Harvard Rescinds Acceptances for At Least Ten Students for Obscene Memes. The Truth about Ivy League College Admissions

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The Truth about Ivy League College Admissions
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October 16, 2018
Introduction
It is a commonly held belief that one of the greatest achievements that an individual could have is being able to study at an Ivy League university. The sheer number of applications, sheer difficulty in admission, the mystery of school applications, and the prestige of the institutions themselves have nonetheless created an idea of superiority for everyone. However, recent news about the inconsistencies in the selection process have made everyone think, ‘are Ivy League institutions really worth it?’ To understand this, I believe that it is essential to look not only, in the recent news, but also in the past occurrences in the selection processes of these institutions. By looking at trends, patterns, and possible issues in the selection processes, I believe that despite the advantages and disadvantages of the application processes of the Ivy League, the quality of their selection processes still makes them one of the institutions that most students aspire for.
Issues in the Selection Processes
Just a few days ago, a trial against Harvard’s admission processes was scheduled to determine whether it engages in racial profiling or not. According to the complaints, the selection process these days is characterised by a kind of ‘racial balancing’, that “benefits blacks and Hispanics and hurts Asian American applicants” (Biskupic). While the decision is yet to be made, the institution has claimed that race in ‘one factor’ that they consider in the selection of new students. However, while this process is most apparent in the said university, some reports say that other ivy leagues engage in the same kind of profiling as well (Jackson). One the one hand, these institutions argue that race is not utilised to ‘discriminate’, but rather to have a mixture of students that is culturally diverse, thereby leading to higher productivity throughout the whole community. According to a recent study done by Schachner, Noack and Van de Vijver, cultural diversity and equality within the campus could indeed help by helping the students develop an open-mindset about the whole world through assimilation.
On the other hand, however, using race for the selection process poses a lot of risks since (1) there is no “exact number” proven to achieve this balance between students from different cultures, and (2) it undermines the principle of meritocracy. In fact, this use of race could even be seen as a ...