the rich kids don't need to jump, they just walk right around the hoops).
Which is basically the definition of privilege, right?
I am interested to hear what people think is "rich" enough to be able to waltz into a top 10 school without the requisite grades. The answers should be interesting--I will get popcorn ready.
I'll bite. "Rich enough" =
Mummy and Daddy donated $5 million for a new building. Yes, this happens.
It's been documented.
The process isn't so crass as, "Will you admit my little snowflake if I make a big donation?" But it's still there.
Top schools ranging from Stanford University to Emory University say they occasionally consider parental wealth in admission decisions. Other elite schools, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, say parental means don't influence them. "I understand why universities leverage parent contacts to enrich themselves," says Marilee Jones, dean of admissions at MIT. "If somebody's offering them a check, why not take it? But I honestly think it's out of control."
...
Yet in recent years, Duke says it has relaxed these standards to admit 100 to 125 students annually as a result of family wealth or connections, up from about 20 a decade ago. ... The numbers have increased under Ms. Keohane, Duke's current president. Duke says it admitted about 125 nonalumni children in 1998, and again in 1999, who had been tentatively rejected or wait-listed prior to considering family connections. It accepted 99 such students in 2000. Similar data aren't available for 2001 or 2002, the school says.
I could go on, but your popcorn is burning.
