"Legacy students should not have a better chance of getting into Harvard."
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American
Let's be honest - legacy students have a better chance of getting into Harvard because Harvard wants more alumni donor money. Now, all things considered, is this a policy we want to support?
Quaker
This is a complex question, I think. American is right, in large part, that letting alumni children in (and their children etc) and building networks through such policies acts as a kind of reward for alumni, thus prompting donations. Harvard is a world-class university primarily because of its wealth, built determinedly over centuries. Its reputation is a result of that wealth, and the opportunities we have here are because of it. So I can see an objection to letting legacies in for their own sake - but would you even want to be here if they hadn't been doing that all this time?
3 Comments
View all 3 comments...
American
Let's be honest - legacy students have a better chance of getting into Harvard because Harvard wants more alumni donor money. Now, all things considered, is this a policy we want to support?
Quaker
This is a complex question, I think. American is right, in large part, that letting alumni children in (and their children etc) and building networks through such policies acts as a kind of reward for alumni, thus prompting donations. Harvard is a world-class university primarily because of its wealth, built determinedly over centuries. Its reputation is a result of that wealth, and the opportunities we have here are because of it. So I can see an objection to letting legacies in for their own sake - but would you even want to be here if they hadn't been doing that all this time?