Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth are prestigious schools with their own stated purposes. Harvard aims to provide a liberal arts education and develop “citizens and citizen-leaders for our society.” Dartmouth’s goal is to educate promising students and prepare them for a lifetime of learning and leadership. While these schools offer valuable education, they also contribute to a culture of intense competition among students, vying for limited spots. This often favors the wealthy. These colleges shape and mold their students, sometimes at exorbitant costs. They then release them into society, having imparted knowledge and bound them together as elites.
New research published by economists from Harvard and Brown University confirms that attending Ivy League or other highly selective schools significantly increases a student’s chances of achieving success, both in terms of earnings and other measures like attending elite graduate schools or working at prestigious firms. This perpetuates privilege across generations, amplifying the persistence of privilege. By changing their admissions policies, these colleges could promote greater socioeconomic diversity within the country’s leadership.
While some may argue that focusing on a small percentage of colleges that educate less than half a percent of Americans is not significant, the researchers point out that many influential individuals in areas such as politics, science, and journalism come from these institutions. Diversifying who holds positions of influence can have a substantial impact on society.
This research highlights the importance and impact of schools like Harvard and Yale. Attending these institutions sets students on a trajectory toward the country’s ruling class. This finding contradicts previous research suggesting that attending prestigious colleges does not significantly affect earnings compared to top-tier state schools. However, the new research shows that attending super-elite schools doubles or triples a student’s chances of accessing influential positions or institutions.
The pursuit of elite diversification has become more challenging since the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action. Elite colleges still have a disproportionately high number of white and wealthy students. The researchers propose a set of policies that can promote diversity without compromising student quality or ambition. These include eliminating legacy admissions, ending recruitment policies for athletes, and reducing emphasis on non-academic achievements that often favor the rich.
Implementing these policies would increase the representation of low- and middle-income students at these elite schools. Additionally, increasing admissions preferences for low- and middle-income students with excellent test scores would further improve diversity and long-term outcomes.
Another policy suggestion is to enroll more students. Despite having substantial endowments, Ivy Plus schools graduate fewer than 25,000 students each year. By reallocating resources towards scholarships and teaching, these schools could enroll more students and make education more accessible.
While reshuffling admissions at a select few schools won’t resolve American inequality entirely, it could transform the priorities of elite America. The power held by the twelve college presidents of these institutions is significant, and they have the ability to shape the positions of influence in the United States. Leveraging this power could create a meaningful impact.
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