We Benefited From Legacy Admissions. And We Want It to End.
“In the college admissions process, I feel like I had essentially every privilege possible.” “I thought”Well, Harvard is my top option. It’s not a guarantee that I’ll get admitted, but this tiny bump — since my father attended Harvard — is going to make me feel a bit more vulnerable.” “It’s difficult for me to consider that all my hard work at high school was insignificant when compared to the fact that I could have checked the box that said my father was a Harvard student.” “Legacy acceptance is an affirmative step for those who are wealthy. It’s a positive action for those who are wealthy.” “It was never in the end was a choice to make to Harvard. It was more like, well obviously that’s where I’d take my place. Naturally, that’s where I wish to be. After you’ve been accepted and are accepted, they inform you that -” “You are a part of Harvard.” “You are at home here.” “You are a Harvard student.” Harvard.” “Harvard admissions committee does not have any mistake.It’s quite evident that one of those schools I was accepted into provided me with an obvious advantage.” “I believe that for a while, I was struggling with issues of self-esteem and guilt that were related to my time at Brown in the first place, because there was always going be a voice telling me “It’s not because you’re a legacy student, that’s why you’re a legacy scholar.'” “I didn’t wish to be reduced to a simple ‘he’s an alumni admit.
“We have benefited from Legacy Admissions. And We Want It To end.” is an Opinion video of five minutes that showcases five former students who struggle with the benefits they gained during the college admissions process. A former Ivy League graduate laments, “It’s painful for me to think that all of my hard work in high school was so irrelevant compared to the fact that I was able to check the box that my dad went there.” Another one says, “Legacy admissions is affirmative action for the rich.”
How convincing is the video? Do you think the legacy admissions process should be ended? What are the main factors that you believe institutions and colleges should consider when deciding who to accept?
Students
1. Watch the short film below. While you’re watching you may want to make notes with the Film Club Double Entry Journal (PDF) to assist you in recalling specific moments.
2. After watching, ask yourself these questions:
What scenes in the film stood out to you? Why?
Are there any surprising events? Any thing that questioned what you already knew or believed you already knew?
What feelings, messages, or concepts do you get in this movie? Why?
Do you have any questions that you have?
What connections do you see between this film and your personal experiences or life? Why? Does this movie make you think of something similar to anything that you’ve read, or even seen? If yes, what is the reason and what is the reason?
3. An additional challenge Answer the fundamental question at the beginning of this post Do we want to end the admissions process for legacy students?
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking the comment button and then posting in the box that appears to the right. (Students 13 and over are welcome to post comments but teachers of students younger than 13 are encouraged to share what they have heard from their students.)
5. After you have posted, take a look the comments of others to see what they have written, and then reply to a different person’s comment by posting another comment. Utilize”Reply” or the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address the student directly.
Editors’ Picks
6. For more information, read “Why Legacy Admissions Are at the Center of a Dispute in Higher Education.” Vimal Patel writes:
A Supreme Court ruling put a new emphasis on fairness in college admissions. The court was able to vote 6-3 to disallow affirmative action on campuses like Harvard as well as at the University of North Carolina, which is expected to reduce the amount of Black students who attend colleges that are selective.
In the wake of the ruling, a few of universities have removed old-fashioned preferences, such as The University of Minnesota and Wesleyan University. In a recent interview, Michael S. Roth the president of Wesleyan stated that legacy status played an “negligible role” in admissions but it was turning into distracting as well as “a sign of unfairness to the outside world.”
Opposition to the legacy preference is unanimous. President Biden and Representative Alexandria Cortez, Democrat of New York as well as Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, have all been vocal in their opposition to the practice.
In a concurring opinion to the ruling regarding race-conscious admissions in the Supreme Court, justice Neil M. Gorsuch criticized preference for children of alumni and donors in a statement that it is “undoubtedly benefit white and wealthy applicants the most.”