Originally Posted by 22B
So I've been completely oblivious to this whole phenomenon of people engaging in (huge amounts of) non-academic Extra-Curriculars in a calculated attempt to get into desired colleges. It never would have occurred to me that such a thing was even possible.

Because you aren't a university fundraiser smile. Universities are trying to choose not just the smartest students but the ones who are most likely to be successful and bring fame and/or millions of dollars to their schools. But if Harvard is about as public spirited as Goldman Sachs, I think it ought to pay taxes on the investment income from its $32 billion endowment (as of 2011 http://www.usnews.com/education/bes...lleges-with-largest-financial-endowments ), just as Goldman pays corporate income taxes on its trading profits.

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2013/07/who-donates-most-to-colleges.html
Who donates the most to colleges?
by Steve Sailer
July 1, 2013

One of the interesting subjects that is kept under wraps is this: top colleges have had their admissions and alumni offices get together to carefully model what kind of high school applicants are likely to donate the most money to their alma maters in the long run. But, that information is treated like the President's nuclear football, so I can only guess based on anecdotal information about huge donors.

As far as I can tell from reading articles about 9-digit donors is that a one word description for many of the really big donors is jock: white, male, straight, athletic, competitive, fraternity-joining, and pretty conservative.

To be a big donor it also helps to have legacy ties to the college: either your parents or your children should go to the college.

For example, I first got interested in this subject reading about the first $100 million donor to USC. He was the shotputter on the USC track team, son of two USC grads, then started a steel fabrication company in Fresno.

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