over millions of dollars to fund a building or endow professorships got an advantage, emails show.
But then coming from a household with an income of less than $60,000 or having a migrant parent can also provide a boost. And while gender does not make a difference, knowing Latin and Greek and showing an interest in the humanities might catch an admission officer's eye.