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Should colleges end legacy admissions? Should colleges end legacy admissions?
Yes, colleges should end legacy admissions Yes, colleges should end legacy admissions
No, colleges should not end legacy admissions No, colleges should not end legacy admissions
Most legacy kids are already privileged Most legacy kids are already privileged
It disadvantages low-income students and favors the wealthy It disadvantages low-income students and favors the wealthy
It causes harm to minority students It causes harm to minority students
It would jeopardize financial support It would jeopardize financial support
Legacy admissions tend to be more than qualified Legacy admissions tend to be more than qualified
Legacy kids care more about these schools Legacy kids care more about these schools
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Should colleges end legacy admissions?
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No, colleges should not end legacy admissions

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Legacy kids care more about these schools

When it comes to choosing among equally strong candidates, one consideration can be the natural affinity for the university that often emerges among children of alumni. Legacy students often have a stronger desire to attend and engage with the institutions their parents went to.
Brown University Harvard University
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The Argument

Colleges should not put an end to legacy admissions because legacy admits tend to have a stronger affinity for the schools their parents went to. Naturally, there is often a stronger desire to attend and stay more engaged with the institution among children of alumni.[1] When colleges admit students who have a natural affinity for their institution, they strengthen the community of students they have that are fully committed to dedicating their time and energy to the college for the long haul.[2] The legacy preference is one way of encouraging alumni to remain engaged with the college for the rest of their lives. Because legacy admits are the children of parents who also went to these schools, they tend to be more knowledgeable and even tend to already have strong connections to these schools. Legacy admissions help colleges to admit students who really want to be there and will likely stay involved with the college far past their time there.

Counter arguments

Colleges should end legacy admissions because there is no evidence nor data that shows that the children of alumni have a stronger affinity for the schools their parents went to. Legacy students are more prone to applying to schools their parents went to because of encouragement from their parents rather than because they actually have the desire to go to that same school.[3] Similar to the fact that there is no statistically significant evidence that legacy preferences impact total alumni giving, the same is true for the notion that legacies somehow care or have a stronger desire for admission than non-legacies. These are just assumptions made that perpetuate this harmful policy. Colleges should put an end to legacy admissions because there is no statistical evidence that shows their benefit.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/04/legacy-admissions-preferences-ivy/586465/
  2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/02/19/bloomberg-promises-end-legacy-preferences-college-admissions-threatens-limit-federal-funds-schools-that-refuse/
  3. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/04/legacy-admissions-preferences-ivy/586465/
This page was last edited on Monday, 23 Nov 2020 at 03:31 UTC

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