Review Of Daniel Golden's 'Ivy Leagues'

People attend college or university for several reasons, including exploring hundreds of career opportunities, pursuing their passions, learning critical thinking skills, and achieving their maximum potential. According to Dr. Richard Vedder’s, “For Many, College Isn’t Worth It”, attending college or university is not worth the time, effort, or money – Dr. Richard Vedder wants to solely focus resources on private universities and institutions. Vedder describes how many graduates with Bachelor’s degrees do not even obtain jobs in their specific field and how they will never start a career in their area of academic study. In his article, Richard Vedder describes how there should be more stringent standards placed on college undergraduates; he believes that public universities are not necessary and only private, more elite universities should remain operational. I personally believe that obtaining a college degree from an accredited university is worth the risk and the money, not only for one’s self but for society as a whole. Instead of shutting down undergraduate universities, we should consider raising collegiate admission standards throughout the nation.

In the reading “At the Elite Colleges” by Peter Schmidt the nature of admissions in top colleges was discussed in relation to class and race status. Schmidt states that affirmative action is often serving white populations of upper middle class females rather than those in minority races and ethnicities. This was a great relevant point, especially when considering why affirmative action was proposed and enacted in the first place. Affirmative action was created to serve those who are part of groups who had been quashed in some way by oppression. This stands in stark contrast. Colleges often make excuses for these undeserved admissions because, they are looking for future donors or are aiding an athlete. However, this is still inexcusable. On

Many middle to lower class families cannot afford to send their kids to school and with Ivy League schools like Harvard and Princeton giving out generous financial packages to their student, who mostly come from wealthy background. The poorer students are on the losing end because they are not given the opportunity for aid. As Terry Hartle, the senior vice president of the American Council of Education, says, "Smart poor kids go to college at the same rate as stupid rich kids." What this is saying is that the wealthy families have vastly more opportunity to succeed in the college system even though they have equal or lesser smarts. Well respected schools such as NYU are now admitting students based on the financial fit not by merit.

His writing proves effective since many including myself felt moved by his article. The writers produced many important steps to abolishing Ivy League schools and creating equality. Glenn provides fresh information to an over talked about topic. When reading the article, many become shocked with the percentages Mr. Reynolds provides. At first, many become hesitant that elite universities cause problems of inequality, but the credible author proves his point with clear evidence. Staying on topic, providing surveys, and stating clear realistic ideas on how to solve the problem, provides the key to success on how to win an

Charles Murray’s essay proposes that American colleges are being flooded with individuals who are either unprepared for higher education or who are simply forced into attending college and can’t succeed because of the lack of certain innate abilities. Murray’s essay goes on to take issue with the idea that the pursuit of a traditional college education is somehow strategically creating a separation of the American class system. While Murray makes many salient points with regards to America’s obsession with college education as a standard into a class of the intellectual elite, the essay fails to take into consideration the various motivators that can lead to student success, despite

In, Leo Gerard's article, " Grading Colleges on Access to the American Dream", the author illustrates the tremendous problem of college affordability, which is a growing issue in America. While author primarily focuses on the current issue of college affordability, he also evokes memories of a time when attending college was less difficult. The author begins his argument by stating the importance of colleges and the American Dream. He outlines Obama's plan to grade colleges based on tuition, scholarships, and financial aid. He states that Obama's plan will help restore the chance for all people to attain the American Dream. The author then compares our generation to the past, as he describes the circumstances for teens growing up in the 1960s

It shows how ivy colleges prefer legacy admissions. Although it is not illegal, but recently “two legal theories” are offered under which “legacy preferences could be challenged at both public and private institutions under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause (Ladeswki-578).” The civil act of 1866 prevents the states from giving titles of nobility. Minorities since most of elite university’s alumni belong to upper class families. Americans are concerned about such type of practices as “it creates doubt about institution’s commitment to meritocracy and equal opportunity (Mullen-47).” On the contrary, three out of four Americans oppose ancestry based discrimination so they can create equal opportunities for lower class families to get into elite colleges.

It shows how ivy colleges prefer legacy admissions. Although it is not illegal, but recently “two legal theories” are offered under which “legacy preferences could be challenged at both public and private institutions under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause (Ladeswki-578).” The civil act of 1866 prevents the states from giving titles of nobility. Minorities since most of elite university’s alumni belong to upper class families. Americans are concerned about such type of practices as “it creates doubt about institution’s commitment to meritocracy and equal opportunity (Mullen-47).” On the contrary, three out of four Americans oppose ancestry based discrimination so they can create equal opportunities for lower class families to get into elite colleges.

