Ted Rall for August 02, 2023

Is this cause and effect? Maybe. Is it DIRECT? Probably not.

Growing up in a family that cares, reads, discusses and critiques… and attending a good school with similar qualities is both expensive AND a good way to learn how to write a killer essay. University admission committees aren’t perfect, but they do appreciate good academic-quality work

University will do whatever they need to survive

They are not government owned

Explains why so many with degrees from top universities aren’t much smarter than rocks.

And students whose parents earn over $600 a year or more likely to drive nice cars and live in a nice house.

Although they preach the gospel of “meritocracy”, I suspect that many would not like the results if we truly had one.

State run colleges should have a blind application process. No information except names, grades and goals. Private ones should just be upfront and admit that money talks. If Harvard said “If your family isn’t worth $250,000 a year don’t even apply” what would happen?

Because Universities need money. They’re like megachurches, selling degrees instead of absolution. They both use fear as motivators (you’ll never be a SCOTUS, you’ll rot in hell forever). Ivy League endowments:

Brown $6.5 billion

Columbia $13.3 billion

Cornell $9.8 billion

Dartmouth $8.1 billion

Harvard $50.9 billion

Penn$20.7 billion

Princeton $35.8 billion

Yale $42.3 billion

Let’s put this in the “No $#!* Sherlock” file. How’s about we keep it that way instead of publicly subsidizing upper-middle class conspicuous consumption?

The head of colleges make so much money and it’s no wonder people can’t afford to get an education…draining people of their savings just for an education is sickening.

Now, take on college athletics..

But if you are a celebrity, don’t dare try to pay to get your kid in. The universities only turned them in was to distract from all the bribes they take yearly. They knew it would get a lot of publicity and take the heat off all the others.

Isn’t that how trump got in?

Yes.

I would be a lot more worried if all students with worse grades but more money get in leaving those with no money and better grades without a chance.

About the truth of elite schools.

It’s an interesting study. But the reasons the +$600k crowd’s kids are at an advantage is much more complex than courting donorship. $600k/yr ain’t funding any new academic building endowments. If you read the study, it’s more about the societal advantages conveyed up to and through the application process.

Those who earn less than $600,000 per year likely can’t afford the tuition and housing costs. That’s what comes with ‘for profit’ schools.

Yeah, so?

and a $2.2M GPA totally helps

In Harvard’s defense, if you do get accepted but can not pay for it Harvard will use their endowment fund and give you a full scholarship. The money for which they get from those that pay the full freight.

It’s worse than that. You know the SAT? It’s supposed to predict an applicant’s success in his/her first year of college. But you know what correlates best with the SAT? No, not high school grades. Family wealth. Yup. Rich kids do better on the SAT. Why? Because they go to better schools and have better resources ALL THEIR LIVES.