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I dug out a book I read in sociology class in college called The Chosen by Jerome Karabel. How fair do you find Ivy League admissions the past 100 years?
I say admissions have gotten more fair. Legacies represent 13% of the student body at Yale for example and used to be over 30%. Athletic scholarships are strictly capped. There is still a quota on Asian Americans like myself.
I'd say it's fair. I myself got into one and got rejected by one. And I was far from a phenomenal high school student. A number of us got into them. Getting into a bottom Ivy isn't that great of an accomplishment. Harvard is a different story.
If I had a fair comprehensive review of a candidate, I would place the most emphasis on academic achievement and make all other factors secondary:
1. Academic - GPA and standardized test scores
2. Character- based off recommendations and gauges honesty and speaking ability
3. Extracurricular activities - excelling in sports, music, or art
You need to mature a little. It's not so black and white. It's a simple example but your process would likely pick someone who had a 780 on their GMAT but did little in anything else over someone who scored 720 but was an accomplished musician.
You seem to be missing respect for the dedication, persistence, passion, and intelligence that are necessary for non-academic activities.
There are many more glaring things that your thought process misses but I'll leave it at that.
You need to mature a little. It's not so black and white. It's a simple example but your process would likely pick someone who had a 780 on their GMAT but did little in anything else over someone who scored 720 but was an accomplished musician.
You seem to be missing respect for the dedication, persistence, passion, and intelligence that are necessary for non-academic activities.
There are many more glaring things that your thought process misses but I'll leave it at that.
I was stating what I wanted in my version of the admission process to undergrad. You are stating what happens right now.
I just find the whole process somewhat anti-academic to b-school that you alluded to. We want someone intelligent but not a grade grubber. Maybe the adcoms don't want 75% of the b-school class to consist of Indians and Chinese people who scored 720+ overseas and destroyed the test we concocted. They want people with subjective "leadership" and "teamwork" abilities with decent academic achievement. Also, fluency in spoken English is very important and is the main reason international students have a hard time getting in.
My academic profile is not outstanding. But my volunteering efforts are. So I am speaking against my self interest.
As others have said, you need to define exactly what you mean by fair.
If you are of the mind that top of the line test scores/GPAs entitle one into admission into an elite school, you may be starting from a faulty pretense.
The admissions office is not there to reward high schoolers for past performance. Their job is not to give out prizes for good behavior. Their job is to admit whatever kind of class fits the institution's needs.
On the other hand, I do agree that there tends to be a quota on Asians.
As others have said, you need to define exactly what you mean by fair.
If you are of the mind that top of the line test scores/GPAs entitle one into admission into an elite school, you may be starting from a faulty presence.
The admissions office is not there to reward high schoolers for past performance. Their job is not to give out prizes for good behavior. Their job is to admit whatever kind of class fits the institution's needs.
On the other hand, I do agree that there tends to be a quota on Asians.
There are explicit quotas on Asian Americans, like those of the Jews in an earlier era.
Personally, I disagree that Ivies have any significant anti-Asian sentiment or quota. Maybe a little.
If anything, getting into an Ivy League school is one thing in life where your being Asian will HURT YOU THE LEAST.
After you get your shiny Ivy League degree(s) and enter the real world, try navigating the spheres of Wall Street, Big 4 Accounting, Corporate Law, Consulting, etc and how they tend to favor persons with certain images and personas for promotions. See how much your nose to the grind hard work ethic helps you then, like it helped you get into Dartmouth. Not!
Personally, I disagree that Ivies have any significant anti-Asian sentiment or quota. Maybe a little.
If anything, getting into an Ivy League school is one thing in life where your being Asian will HURT YOU THE LEAST.
After you get your shiny Ivy League degree(s) and enter the real world, try navigating the spheres of Wall Street, Big 4 Accounting, Corporate Law, Consulting, etc and how they tend to favor persons with certain images and personas for promotions. See how much your nose to the grind hard work ethic helps you then, like it helped you get into Dartmouth. Not!
You'll see what I mean.
By a certain image, do you mean a tall, confident, sociable, and clean cut man? Not necessarily Caucasian.
There is a sense they don't want to have "too many" Asians.
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