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Scott Alexander has an interesting take on legacy admissions[1]: the idea is to admit some privileged kids, and some smart kids, so that each can benefit from t
by Meekro 3y ago
Scott Alexander has an interesting take on legacy admissions[1]: the idea is to admit some privileged kids, and some smart kids, so that each can benefit from the other's presence. In other words, if you're a smart kid trying to pick a college, the fact that at Harvard you can become drinking buddies with the kids of industry tycoons, federal judges, senators, etc. is exactly what you want. You're not upset that those privileged kids get in automatically, it's actually a perk to you that they do.
[1] https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/why-match-school-and-student-rank https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/why-match-school-and-s...
- jmwilson 3y agoCurtailing legacy admissions would push some privileged kids to second tier schools and cause more of this happen, instead of concentrating it at a small handful of top schools. The event where some kid of humble origin connects with a kid of the Social Register crowd and forms a lifelong bond comes from mostly odd chance, and it tends to recedes after the initial mix of roommates and floormates are assigned. Social circles gel and people start sorting themselves almost right away.
- HDThoreaun 3y agoAbsolutely wild how often Scott writes a much better articulated version of a take I've already had.