Tag: college admissions
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College rankings are a scam universities pay to participate in
U.S. News rankings shape billions in tuition decisions, but the methodology rewards spending and gameable inputs. Several elite schools have already pulled out.
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Affirmative action ending will hurt students it was supposed to help
The Supreme Court ended race-conscious admissions in 2023. Early data on enrollment shifts suggests the costs land hardest on the students the policy aimed to help.
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Standardized tests are the fairest part of admissions, not the least
Test-optional policies were sold as equity wins. The data tells a more complicated story, and standardized tests may be admissions’ most level playing field.
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Need-blind admissions is a marketing claim, not a policy
Need-blind admissions sounds rigorous and is largely promotional. Here’s what colleges actually do, and why the gap between claim and practice is wide.
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Admissions consulting is legal cheating and Ivy League schools love it
Elite admissions consulting costs more than tuition and bends the rules without breaking them. The Ivies know exactly what’s happening — and benefit from it.
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The college essay is a class signal dressed up as personal expression
Admissions essays claim to reveal authentic voice. In practice, they reward access to coaching and a specific cultural register most applicants can’t fake.
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The end of affirmative action was overdue and we should say so
Affirmative action in college admissions outlived its purpose and produced its own injustices. The honest case for ending it deserves to be made plainly.
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High school counselors push college because they’re measured on it
School counselors aren’t pushing college because it’s right for every kid. They’re pushing it because their performance metrics quietly require them to.
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The Common App created the admissions arms race
The Common App made applying to dozens of colleges almost free. Here’s how that single design choice reshaped admissions selectivity, anxiety, and inequality.
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Test-optional admissions made elite schools whiter and richer
Test-optional policies were sold as equity wins, but the data shows elite admissions tilted further toward wealthy applicants who could game the new criteria.