When it comes to college acceptance if there is an above average student living in a urban area compared to an above average student in a suburban area the college is likely to accept the one from the suburban area because the school is better. This is unfair for the people living in the urban areas and are trying to make it out because of the stigma they have on them. The American Dream shouldn’t depend on where you live. As a matter of fact a lot of these peoples dream is to make it out of the urban area and make it bigger than that. The ones that live in an urban area must work a hundred times harder to achieve The American

Eric Hoover, in “What Colleges Want in an Applicant (Everything)” explains that the college admissions process is very problematic. Many feel the process isn’t fair, focusing too much on testing, financial concerns, alumni status, and other factors that don’t show the type of person each student really is. In fact, several universities, such as Olin’s College of Engineering, have attempted to improve the problem, but for some it seems nearly impossible, or perhaps unnecessary. The hope is to make changes in higher, Ivy League colleges in order to disperse changes beyond.

Jerome Karabel has explored many areas of the college admissions process and is unhappy with his findings. In his text, “The Battle Over Merit”, Karabel concludes that the college admissions process has to be updated, so that everyone gets a fair and equal chance to get into these institutions. He includes a substantial argument of how college admissions have evolved and has been initially favoring one social group. This justification shows the concept of privilege and a need for inclusion. Karabel believes that race shouldn 't be a factor of change, but socio-economic backgrounds should be a way for students to get help and get into these schools, because they need it the most. He also brings up the idea of power and politics and that the

In Daniel Golden’s The Price of Admission: How America 's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges--and Who Gets Left outside the Gates, he makes the argument of how Ivy League schools are being unfair to the academically advanced students who don’t fall into a special social category the universities are rejecting to make room for mediocre students with high status or pleasing characteristics. He explains how Ivy League schools are accepting the rich, the legacies, the famous, the athletically strong, the faculty children, or the minorities over excelling students with no special prestige.

Stacey Dale, an economist at Princeton University, states “the difference between the students who went to super-selective colleges and those with similar SAT scores that were rejected from those institutions and went to less selective colleges is ‘indistinguishable from zero’ (Source A).” The data reported here represents the individual student as responsible for their career success rather than where they attend college. Two of Harvard’s most famous alumni, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, dropped out to move into their full-time technology operations. While not every student will become as rich and powerful as Gates and Zuckerberg, this shows the person, not the school, make the career. The lack of need for top students to receive an Ivy League education highlights the fact that the institution must reform itself in order to attract top students. This lack of a need also hurts the Ivy League “brand”. The Ivy League presents itself as a set of institution that best prepares students for the high level jobs. In part this remains true, as the average Ivy League graduate earns about forty thousand dollars more per year than the average college graduate (Source H). That number gets overblown, however, as community colleges and other trade schools with lesser-paying jobs deflate the average earnings of the entire group. In fact, the Ivy League is beginning to fall behind in the executive-level jobs held by alumni, with the number of executives at Fortune 100 companies with Ivy League undergraduate dropping from 14% to 10% from 1980 to 2001 (Source I). The fall of the influence of Ivy League coincides with the massive rise in tuition over those decades. As the cost of attendance increased, talented students took their smarts elsewhere to receive their education. This hurts the Ivy League as

Upon doing research on Charles Murray it was discovered that he went to Harvard, which may make one doubt the validity of his argument. Another faulty is that a man who went to such a prestigious school will have a different expectation than someone who went to the University of New Hampshire for example. Of course he doesn’t think college is for everyone because not everyone may be able to make it through a college as vigorous as Harvard. Anyone that attends Harvard has some amount of talent but “anything below an IQ of 110 is problematic…if you want to do well [in college], you should have an IQ of 115 or higher” (Kirszner, Mandell 677). By making this statement, one can doubt his arguments validity; he may be making too high of an expectation for the “qualifying” student academically college abled and underestimating the “unqualified” college student that should try two years of vocational school before attempting a four year college. Millar, who did not attend an Ivy League school like Murray, and did an exceptionally well job of convincing her readers by stating facts with opinions. If a woman who went to UCLA can do that, than Murray may be overestimating college and adding more insult than encouragement. If a parent has a child with an IQ less than that of a “qualifying” one, then Murray may appear discriminatory towards an audience that is associated

Students everywhere line up to participate in the biggest race ever known, the race for College Admissions that is. It begins with students filling out admission forms, listing qualities that put them above others, and end with, hopefully, an acceptance letter. However, for many students that is not the case. Why might you ask? The answer is simple. Certain college have admission quotas, or a certain number of students that could be admitted. Now the real question is ‘Should Colleges have Admission Quotas?’