3 ms·
Just to add to your point, in 1940, Harvard (and most other universities) had its own exam and its own application. The person who was going to spend the time t
by Dracophoenix 5y ago
Just to add to your point, in 1940, Harvard (and most other universities) had its own exam and its own application. The person who was going to spend the time to try for Harvard was a boy (and only boys) who had finished high school (an accomplishment achieved by less than half of all students back then), had book smarts (a common quality today but not in the past), and some form of "noteworthiness" (whether that was in family prestige or science fair awards). As you can see, all these things put together make for a very low denominator with which Harvard could have easily achieved an 80%+ acceptance rate. These factors were already self-selecting for the "Harvard Man." Now they aren't. You are correct in your point that the ladder has become more visible. That visibility has bred more competition and more metrics to suss out who should have a seat at the College.
- unishark 5y agoAlso prestige whoring wasn't always as pervasive as it is now. Even as recently as the 90's when I was applying to college, the ivy league proudly proclaimed their lack of merit or athletic scholarships... so I didn't even consider applying there. I think the location of schools was a bigger factor to most of my fellow students than the reputation. New England winters were scary. And my high school actually advised against the nearby elite university because of their recent student suicides. The solid state flagship school was where normal people aspired to go. It's bizarre to compare the world back then to now. My parents' number one concern was they wanted me out of the house and able to support myself.